Separating Soldier Dies Rescuing DD-214
FAYETTEVILLE, NC — A soldier has died after being struck by a vehicle on Skibo Road, mere minutes after having left the Army, military officials reported.
Police said the cause of the accident was the soldier's attempt at retrieving his DD-214 form, which had blown out of his car and into traffic.
Specialist David Willis, 22, completed his four-year enlistment Monday. After completing out-processing paperwork, he packed his car and left Ft. Bragg to begin transition leave, a period of excused absence used in conjunction with separation from the military.
Eyewitnesses said that Willis was honking his horn and fist pumping in apparent celebration of his new freedom.
"We were stopped at a red light, and I saw this guy [Willis] jamming to the Black Eyed Peas' 'I Got a Feeling,'" motorist Frank Tomlin said. "He was just blaring the shit out of it on his speakers, singing along, with his windows rolled down so that everybody could hear him."
The open windows, however, would prove to be fatal. To…
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