Rick Hickman

Mr. Richard Thomas "Rick" Hickman, age 52, of Cave Spring, GA, died Wednesday, January 18, 2006, while working in Iraq training Iraqi police forces.Mr. Hickman was born in Maryville, TN, on July 23, 1953, the son of J.P. Hickman and Wenna Miller. He was raised in Deland, FL, and was a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corp. Mr. Hickman had served in the Marines from 1971 until 1996, with tours of duty in Germany, Cuba, Korea and Norway. Following retirement from the Marines, he was a member of the Gordon County Sheriff's Department. Mr. Hickman joined DynCorp International last year to travel to Iraq where he was assisting in the U.S. led effort to train and equip Iraqi law enforcement personnel. He was a member of the Rehoboth Baptist Church and an avid Coosa High School football and basketball fan. Mr. Hickman was preceded in death by his step-father, Buddy Miller.Mr. Hickman is survived by his wife, Betty Sue Jones Hickman, to whom he was married on September 10, 1993; three daughters, Jennifer May of Bradenton, FL, and Jessie Corbett and Sara Hickman, both of Belton, MO; four sons, Spc. Jonathan Orebaugh of Fort Lewis WA, Matthew Orebaugh of Cave Spring, Tom Hickman of Fort Lauderdale, FL, and Ryan Hickman of Belton, MO; his mother, Wenna Miller; his father and step-mother, J.P. and Nellie Hickman; two sisters, Sharon Johnston and Tina Burns; two brothers, Ronald Hickman and Robin Miller. Seven grandchildren along with several nieces and nephews also survive.Funeral services for Mr. Hickman will be held on Friday morning at 11 a.m. in the Rehoboth Baptist Church with Dr. David McKenzie, Lt. Michael Garigan, Larry Dolan and Mr. Gary Lenny officiating. Interment will follow in the church cemetery with full military honors accorded.The family will receive friends on Thursday evening from 6 until 8 p.m. in the Heritage Chapel of the Jennings Funeral Home.Pallbearers are asked to meet at the church on Friday by 10:30 a.m. and include Jim Cohen, Russ Hickman, Rob Hickman, Dennis Little, Buddy Kanupp and Kenneth Tillery. The Gordon County Sheriff's Department will serve as honorary pallbearers.In lieu of flowers the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Rehoboth Baptist Church Building Fund, c/o Evelyn Terry, 534 Buttermilk Road, Cave Spring, GA, 30124.Richard Thomas Hickman, 52, a Cave Spring resident, was working for a private security contractor in Iraq when he was killed Wednesday, January 18, 2006, in a roadside bomb attack. Hickman, a former Gordon County Sheriff's deputy, was working for DynCorp International training Iraqi security forces, said Maj. Clent Harris, a spokesman for the Sheriff's Office. He joined the Gordon County Sheriff's Department in 1996 and was hired by DynCorp in March 2005. Hickman served in the United States Marine Corps from 1971 to 1996, including tours of duty in Germany, Cuba, Okinawa, Korea and Norway. In 1996, he became a member of the Gordon County (Georgia) Sheriff's Department, and he joined DynCorp International for a one-year mission to train Iraqi police in August 2005. He was assigned to the Civilian Police Advisory Training Team (CPATT), the component of the U.S. military Multinational Security Transition Command - Iraq (MNSTC-I) responsible for the U.S.-led effort to train and equip the 135,000-member Iraqi police service. DynCorp International recruits, trains, equips, and supports the 500-member U.S. contingent of trainers through a contract with the U.S. Department of State. His job involved training Iraqi law enforcement personnel in Basra, said Gordon County Clerk of Court Brian Brannon. "That's what he wanted to do," Brannon said. "I worked with Rick a lot when I was with the coroner's office and he did investigations. He was always keen on a military career."