A Special Forces soldier with 18 years of service died Sunday in a motorcycle accident in Hope Mills, North Carolina, according to a Wednesday release from the Army.
Sgt. 1st Class Jamie Otts, 41, and his wife, Crystal Otts, were riding separate Harley Davidson motorcycles on Sunday afternoon when the accident occurred. Crystal was not harmed, the Fayetteville Observer reported.
As Jamie Otts came up on a slight curve, his bike ran off the road into a ditch. It hit a culvert pipe and went airborne on impact, causing Otts to be ejected, a North Carolina state trooper told the Observer. Crystal Otts was riding directly behind her husband and witnessed the crash.
Jamie Otts died shortly after being transported to Cape Fear Valley Hospital, according to the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School.
The Alabama native joined the Army as a combat engineer in 2000 before completing the Special Forces Qualification Course in 2006, the release said.
A weapons sergeant, he served with 3rd Special Forces Group, as a drill sergeant at Fort Benning, Georgia, and with 1st Special Warfare Training Group at Fort Bragg.
Otts’ deployments included two stints in Afghanistan, one in Iraq and one to Pakistan.
His awards include six Army Commendation Medals — one with combat “V” — and two Army Achievement Medals, the release said.
Meghann Myers is the Pentagon bureau chief at Military Times. She covers operations, policy, personnel, leadership and other issues affecting service members.
