Command Sgt. Major Wayne A. Fausz, 40, of Florence, Kentucky, died Tuesday.
The North Carolina Highway Patrol says 18-year-old Sebastian Talley of Cameron, N.C.was driving south on Highway 87 when he crossed the turning lane and hit a pickup truck driven by Fausz. Fausz's wife and two children were in the vehicle.
Talley died at the scene. Troopers say alcohol was not a factor, but they believe he was fatigued.
The conditions of the surviving Fausz family members is not known.
Fausz was the command sergeant major for the 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Abn. Div.
"Command Sergeant Major Wayne Fausz was an outstanding Noncommissioned Officer who always led by example and epitomized the Army values," LTC John M. Cyrulik, Commander, 1-82nd ARB said in a statement released Thursday. "He was a warrior and consummate team player well respected by the troopers, fellow NCOs, and officers fortunate to serve with him during his exemplary service in the Wolfpack Battalion. He will be greatly missed by the troopers and families of 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade."
Fausz joined the Army in July 1988 and deployed to Saudia Arabia from 19889-1990 and twice to Iraq -- once in 2003 and once in 2004.
In 2008, he began serving with the 82nd Airborne Division and deployed to Afghanistan from May 2009 to April 2010.
Fausz's significant awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal with two Oakleaf Clusters, the Meritorious Service Medal with one Oakleaf Cluster, the Army Commendation Medal with five Oakleaf Clusters, the Army Achievement Medal with four Oakleaf Clusters, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the Afghan Campaign Medal with one Campaign Star, the Iraq Campaign Medal with one Campaign Star, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the NATO Medal, the Combat Action Badge, the Master Aircraft Crewman Badge and the Master Parachutist Badge.
Fausz is survived by his wife, Natasha Fausz, of Joliet, Ill., his two children Nathaniel and Autumn, his mother Darlene Hinkle of Union, Ky., his father, David Fausz Sr., of Independence, Ky., and his brother David Fausz Jr., of Queen Creek, Ariz.
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