Sgt. Markevian Slacks, 31, died in a car crash near the Italy-Austria border on May 2, 2026. (173rd Airborne Brigade/Facebook)
VICENZA, Italy — A U.S. soldier serving with the 173rd Airborne Brigade was killed in an off-duty car crash in northern Italy over the weekend.
Sgt. Markevian Slacks, 31, was a parachute rigger with the brigade and was stationed at Aviano Air Base. The crash occurred near the border with Austria on Saturday morning, a military official said.
Slacks was a “valued member of our formation who will be sorely missed,” Col. Mark Bush, 173rd Airborne Brigade commander, said in a post on the brigade’s social media pages.
“We are deeply saddened,” he said. “His loss will forever weigh heavily on the hearts of those fortunate enough to have experienced his comradery and selfless devotion to his team.”
Hundreds of commenters responding to the command’s Facebook and Instagram posts expressed their condolences or shared memories of Slacks.
“He was a stellar person,” said the official Instagram account for U.S. Army Garrison Italy’s Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers. “We are going to miss you dearly.”
Slacks was a native of Fitzgerald, Ga., and joined the Army in early 2021, at the age of 26, according to biographical information the military provided to Stars and Stripes.
After basic training at Fort Jackson, S.C., he trained as parachute rigger at the Army’s Quartermaster School on Fort Lee, Va.
After arriving in Aviano in November 2021, Slacks proved his skills as a parachute packer and airdrop specialist before taking on the role of in-process inspector, the individual who checks soldiers’ gear at the holding area before they board an aircraft for airborne operations. It is a “profound responsibility” that helps ensure the safety and readiness of all paratroopers of the Sky Soldier Brigade, said the Southern European Task Force, Africa, in an emailed statement.
Slacks’ awards and decorations include a Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters and other awards. He also earned the Expert Soldier Badge, Parachute Rigger Badge and Air Assault Badge.
Slacks was his company’s representative to the BOSS program, which is aimed at giving service members things to do while off duty, officials said.
“He was not only an amazing soldier, but an amazing person,” said commenter Kylee Faith Ward. “He had unwavering morals and genuinely cared about not only his work and the uniform, but about everyone he encountered.”
The crash was under review, the command said in its Facebook and Instagram posts.
