For one Army Reservist, second prize in the largest-ever lottery drawing is nothing to scoff at — and doesn't make a bad birthday present.
"It was a feeling I'll never forget," Charlestin said in a write-up on the Powerball website. "It's the best birthday present I've ever had."
Charlestin bought the ticket at a Food Mart Express, according to the website. He cashed it in on Tuesday, six days after his birthday and the drawing, at state lottery headquarters in Raleigh.
The first sergeant has 15 years of service, according to information provided by Army Reserve Command. He deployed to Haiti in 2010, then to Djibouti later that year in support of Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa. He's earned the Army Commendation Medal with four oak leaf clusters, the Joint Service Achievement Medal and the Army Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters.
The soldier took home $1,385,140 after taxes, according to the lottery's website. A couple sharing one of the three tickets that matched all six numbers will take home nearly $328 million.
Kevin Lilley is the features editor of Military Times.
