Robert T. Benson
SPC
Army
Date of Birth:
Date of Death:
July 3, 1984
November 4, 2003
Place of Death:
Cemetery:
Cemetery Location:
Grave site:
Baghdad, Iraq
Holy Cross Cemetery
Spokane, WA
Undisclosed
Spc. Robert T. Benson enjoyed playing sports and spending time with his family. "He was a good man and an excellent soldier," said Sean Sorin, a fellow soldier who flew from Iraq for the funeral. "He will never be forgotten."
Benson, 20, died Nov. 4 of a non-hostile gunshot wound sustained at a checkpoint in Iraq. He was based at Smith Barracks, Germany.
He was born in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and attended schools in Spokane, Wash. Benson joined the Army in July 2001, shortly after graduating from high school.
He married a high school classmate, Aimee Hiatt, last December. "I wish Bobby could have had children," his stepsister, Alexandra, said. "I wish he could have seen his brothers and sisters get married."
Published by The Washington Post on Jan. 28, 2005