A husband, son, brother, cousin, friend and soldier died eight years ago today. I know a lot of good folks who miss him, but are also proud of him and consider themselves lucky to have known him.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael A. Benson, 40, of Winona, Minnesota died at the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland of injuries sustained on August 2, 2005 in Baghdad, Iraq, when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device struck his convoy. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 314th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 78th Division, Fort Drum, New York. Died on August 10, 2005. | 
Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael A. Benson Last Rank Sergeant First Class Last Service Branch Infantry Last Primary MOS 11B1P-Paratrooper Last MOS Group Infantry (Enlisted) Last Unit 2005-2005, 11B1P, Multi-National Security Transition Command - Iraq (MNSTC)/Civilian Police Assistance Training Team (CPATT) Service Years 1985 - 2005 MOS 11B1P-Paratrooper |
 SFC A Sergeant First Class (SFC) is the first senior non-commissioned officer, and is most commonly assigned the role of Platoon Sergeant to serve as chief advisor and assistant to the Platoon Leader. An SFC usually has 15-18 years of Army experience, and may be in command of as many as 40 soldiers in a rifle platoon or 18 soldiers and 4 tanks in an armor platoon. Sergeant First Class is the 8th rank in the United States Army, ranking above Staff Sergeant and directly below Master Sergeant.
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Humanitarian Service
"Michael was a giver. He gave not just of his means, of substance, he gave of his heart." | 
Army NCO Professional Development
Joint Meritorious Unit Award with NAVY/AF/MC/CG
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Army Service
Last Known Activity SFC Benson operated out of Forward Operating Base Shield, where he was an Advisor for the Public Order Division, Special Police Transition Team, Civilian Police Assistance Training Team, Multi-National security transition Command-Iraq. |
Army Overseas Service
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Pathfinder Badge
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Kuwait Liberation Medal (Emirate of Kuwait)
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Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia)
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Soldier dies from injuries sustained in Iraq
From The Associated Press, August 11, 2005
From The Associated Press, August 11, 2005
- During his two decades in the Army, Michael A. Benson would often come home and tell stories about traveling all over the world. Few of those locations were vacations.
- “He used to rattle off a long list of names of places and then we would realize those were all places where bad things were happening,” said his mother, Norma Benson.
- Benson, 40, of Winona, Minn., died Aug. 10 at a Maryland hospital of injuries he sustained Aug. 2 in Baghdad when a bomb struck his convoy. He was based at Fort Drum.
- Benson graduated high school in 1983 and joined the Army two years later, hoping to make a career out of it. He earned a host of decorations, including the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
- Over his Army career, Benson mastered the intricacies of infantry weapons, the life of a paratrooper and he served for years as an Army recruiter.
- His ex-wife, Robyn Benson, said Michael was “super smart” and routinely aced any exam the military required him to take. He also liked to cook and do creative writing.
- “There wasn’t anything he couldn’t do,” she said.
- He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth.
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