[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 46 (Thursday, March 12, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Page S1035]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



             Honoring Staff Sergeant Benjamin N. Pennington

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, this week we learned that a seventh 
American had died in the war with Iran. SSG Benjamin Pennington, U.S. 
Army, was a native of Glendale, KY. That is right near Fort Knox. He 
was deployed with the 1st Space Battalion, 1st Space Brigade, at Prince 
Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
  An Iranian strike mortally wounded him in the line of duty. I am 
confident, today, Glendale and the rest of Hardin County are 
surrounding Sergeant Pennington's parents Timothy and Carrie with 
support. Their son was, by all accounts, deeply admired by neighbors, 
pastors, and coaches who helped him become the man he became.
  At his alma mater Central Hardin High School, Benjamin Pennington was 
remembered as ``the quintessential all-American.'' Of course, there is 
no amount of praise for Sergeant Pennington's character, commitment, or 
bravery that can fill the hole left by his loss. The knowledge that he 
fell pursuing a noble cause is actually small comfort, but it cannot 
obscure the empty seat at the dinner table.
  And so my deepest sympathies are with the Pennington family today and 
in the difficult days that lie ahead.