[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Pages 23446-23447]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES


                         captain benedict smith

  Mrs. McCASKILL. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the life and 
sacrifice of CPT Benedict Smith, who will forever be a hometown hero of 
Monroe City, MO.
  On Saturday, October 4, 2008, the citizens of Monroe City will gather 
at its local community airfield and name it in memory of Ben, who lost 
his life on November 7, 2003, when, while piloting a U.S. Army 
Blackhawk helicopter near Tikrit, Iraq, he was shot down.
  In a famous speech given by General Douglas MacArthur before the West 
Point Corps of Cadets on May 12, 1962, MacArthur exclaimed:

        Duty, Honor, Country: Those three hallowed words 
     reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, 
     what you will be. They are your rallying points: to build 
     courage when courage seems to fail; to regain faith when 
     there seems to be little cause for faith; to create hope when 
     hope becomes forlorn.

  Ben Smith, a 1999 graduate of the United States Military Academy, was 
what MacArthur envisioned--he did not just live ``Duty, Honor, 
Country,'' he was ``Duty, Honor, Country.'' He lived a life marked by a 
duty to serve a higher cause; he did so with impeccable honor; and, 
finally, he committed and ultimately sacrificed his life for his 
beloved country. Today, I humbly honor Ben and his family.
  But saying that Ben served and sacrificed would only be telling part 
of his story, because Ben was more than a great man, he was also a lot 
of fun. I recently heard a story from one of Ben's West Point 
classmates that demonstrates Ben's wise guy attitude. In the spring of 
1999 the senior cadets were brought together for a lecture. Officers 
from an Army unit that had recently returned from overseas deployment 
were to talk to the cadets about the challenges they would soon face as 
new second lieutenants in the U.S. Army. During a question and answer 
period Ben rose and boldly asked:

       Sir, I was wondering, in the Army, will we be able to take 
     the afternoon naps we have grown accustomed to here at West 
     Point?

  A roar of laughter followed. Ben Smith was brave well before his time 
and exhibited more than a healthy dose of a Missourians swagger.
  Ben went on to become a helicopter pilot and soon joined the esteemed 
``Screaming Eagles'' of the 101st Airborne Division. He would marry a 
fellow helicopter pilot, Maggie, in December 2002, and both would soon 
find themselves deployed to Iraq.
  Ben, tragically, made the ultimate sacrifice for his country on this 
tour of duty. He would be received home by his family in Monroe City 
where an entire town rallied to honor its fallen hero and to support 
Ben's loved ones. One military service member who attended Ben's 
funeral later wrote:

       The people of Monroe City, MO are truly what a community 
     should be modeled after. You, your family and the people of 
     Monroe City are and will always be true heroes.

  I am proud of Ben Smith, of his family and of his many friends. I am 
also proud of Monroe City, which has so

[[Page 23447]]

humbly supported Ben and the Smith family. Monroe City reminds us all 
of the greatness of small town America. And Monroe City has displayed 
the special values of Missourians who have such a strong love of 
country and such a remarkable commitment to their communities. It is no 
surprise that a town like Monroe City produces American heroes such as 
Ben Smith.
  As Ben's friends and family once again come out to honor his memory 
and remember his life on the occasion of the naming of the Monroe City 
Regional Airport as the ``Captain Ben Smith Airfield,'' we are reminded 
of what it means to be an American. More importantly, we recognize how 
great it is to have the freedoms we enjoy as we also acknowledge that 
our freedom did not and does not come for free.
  Part of the West Point Alma-Mater reads

       And when our work is done, Our course on earth is run, May 
     it be said, ``Well Done; Be Thou at Peace.''

  Ben is no doubt at peace today. Ben's work was well done. His memory 
and sacrifice will always be with those of us still here on earth. 
Those who fly in and out of the Ben Smith Airfield may be said to take 
to the heavens in flight. Today I think we can safely say that Ben is 
flying in heaven.

                          ____________________