FORT CARSON, Colo. — The seventh U.S. service member killed in the Iran war was a soldier based out of Fort Carson, Pentagon officials said Monday.
Sgt. Benjamin Pennington, 26, of Glendale, Kentucky, died Sunday after being wounded during a March 1 retaliatory attack on U.S. troops stationed at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Defense.
“It is with a heavy heart that we render a final salute to U.S. Army Sgt. Benjamin Pennington, 1st Space Battalion, 1st Space Brigade, Fort Carson, Colorado, in honor of his service to the nation,” U.S. Space Command officials in Colorado Springs said Monday. “We mourn a life cut short and extend our heartfelt gratitude and sympathies to the family, friends, and community of Sgt. Pennington as we honor his ultimate sacrifice."
Pennington, who was posthumously promoted to staff sergeant, enlisted in the U.S. Army as a unit supply specialist in 2017 and was assigned to the Fort Carson unit in June of last year, officials from the U.S. Army said in a statement.
The unit’s mission focused on “missile warning, GPS, and long-haul satellite communications,” according to the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command website.
Pennington’s awards and decorations include three Army commendation medals, an Army achievement medal, two Army good conduct medals, a national defense service medal, a global war on terrorism service medal, a Korea defense service medal, an overseas service ribbon, a noncommissioned officer professional development ribbon, and an Army service ribbon.
Described by his superiors as a dedicated and experienced noncommissioned officer who led with strength, professionalism and sense of duty, Pennington “gave the ultimate sacrifice for the country he loved,” said Lt. Gen. Sean A. Gainey, a commanding general at USASMDC. “That makes him nothing less than a hero, and he will always be remembered that way.”
In a statement to Scripps News Group Colorado Springs, Rep. Jeff Crank said Pennington “answered the call to serve and defend our country and gave the ultimate sacrifice.”
“This is a grave and sobering reminder of the dangers our men and women in uniform face in the Middle East and across the globe to defend our nation and freedom,” Crank said. “Sergeant Pennington’s courage and sacrifice will not be forgotten, and may God bless our troops as they continue their mission.”
All seven casualties so far in the war in Iran have been Army soldiers. The other six were Army reservists killed in Kuwait when an Iranian drone struck an operations center at a civilian port.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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