They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years contemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known;
As the stars are known to the Night;
As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.
~ Laurence Binyon, 1914
Tonight we remember Spc. Benjamin D. Osborn, 27, of Queensbury, New York, a young soldier who will not grow old.
Spc. Benjamin D. Osborn, 27, of Queensbury, New York
Spc. Osborn died June 15 in Shigalwashheltan district, Konar, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fires. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.
They knocked on his new wife's door just before midnight on Wednesday, Spc. Osborn's father said. "Needless to say, she was devastated.”
(Spc.) Osborn's father, William Osborn, said his son joined the service three years ago and left on a tour of Afghanistan in April.
Benjamin Osborn volunteered to go into the Army, his parents said.
“They were being ambushed, and Ben volunteered to be the gunner,” said his mother, Beverly Osborn. “He was a true hero, and he volunteered to do that.”
“He stood up to the face of danger,” said William Osborn. “He was a brave soldier.”
The Osborns haven't been able to sleep since 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday, when their daughter-in-law called to tell them their son was dead.
“They knocked on her door,” William Osborn said, “at a quarter of 12 at night. Needless to say, she was devastated.”
(snip)
William Osborn couldn't stop sobbing Wednesday as he spoke about his son and how he was an upbeat young man ready to lend a hand.
(snip)
William Osborn said his son had nine nieces and nephews, but no children of his own.
“And that's a crime, because he was so good with the kids,” Osborn said between sobs.
(snip)
Beverly said her son had a wonderful sense of humor and was beloved by his friends and family.
(snip)
At The Lobster Pot in Lake George on Wednesday evening, customers paid respects to Benjamin Osborn, who had worked at the eatery before he joined the service.
(snip)
(Scott Wood, the restaurant’s owner) released a statement on Wednesday on behalf of the restaurant: “With great sadness we today learned of the death of Ben Osborn. From all of us at the Lobster Pot Restaurant, our hearts, prayers and thoughts go out to Ben's wife, family and close friends,” it says. “Each day he brought smiles and fun to his work.”
"We know Ben was abroad fighting to bring freedom to that embattled region. His sacrifice will not be in vain."
Source ~ The Post-Star
The Post-Star has a gallery of photographs.
CBS6 Albany Video ~ A family remembers.
Spc. Osborn was a newlywed and the youngest of five children. He was, his sister said, a “proud soldier.”
His older sister, Bethany Osborn, said the Queensbury native found purpose in the Army and was on his second tour of duty in the Middle East when he was killed Tuesday in eastern Afghanistan.
(snip)
“He realized he wasn't a student, but he preferred action and wanted to make a difference, and going into the military was his way of doing that,” said Bethany Osborn, 33. “He was a proud soldier and believed in what he was doing.”
(snip)
News of Ben Osborn's death soon spread throughout this close-knit community and flags at the elementary and high school were lowered to half-staff in memory of the fallen soldier.
“A lot of the staff were upset and heartbroken not only because we knew him but he was a soldier who served our country,” said Francis Cocozza. “We remember Ben fondly and a lot of staff have great memories of him.”
(snip)
In high school, Benjamin Osborn played football, his sister added.
(snip)
Bethany Osborn said her kid brother was a practical joker who kept a smile on his face and liked to see people happy.
“He was always smiling, very well-liked, and popular,” she said.
Source ~ Albany Times-Union
A high school friend remembered Spc. Osborn’s first day on skis in this essay in Powder Magazine:
The best part about being young and living near a ski area is having the careless ability to rationalize blowing off (insert responsibilities here) and heading up to the hill for some fun.
(snip)
During junior year, our ski crew drove up to Gore Mountain for what was promised to be a reasonably good 6-inch fresh day of skiing trees. Our friend Ben joined us. It was his first day on skis. Those of you that have gone out with a beginner on their first day understand that the new guy drags down the day with their inexperience.
(snip)
Ben, however, made the most of his first day on snow. Instead of overcompensating for his lack of skill, he had us cringing over in bellyaching laughter the entire day. He'd tell insane, over the top stories to strangers on the lift about being an Olympic hopeful or being the head of ski school or that he co-invented twin tip skis. He had done his homework and every ride up he talked the talk. It took everything in our power to hold back the laughter of our newbie friend saying he, "got shafted by the Olympic mogul team" to one of Gore's race coaches. Of course, then he'd get off the lift like a complete shit show, crashing horribly and taking the ski coach with him. We'd find ourselves on the ground with him, laughing hysterically.
On our last run, Ben politely asked if he could join us down Gore's infamous double black diamond, The Rumor. Hesitantly, we agreed though I'm quite sure we were all concerned about Ben making it down in one piece.
(snip)
Standing at the top, I remember thinking, "Hey, if he wants to do it, let him" which was quickly followed by a secondary thought of, "This isn't a good idea."
(snip)
I was second to the bottom. My friend and I quickly glanced up hill to catch the rest of our crew finish off the goods and hoping we wouldn't find Ben lodged in a tree. Instead, there was Ben, sliding headfirst and smoothly on his back, skis and arms high in the air. His arms and legs flailed like one of those inflatable-armed tube men they put outside of car dealerships. He let out the loudest, "Aaaaaaaaghhhh!" and l can still hear it vividly eight years later.
When he reached the bottom, unscathed yet covered in snow and still on his back, he looked up at our faces of complete disbelief and smiled. "That was fun," he said genuinely. And it always was when he was around.
This story is dedicated to the memory of Benjamin D. Osborn, a great comedian, brave soldier, and tremendous friend killed in combat in Afghanistan on June 15, 2010. Rest easy, my friend. You'll be missed.
Source ~ Powder Magazine
Spc. Osborn married Nicole LaPier, a 2005 Glens Falls High School graduate, on February 6th.
Wedding Photo.
Wedding Photo.
Spc. Osborn had previously served a 15-month tour of duty in Iraq. His awards and decorations include: Army Commendation Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Iraqi Campaign Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; Overseas Service Ribbon; Combat Infantry Badge; Driver and Mechanic Badge (driver/wheeled vehicle) and Weapons Qualification, M4, expert.
He was awarded the Bronze Star and a Purple Heart, posthumously, on Saturday.
In addition to his wife, Spc. Osborn is survived by his parents, Beverly and William Osborn, by his sister, 33, by three brothers, ages 40, 42 and 44, and by nine nieces and nephews.
The body of Spc. Osborn is due to arrive at the Warren County Airport at 9:06 a.m. on Monday morning. From there, a motorcade with the Lake George Fire Department, State Police and the Warren County Sheriff’s Office is expected to accompany the body to the Regan-Denny Funeral Home on Quaker Road in Queensbury.
The funeral for Spc. Osborn will be held at the Saratoga National Cemetery.
Thank you, Spc. Osborn. Godspeed. Your mission is done.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Remember them. Honor their sacrifice.
To date, 4407 members of the United States military have lost their lives in Iraq. The death toll thus far in 2010 is 37. More than 31,000 members of the military have been wounded, many grievously. The Department of Defense Press Releases, from which the information at the start of each entry in this diary was drawn, can be seen here. The death toll among Iraqis is unknown, but is at least 200,000 and quite probably many times that number.
To date, 1124 members of the United States military have lost their lives in Afghanistan. The death toll thus far for 2010 is 177. 718 members of the military from other countries have also lost their lives.
Slide Show ~ The Final Salute
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