By Marci Piltz
and Mike Hixenbaugh
Record-Courier staff writers
Benjamin Dillon was -- by all accounts -- an adventurer at heart. So when the former Southeast High School student told his parents of his plans to become a U.S. Army Ranger, there was little surprise.
"We knew this is what Ben wanted to do," said Linda Dillon, fighting tears as she spoke about her son. "He would have been proud of this."
Mrs. Dillon, although emotionally exhausted Monday, has tried to remain strong ever since the Ohio Army National Guardsman appeared at her door early Saturday -- ever since she was told that her 22-year-old son wouldn't be returning to his Edinburg Township home.
At the foot of her steps, the guardsmen explained that Ben had been killed Saturday while on active duty in the Middle East. The details of the incident were not released and Army officials did not respond to multiple Record-Courier contact attempts.
It is believed Dillon was serving in Iraq when he was killed, but because of his position as an Army Ranger, official details of his assignment were not released to family. More information, including funeral arrangements, is to be discussed with the family later today.
"This is where Ben wanted to be," Linda Dillon said. "On his fancy Army contract, it said he was going to be an Army Ranger. That's what he wanted and he did it. He worked so hard."
During his two-year journey at the U.S. Army Ranger School at Fort Benning, Ga., Dillon often reported home with numerous stories detailing his struggle to succeed. Although he enjoyed it, his mother said it was a strenuous process.
"One night during his training, he was sleeping outside when a spider crawled on him," she said, for a moment beginning to smile. "But he just left it there. It was so cold that night, he said he needed it for the body heat. So those were the kinds of stories we'd get."
Even as an elite member of the U.S. military, Dillon had a great sense of humor, it seemed.
Students and staff at Southeast High School spent Monday mourning Dillon, who graduated in 2004.
Southeast High School Principal Gregory Newell called his death a "real loss to our community."
"Everybody is kind of in shock ... the staff especially," Newell said Monday. "Everybody knows the Dillons because they've been involved in the community for so long. It's really going to rock the whole community."
Newell said he heard about Dillon's death on Sunday from Superintendent Tom Harrison, and an announcement was made to students on Monday. Guidance counselors were on hand Monday to assist students if they needed it, Newell said.
Newell said during his time at the high school, Dillon was "a great individual."
"Ben was the kind of kid who went through all four years and never had any problems," he said.
Dillon was active in sports at the school, Newell said, and had played on the golf, baseball and basketball teams.
"This family is like the town of Edinburg," Newell said. "They'd do anything for the community, and Ben was the same way."
Just two weeks prior to his death, Dillon had spent a few weeks at home with family and friends before he left on his fourth deployment. He was the youngest of three sons.
The Dillon family is asking that donations be made in Ben's name to any Key Bank. The family wants to start a memorial scholarship in his name at Southeast High School.
Dillon is the sixth service member with Portage County ties to have died in the Middle East and the fourth to die in 2007.
Army Cpl. Jason Hernandez, a 2005 Streetsboro High School graduate, was killed Sept. 7 in Iraq; Navy Hospitalman Lucas W.A. Emch, 21, of Brimfield, died in a roadside bombing March 2, 2007; Field High School graduate and Navy Hospitalman Matthew G. Conte, 22, died Feb. 1, 2007, in a roadside bombing; Marine Sgt. Jeremy E. Murray, 27, of Atwater, was killed Nov. 16, 2005 in a roadside bombing and Cpl. Edward August "Augie" Schroeder II, 23, a former employee with Streetsboro's Deluxe Corp., was killed Aug. 3 2005 in Iraq during an improvised explosive device attack.