Remembering the Life and Memory of...
Captain Benjamin W. Sammis, USMC
20 April 2003:The life of Captain Benjamin W. Sammis was celebrated and his death mourned yesterday at a memorial service in Newman Congregational Church.
Captain Sammis, a 29-year-old Marine from Rehoboth who was killed in Iraq earlier this month, was buried last week in Arlington National Cemetery, with full military honors.
Hundreds of people packed the church, which set up additional seating and a video link to broadcast the service in another room to accommodate the crowd.
The overwhelming loss felt at Sammis's death was palpable in the church, where mourners heard tales of his life and spirit from friends, family and fellow Marines. Muffled sobs could be heard from the crowd, even as a 21-gun salute was fired and taps was played in the sunshine outside.
Steven B. Sammis, the soldier's father, told the assembly from the pulpit that many others shared the pain he felt.
"This sorrow hits with a devastating thrust in the core of my soul," Sammis said.
Captain Sammis -- who was killed along with his copilot when his helicopter crashed around April 5 -- had wanted to fly ever since he was a child.
"Many years ago, a small boy was overwhelmed with a dream to become a pilot," his father said yesterday.
Captain Sammis had been in combat for 16 days when the Cobra helicopter he was piloting crashed southeast of Baghdad, said Capt. Aaron Marx, a friend and fellow Marine, in the eulogy. They were operating in a "dangerous environment," he said, in which the attack helicopter they were in had been exposed to enemy ground fire. The two pilots responded to that fire, Marx said, adding that he believed "there are Marines alive today" because of their actions.
Some of the people assembled in the church yesterday told stories of Ben Sammis, the sailor, husband, son and brother.
One man brought a message from a friend and minister to Captain Sammis's wife's family. The message read that Captain Sammis was "every mother's answered prayer that a good, decent man would love her child."
Someone else remembered how Ben, as a sailing instructor at the Barrington Yacht Club, helped a young boy, whose boat had capsized, get out of the water, then coaxed the terrified child back the next day and taught him how to sail.
Another man, a Marine, spoke of the strength of Captain Sammis's convictions:
"In a world where decision makers live in the gray, Ben knew right from wrong," the soldier told mourners. "This country lost a great man."
Captain Sammis, a 29-year-old Marine from Rehoboth who was killed in Iraq earlier this month, was buried last week in Arlington National Cemetery, with full military honors.
Hundreds of people packed the church, which set up additional seating and a video link to broadcast the service in another room to accommodate the crowd.
The overwhelming loss felt at Sammis's death was palpable in the church, where mourners heard tales of his life and spirit from friends, family and fellow Marines. Muffled sobs could be heard from the crowd, even as a 21-gun salute was fired and taps was played in the sunshine outside.
Steven B. Sammis, the soldier's father, told the assembly from the pulpit that many others shared the pain he felt.
"This sorrow hits with a devastating thrust in the core of my soul," Sammis said.
Captain Sammis -- who was killed along with his copilot when his helicopter crashed around April 5 -- had wanted to fly ever since he was a child.
"Many years ago, a small boy was overwhelmed with a dream to become a pilot," his father said yesterday.
Captain Sammis had been in combat for 16 days when the Cobra helicopter he was piloting crashed southeast of Baghdad, said Capt. Aaron Marx, a friend and fellow Marine, in the eulogy. They were operating in a "dangerous environment," he said, in which the attack helicopter they were in had been exposed to enemy ground fire. The two pilots responded to that fire, Marx said, adding that he believed "there are Marines alive today" because of their actions.
Some of the people assembled in the church yesterday told stories of Ben Sammis, the sailor, husband, son and brother.
One man brought a message from a friend and minister to Captain Sammis's wife's family. The message read that Captain Sammis was "every mother's answered prayer that a good, decent man would love her child."
Someone else remembered how Ben, as a sailing instructor at the Barrington Yacht Club, helped a young boy, whose boat had capsized, get out of the water, then coaxed the terrified child back the next day and taught him how to sail.
Another man, a Marine, spoke of the strength of Captain Sammis's convictions:
"In a world where decision makers live in the gray, Ben knew right from wrong," the soldier told mourners. "This country lost a great man."