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Benjamin L Sebban |
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Chattanooga, Tennessee |
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March 17, 2007 |
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Killed in Baqubah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit. |
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| Mar-26-07 Governor Corzine Orders Flags to Fly at Half-Staff to Honor U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Benjamin L. Sebban FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DATE: March 26, 2007 CONTACT: Anthony Coley Brendan Gilfillan PHONE: 609-777-2600 GOVERNOR CORZINE ORDERS FLAGS TO FLY AT HALF-STAFF TO HONOR U.S. ARMY SERGEANT FIRST CLASS BENJAMIN L. SEBBAN TRENTON – In honor of U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Benjamin L. Sebban, Governor Jon S. Corzine signed the following Executive Order calling for the United States and New Jersey flags to fly at half-staff on Wednesday, March 28, 2007. The full text of the Executive Order is below. EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 60 WHEREAS, United States Army Sergeant First Class Benjamin L. Sebban, of South Amboy, New Jersey, was raised in Middlesex County, attended St. Mary’s School in South Amboy, and graduated from Middlesex County Vocational-Technical High School in 1996; and WHEREAS, Sergeant First Class Sebban enlisted in the Army shortly after his graduation from Word of Life Bible College in 1998 and completed his basic training course at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and Advanced Individual Training as a Combat Medic at Fort Sam Houston, Texas; and WHEREAS, Sergeant First Class Sebban also attended nursing training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and completed the Basic Airborne Course at Fort Bragg; and WHEREAS, Sergeant First Class Sebban was a highly trained U.S. Army Senior Combat Medic who served his country overseas in unique and highly specialized missions, including training Republic of Georgia medics and as a Special Forces medic in West Africa; and WHEREAS, Sergeant First Class Sebban most recently volunteered for assignment in the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the U.S. Army’s elite 82nd Airborne Division based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina; and WHEREAS, while stationed in Iraq, Sergeant First Class Sebban led a platoon of medics and was recognized as a tireless worker preparing his unit for the vital, exacting and dangerous mission of saving lives in combat; and WHEREAS, Sergeant First Class Sebban died under combat conditions while serving his country in Baqubah, Iraq; and WHEREAS, Sergeant First Class Sebban has been recommended for the Silver Star in recognition of his gallantry and heroism in action and has received some of this nation’s highest military honors, including the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Army Good Conduct Medal with one clasp, the Army Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraqi Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terror Service Medal, the Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the Combat Medical Badge, the Expert Field Medical Badge, and the Parachutist Badge; and WHEREAS, Sergeant First Class Sebban was a committed and professional U.S. Army paratrooper and Senior Combat Medic and a loving son and brother, whose memory lives in the hearts of his family and his fellow Army paratroopers and medics; and WHEREAS, Sergeant First Class Sabban’s patriotism and dedicated service to his country and his fellow soldiers make it appropriate and fitting for the State of New Jersey to remember him and his family, to mark his passing, and to honor his memory; NOW, THEREFORE, I, JON S. CORZINE, Governor of the State of New Jersey, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and by the Statutes of this State, do hereby ORDER and DIRECT: 1. The flag of the United States of America and the flag of New Jersey shall be flown at half-staff at all State departments, offices, agencies, and instrumentalities during appropriate hours on Wednesday, March 28, 2007, in recognition and mourning of an American hero, U.S. Army paratrooper and Senior Combat Medic Sergeant First Class Benjamin L. Sebban of Middlesex County, New Jersey. 2. This Order shall take effect immediately. |
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| SOUTH AMBOY NATIVE MOURNED Family recalls devoted soldier Courtesy of the Home News Tribune By JOHN MAJESKI 23 March 2007 SOUTH AMBOY — Benjamin L. Sebban had said he would make the U.S. Army a career if he achieved the E-7 rank. On March 15, 2007, the man who grew up in the borough picked up a satellite phone overseas and delivered the good news to his mother, Barbara Filik Walsh, of Neshanic Station. "He made E-7," Walsh recalled, "and he was just so thrilled." Two days later, however, Sergeant First Class Sebban, 29, died in Baquoba, Iraq, from wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit. Family members assembled in City Council chambers Thursday to recall a kind and courageous man smitten with Army life. "My brother was more than just a brother," said Daniel Sebban of Franklin Park. "He was a hero and a friend." The late soldier was reportedly trying to warn fellow troops when the device exploded, and he then treated the injured before dying. The former St. Mary's Elementary School student and 1996 graduate of the Middlesex County Vocational-Technical High School system was previously deployed twice to the Republic of Georgia and had served one tour in West Africa. When he heard a senior combat medic was needed in Iraq, family members said, he didn't hesitate to volunteer. "He was an awesome son," Walsh said with teary eyes. "He was an awesome combat medic." Walsh said there was "something different about Benjamin." When her son was born in Tunisia, Africa, as a U.S. citizen, Walsh had a dream about Benjamin and "something about Patton and Germany." When Benjamin Sebban had joined the military, she said, she found among his belongings a quote from the late general: "Courage is fear holding on a minute longer." "I think the military was just meant to be," said Walsh, whose sons Daniel and David are also members of the armed forces. Walsh said Benjamin Sebban was forever dedicated to the military. "He just loved his job," said Walsh. "He loved his men. . . . When he was leaving, he said his men were "like my children.' " Benjamin Sebban joined the Army in 1998, the same year he graduated from Word of Life Bible College in Schroon Lake, New York. He was assigned to the well-known 82nd Airborne Division in January 2006. Family members, who produced a packet of touching letters from those close to Benjamin Sebban, said they are still struggling to come to grips with the death of "a real hero." "I can't believe he's not coming home," his mother said. A scholarship fund in honor of the late soldier is being established for those interested in entering the medical field. Details are pending. For more information, write the SFC Benjamin L. Sebban Warrior Fund, P.O. Box 111, South Amboy, New Jersey 08879. A memorial service for Benjamin Sebban will be held 11 a.m. Wednesday at Christ Church in the city, while his body is scheduled for interment 1 p.m. Thursday at Arlington National Cemetery. |
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