Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
U.S. Army
SFC, National Security Agency
3/10/2010, Fort Riley, KS
Sergeant First Class Benjamin Thompson Miller was born 6 28 76 and died 3 10 10
I am his Mom Vel Carter. Ben has been my hero since the day he was born. He is my only child. His father and I divorced through no fault of mine or Ben’s on Ben’s 6th Birthday. It was kinda me and him against the world from that point on. When Ben was 10 I married my husband Lee Carter who I’ve been married to for 25 years now. He helped me to raise Ben and Ben and Lee grew to love each other very much. Ben was also Lee’s pride and joy. Lee has 7 other children but Ben and I have never been close to them.
Ben was always extremely intelligent and picked up on things that for most folks were very difficult. Ben graduated from Cottonwood High in Salt Lake City Utah, and he also attended Bountiful High and Northridge High due to moving for my husbands work.
Ben went on to College at Weber State in Ogden Utah. His Major was History and minor Geography of which both he loved. It was a passion for him. With his Geography group he was able to take a trip to several countries and was gone for six weeks. He traveled to 21 different countries to study. When he returned his professor told me that Ben had a knack for languages and that he seemed to be able to pick up on the language what ever country they were in. When Ben was very close to graduating he saw a sign posted at his school that said are you interested in being a linguist, if so come to this address. It intrigued him enough to go down there. When he got there he thought…Oh no, the Army. Then said “Oh, well I’ve come this far I will see what it’s about.” He went in and became interested in their language program after speaking to the recruiter. He was given a language test. He absolutely aced it. Didn’t miss one. He brought the test home to me and my husband. It just looked like gibberish. I wouldn’t have even know how to take the test. With his score A+…he was able to pick out any language he wanted. He joined the army since he had school loans and wasn’t sure how he was going to pay for them. The army offered to pay off his school loans and of course he could continue any other schooling he wished. In July 97 he went to basic at Ft. Leonardwood in Missouri. We (his Dad his Wife (that he married one week before joining army) and myself) went to Missouri to pick him up from basic. While we were there Ben received a medal for saving one of the female soldiers life. The same day they had taught the Heimlich maneuver. All the soldiers were at chow and a female soldier was choking on food. Everybody was just staring at her including the instructors that had taught the class that day. Ben jumped over two tables and did the maneuver and saved her life.
The language that Ben picked was Hebrew which the most difficult of all languages. He passed that class again straight A’s above and beyond anyone else in the class. I guess besides the A’s there were also numbers and he would get the highest of number which I think was a 4. He spent most of his Military life working for the NSA and had a top security clearance. He deployed to Iraq Oct 1st 2008 where he spent a year. I am so thankful that during his R & R from Iraq he chose to come to Utah. He was able to spend time with his wife and children, my husband and I plus all his friends and other family. It was so great to be with him. He went back to Iraq and returned Oct. 2009. Benjamin tragically died at Ft. Riley Kansas four months later. He left behind a wife and 5 kids who all love him dearly and several friends and family members who’s lives will forever be changed for knowing him and changed for the loss of him. He left behind a Mother who’s heart is absolutely shattered. I have no other children and he was my whole world. I don’t know how to put one foot in front of the other most days. That is why this has taken me so long to get together. When the CID called me during the investigation he informed me that he had learned Ben was at the time of his death the #1 Hebrew Linguist in the entire Military. Not just the army…the entire military.
He is missed so unbelievably bad. Thank you Vel (Ladybug) Carter