Soldier in Saudi Arabia, seventh US casualty in war
The Kentucky man, who joined the U.S. Army shortly after graduating from high school, became the seventh U.S. soldier to die in combat during the Iran war.
Army Sergeant Benjamin N Pennington, 26, of Glendale, Kentucky, died on Sunday after being injured during an attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on March 1, the Pentagon announced on Monday.
Mike Bell, retired pastor of Glendale Christian Church, said he has known Pennington since he was a little boy and received a call from Pennington’s father when the trooper was injured.
“I spoke to Tim on Saturday morning, he was doing a little bit better and they were talking about maybe moving him to Germany,” Bell said.
However, Tim Pennington called again that evening to say that his son had died from his injuries.
Pennington was assigned to the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command’s 1st Space Battalion, 1st Space Brigade, based at Fort Carson, Colorado.
The unit’s mission focused on “missile warning, GPS, and long-distance satellite communications,” according to their website.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear called Pennington “a hero who sacrificed everything to serve our country.”
The other six soldiers killed since the conflict began on February 28 were reservists killed in Kuwait when an Iranian drone hit the operations center in a civilian port.
Pennington graduated from Central Hardin High School in 2017, where he majored in automotive technology, district spokesman John Wright told the AP.
Former automotive technology instructor Tom Pitt, who taught Pennington at Hardin County Early College and Career Center in 2017, called him “an American hero.”
“As a teacher, you often have students who are smart, charismatic, likable, even charming,” Pitt said.
“You rarely have students who are all of those things. Ben Pennington was all of those things. He was basically an all-American.”
“He loved his country. I would have expected nothing less from him than to lose his life defending his country.”
In a statement from the army, it was stated that Pennington entered service as a troop supply specialist and was appointed to Space and Missile Command on June 10, 2025.
His awards and decorations included the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and Army Service Ribbon.
“The US Army Space and Missile Defense Command is deeply saddened by the loss of Sergeant Pennington,” said Lt. Gen. Sean A Gainey, USASMDC commander.
“He made the ultimate sacrifice for the country he loved. That makes him nothing short of a hero and he will always be remembered as such. We extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends.”
The Pentagon said Pennington would be posthumously promoted to the rank of staff sergeant.
