Benjamin Thomas Britt

West Point, 2004

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Tim Hsia on December 26, 2005:

Oftentimes when a person passes away, everyone feels duty bound to give praise for an individual, to laud his merits while withholding any criticism. However, with Ben the truth of the matter is that it would be nigh impossible to find any real fault in his character or actions. I have always considered Ben to be one of the most complete individuals that I know: He could explain the most difficult concepts in prob and stats in that easygoing Texan manner of his, offer a scientific explanation for his friendly criticism on the lack of protein in one's dinner meal, propound an economic or foreign policy issue while we all waited to be released for the day, provide an analysis of the differences between the teams in the SEC and the rest of college football. His physical build and heart were the same: indomitable sheer strength. If by chance I happened to go swimming that evening, I would see him and a group of guys hitting the weights---God forbid they lose some muscle mass while we went to the field the next week. However, what really set Ben apart from the rest of us was his ability to empathize, share, and reflect without offering any criticism and then make light of any situation. I remember the very last conversation Ben and I had one night after both of us frequent visitors to the Benning DFAC had finished dinner. As we walked into the parking lot, Ben was talking about his plans after Benning, "Yeah, the next five years. I want to be deployed, go to the Ranger BN, probably chill after that, explore my possibilities, maybe leave the Army, get a plush job, retire and coach high school football." Well, I feel sorry for the troops that Ben has left behind for I very much doubt they will find a more capable and competent leader; I feel sorry for the Army for losing an incredible soldier, scholar, individual; I feel sorry for that Fortune 500 company for he would have quadrupled their stock value; I feel sorry for all those future Texas football players who would have had an amazing football coach. Most of all, my heart goes out to Ben's family because although I was just a friend, they know more than I how truly gifted, talented, and special Ben was. God Bless, Tim

admin