Benedict Joseph Smith

West Point, 1999

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Dan Gulick on March 15, 2006:

I remember meeting Ben on the first day of Beast Barracks at West Point. Ben, Scott Goff, and I were roommates and the three us quickly became very good friends. Ben found it very funny that he was the last individual West Point accepted into the Class of 1999. This caused Ben a few problems during the first week because he was not issued any of the clothing or other items that were supposed to have his name on it (nametag, PT shirt, labels, etc.). This made him stand out to the cadre, but he performed exceptionally well under the pressure and the cadre quickly learned that he always had the right answers and they could not break his confidence. Ben taught me how to shine shoes, prepare for inspections, deal with cadre, handle the mealtime tasks (and many more than I can list), but the most important lesson that Ben taught me was the power of a positive attitude. No matter how tough a day Ben, Scott, or I had, Ben could always smile and tell a joke or a story about the pig farm that would put everything in perspective. To this day, Ben?s unique ability to find the best in any situation provides me strength or a smile when I need it. My thoughts and prayers are with Maggie and the Smith family.

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