Benford, Jason A.

Jason A. Benford

Toledo, Ohio

Feather Location: Row I, #19

Associated Press

There were two things that Jason A. Benford loved: his wife and Ohio State football. On Jan. 3, 2003 — his wedding anniversary and the night of OSU’s championship game against Miami — he had to choose. Luckily, his wife ate quickly and the game went into overtime. “He took me out to dinner, but he was looking at his watch the whole time,” Kim Benford said. “He lived in Georgia, but he was always a Buckeye.”

Benford, 30, of Toledo, Ohio, was killed Sept. 27 by small-arms fire in Ramadi. He was assigned to Fort Benning.

“He’s always been a special, special person, so even-toned. He’d handle all types of situations and not even break a sweat,” his wife said.

Benford, who graduated high school in 1993, took classes at the University of Toledo but decided he wasn’t quite ready for school and joined the Army in 1994, staying for 11 years.

He met his wife while stationed at Fort Benning, near her hometown. They were married in January 1998. “My mother had told me not to date soldiers,” she said, laughing. “But I did and married him.”

He also is survived by 10-year-old  and 4-year-old sons.

Carver:  Paul Roth of Bellevue Ohio

Wood:  Walnut