Library Display At Middle Gate School Honors The Memory Of Veterans’ Day

By Eliza Hallabeck

Middle Gate Elementary School second grade teacher Kristine Benton shared the contents of a trunk she has not opened for roughly 18 years with her students in honor of Veterans’ Day on Wednesday, November 11.

The items from the trunk were sprawled out on a table in the school’s library Wednesday, and Mrs Benton said she wanted to share the memory of her husband, Donald Benton, who died while in service with the US Air Force in 1985, with her students to honor Veterans’ Day.

“I think today is a day when you really need to reflect on all that the military people give up in defense of their country,” she said.

Students were able to look through photos of Mr Benton, Air Force certificates, and medals. Mrs Benton said students were interested to learn how her husband had earned “the wings” and other medals. Among the medals Mr Benton received, Mrs Benton said, was the Medal of Honor for saving a woman’s life just two weeks before he died.

“It has been 24 years since my husband died,” she said, “and it is still very emotional for me.”

Mrs Benton said she met her husband when she was attending Northampton Junior College in Pennsylvania.

“He was the guidance counselor at the dorm in my college,” said Mrs Benton. With a smile she added when they met, he was waiting for acceptance into either the Air Force or law school.

When Mr Benton’s plane went down in Honduras while on a mission, Mrs Benton was living in New Jersey with their oldest daughter Jennifer and was pregnant with her youngest daughter Allison. Mrs Benton, who was originally from Connecticut, said she needed to move home with her daughters shortly after Mr Benton passed away. During the move his things were gathered together and stored in a trunk. They were married for 12 years.