Corporal Benjamin Kopp: American Hero

My admiration and respect for the men and women who serve in our military is no secret.

My favorite quote has long been:

War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature, and has no chance of being free unless made or kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.

And I make no pretense about it — the men and women who serve to keep us free are — as a whole — better men than those who have not borne the burden of keeping us free and safe.

Men like Corp. Benjamin Kopp (via BlackFive and also posted by Michelle Malkin), a US Army Ranger. From the Ranger Creed:

Recognizing that I volunteered as a Ranger, fully knowing the hazards of my chosen profession, I will always endeavor to uphold the prestige, honor, and high “esprit de corps” of my Ranger Regiment..

Corp. Kopp definitely lived up to the Ranger Creed. And so much more:

Kopp was seriously wounded during a combat operation in southern Afghanistan, July 10. Kopp was medically evacuated through Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany to Walter Reed Medical Center, Washington, D.C., where he died as a result of his wounds July 18. His unit had attacked into a Taliban safe haven where they fought a determined enemy from multiple directions for several hours, resulting in the killing of more than 10 Taliban fighters.

Kopp was on his third deployment in support of the War on Terror with two previous deployments to Iraq.

But the story does not end there:

ROSEMOUNT, Minn. – Army Ranger Benjamin Kopp died last month after being wounded in Afghanistan, but a part of the Minnesota soldier lives on.

His family agreed to donate his organs, and now a 57-year-old Chicago woman feels privileged to have received the Rosemount soldier’s heart.

Judy Meikle says she got a call about Kopp’s death two weeks ago from the soldier’s cousin, who’s her close friend. His heart was a perfect match for Meikle.

She says she now has the heart of an Army Ranger who’s a bona fide hero.

I can’t tell you how thankful I am for Corp. Kopp’s sacrifice. But I’m also exceptionally thankful that Mrs. Meikle knows and understands the honor of that particular heart now beating in her chest.