Iraq blast kills soldier from Plymouth

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By The Associated Press

Benjamin Slaven’s family has a long history of military service, and his father said his son knew the risks of going to Iraq.

Bruce Slaven said Benjamin was enthusiastic about working on the front line of the war as a member of the U.S. Army Reserves.

On Friday, Pfc. Benjamin Slaven of Plymouth was killed after a roadside bomb detonated near his Humvee in Ad Diwaniyah, Army Reserves spokesman Col. John Bryan said Monday.

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Slaven

Slaven

Slaven had gone to Iraq with the Lincoln-based 308th Transportation Co. and was just short of three months into his tour. He was the first Nebraska member of the Army Reserves and 30th U.S. service member with Nebraska ties to be killed in Iraq or Afghanistan since the beginning of military operations after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The 22-year-old from the Jefferson County town was the fourth Nebraska serviceman killed in the last month.

Lance Cpl. Brent Zoucha, 19, of Clarks also died Friday in an explosion in Iraq.

Army Pvt. Tim J. Madison, 28, of Bellevue was killed Thursday at Fort Carson, Colo., when a machine gun accidentally fired.

Army Sgt. Lonnie Calvin Allen Jr., 26, of Bellevue died May 18 in a roadside bombing in Iraq.

Bruce Slaven said he and Benjamin’s mother, Judy Huenink, both served in the Air Force. Benjamin’s sister, Pfc. Misty Slaven, is training to be a medical lab technician and is based at Fort Bliss, Ky. A grandfather and uncle also served, Bruce Slaven said.

“He chose to go into the Army, and I supported his decision 150 percent,” Bruce Slaven said. “We were talking once, and he said he was looking forward to going to Iraq if his unit was called up. I told him if he wants to go to Iraq, ‘Saddle up and let’s rock.’

“Obviously, I’m proud that he did what he did and served his country and did the mission he was asked to do.”

Before joining the Reserves 17 months ago, Benjamin Slaven earned his GED and worked at a lawn mower factory, Exmark Manufacturing, in Beatrice.

His mother said he was generous and caring.

“He was always giving, and he didn’t expect anything back,” Huenink said. “He’d give a person his last $20 even if that meant he had to go without something else.”

“He wanted to do his part,” Huenink said. “He wanted to defend his country.”

Slaven enjoyed video games, scuba diving, motorcycles, working on cars and fishing, family members said. He was considering a career in underwater welding after the military, Huenink said.

“He would make any mother proud,” she said.

Funeral arrangements for Slaven are pending.

Meanwhile, the central Nebraska town of Clarks mourned the death of Zoucha.

Zoucha graduated from High Plains Community High School in 2005.

He was an infantryman who worked with mortars, family friend David Beck said.

The family first learned of Zoucha’s injuries from his brother, Dyrek, who was serving in the same unit and said a land mine exploded.

“The town’s kind of in shock,” Beck said. “It hasn’t hit home yet. It’s a shock wave just rolling through.”

Since the Zoucha brothers joined the Marines, the family’s front yard has been adorned with flags and patriotic decorations. Rita Zoucha hung a banner in her front yard with her sons’ names and the words, “My heart is with you in Iraq.”

The banner also reads, “Come home safe and soon.”

“It’s something they’ve always wanted to do is serve,” Beck said of Dyrek and Brent Zoucha. “And they wanted to be Marines.”

Funeral services for Zoucha are pending with the Wagner Funeral Home of Central City and Clarks.

The Beatrice Daily Sun contributed to this report.