Hamden army captain laid to rest today

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

People from across the state, including Gov. Jodi Rell, will bid farewell to Army Captain Benjamin Sklaver this morning.

Ben Sklaver grew up in Hamden, got two degrees from Tufts University and joined the Army Reserves. His first tour of duty took him to Uganda, where his mission wasn't to fight, it was to help bring clean drinking water to villages that didn't have any.

When he came back to the U.S. he kept up that work, starting a charity called ClearWater Initiative .

Sklaver continued his work even when he got called back to active duty in Afghanistan. His job with the 422nd Civil Affairs battalion was to build infrastructure. He was on a patrol in a village near the Pakistani border on Friday when he was killed by a suicide bomber.




http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/new_haven_cty/news_wtnh_hamden_army_captain_laid_to_rest_200910060617


I didn't know him but used to ride the bus with his father (prominent local lawyer) when I lived in Hamden 30 years ago. Ben was a toddler then.