Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, of Glendale, Ky., died of his wounds on March 8, 2026, from injuries sustained during an enemy attack on March 1, 2026, at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia. (U.S. Army photo)
The Pentagon has identified the seventh soldier to have died in combat in the ongoing Iran war as from Kentucky.
Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, of Glendale in Hardin County “died of his wounds” Sunday as a result of injuries he sustained during an Iranian attack at the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia amid Operation Epic Fury, according to a Pentagon release Monday.
The release states Pennington was assigned to the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, serving in the 1st Space Battalion, 1st Space Brigade in Fort Carson, Colorado.
Elected officials across Kentucky expressed their condolences and admiration for Pennington’s service Monday morning.
Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear in a Facebook post asked for prayers for Pennington’s family and said Pennington is “a hero who sacrificed everything serving our country.”
Republican U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie, who represents the Second Congressional District including Glendale, in a post on X asked for prayers and said “our nation is forever grateful for Sgt. Pennington’s sacrifice.”
The Pentagon also recently announced that 46-year-old Maj. Sorffly Davius of Cambria Heights, Queens, New York died Friday from a “non-combat related incident” at Camp Buehring in Kuwait. The Pentagon release stated he was a part of the New York Army National Guard and was assigned to the Headquarters, Headquarters Battalion, 42nd Infantry Division in Troy, New York.
The Pentagon has previously also identified six other U.S. soldiers who have died in action in the Iranian conflict. Those deaths include:
This story may be updated.
Courtesy of Kentucky Lantern
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