Sklaver, Benjamin A
Male
Verified Captain Benjamin A. Sklaver, 32, of Medford, Massachusetts, was a civil affairs officer serving with the U.S. Army's 422nd Civil Affairs Battalion, attached to Task Force Stryker in Afghanistan.
Their Story
Captain Benjamin A. Sklaver, a civil affairs officer from Medford, Massachusetts, was killed in Afghanistan on October 2, 2009. He was 32 years old. Sklaver was assigned to the Army Reserve's 422nd Civil Affairs Battalion, based in Greensboro, North Carolina, and was attached to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, part of the 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, known as Task Force Stryker.
According to the Department of Defense, Sklaver died from wounds sustained in a hostile attack at the Role 3 medical facility on Kandahar Airfield. The facility, a NATO-run hospital, was the scene of the incident. He was reportedly meeting with local Afghan officials as part of his civil affairs duties when the attack occurred.
Sklaver was a 1999 graduate of Tufts University and held a master's degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Prior to his deployment, he had worked as a humanitarian affairs officer for the U.S. Agency for International Development's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance. His professional work focused on water and sanitation projects in conflict zones, including Uganda and Sudan.
In 2008, he founded the nonprofit organization ClearWater Initiative, which worked to provide clean drinking water to communities in northern Uganda. Colleagues described him as deeply committed to humanitarian principles, both in uniform and as a civilian. His death was reported by multiple news outlets, including The Boston Globe and The New York Times, which noted his dual role as soldier and aid worker.
He was survived by his parents, his sister, and his fiancée. Captain Sklaver was posthumously promoted from the rank of First Lieutenant to Captain. His awards include the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart.
Explore Further
Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led combat mission in Afghanistan, concluded in December 2014. See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.
Among those documented in the same conflict: Andrews, Evander Earl, Edmunds, Jonn Joseph, Stonesifer, Kristofor Tif, Davis, Bryant Leroy.
