Our Latest American Hero #135

Army Cpl. Benjamin S. Kopp, 21, of Rosemount, Minn.; assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Ga.; died July 18 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington of wounds sustained July 10 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire.

“Rosemount Man Dies After Attack In Afghanistan”

21-year-old Ben Kopp of Rosemount died Saturday, July 18 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., of wounds suffered July 10 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

Kopp was shot in the leg when insurgents attacked his unit, according to reports from his mother, Jill Stephenson on the Caringbridge Web site.

Kopp was treated in the field and later had surgery to repair his leg, but he lost an excessive amount of blood and went into cardiac arrest. He was in a coma and under care at Walter Reed Medical Center where he died July 18.

Kopp’s mother decided to take her only child off life support and donate his organs, according the local Fox news channel.

“Please continue to say prayers for all of the men and women who so proudly serve our country,” Stevenson wrote.

e graduated from Rosemount High School in 2006 and immediately enlisted in the Army.

“His continued service for America in the theaters of war is a testament to his sense of honor, and that of his family,” said Rosemount Mayor Bill Droste in a statement. “We want his family and friends to rest assured that we all are grateful for his and their heroic sacrifice. They are and will remain in our thoughts and hearts.”