i wanted to link to

clearwater initiative. the more i read about u.s. army captain benjamin a. sklaver, the more i know how special he was
 Soldier Killed In Afghanistan Remembered As Hero, Humanitarian
By PETER MARTEKA The Hartford Courant


and another story:

Statement on the death of Cpt. Benjamin A. Sklaver

Editor's Note:

Ben Sklaver, 32, is the first cousin of Jodi Summit, of Tower, Minn. He was killed Friday while on patrol in Aghanistan. This statement is provided for regular readers of the Timberjay as well as media from across the country that are reporting on his death.


STATEMENT:
The family and friends of Benjamin A. Sklaver mourned his death and celebrated his inspirational life during funeral services held Tuesday, Oct. 6, at Congregation Mishkan Israel, in Hamden, Conn.
The son of Gary and Laura Sklaver, of Hamden, Army Captain Sklaver was killed Oct. 2 by a suicide bomber while on foot patrol in the Afghan village of Murcheh, located in Kandahar province in southwestern Afghanistan. A fellow U.S. soldier and an Afghan interpreter were also killed in the blast.
While Ben was just 32 years old, he had already made a tremendous mark in the world. A 1999 graduate of Tufts University, he went on to obtain a graduate degree in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School, also at Tufts. He took a particular interest in assisting refugees and the poor in Africa. During his studies at the Fletcher School, he volunteered for the Army Reserve and following completion of his degree, he served with the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta in that agency’s International Emergency and Refugee Health Branch..........
pic: Army Captain Benjamin Sklaver hands out soccer balls to a group of children in Djibouti in 2006.