Sgt. Morton of Wright, Kansas grew up in rural Wright where he was the adoring big brother to two boys and two girls. His mother was a teacher and his father worked at an ammonia plant. Ben played football and ran track and joined the 4-H Club. He was a few years out of high school, operating a grain elevator, when he joined the Army and trained as a paratrooper and sniper. Ben was the son of Allen and Ruth Lutz Morton. He married Elaina Salinas on May 20, 2004, at Hays, Kansas. He was a graduate of Sacred Heart Catholic School, and Spearville High School in 1999. In his spare time, he enjoyed hiking, cooking, photography, reading, sports bikes, and listening to music. He cherished his wife and siblings and loved his red S-10 pickup. Ben always lived for adventure and always knew the best way to accomplish a project. He was a member of St. Andrew Catholic Church, K of C Council #1862 and Life Member of Howard Gotschall Post #1714. Ben picked up the nickname Rat in the Army, because he could never throw anything away. It seemed that if he stood in one place for more than a few minutes, he would eventually be surrounded by refuse. He drove a Humvee for a Stryker brigade based in Ft. Lewis, Washington and his seat was usually covered with food wrappers and containers of all kinds. He received the Global War on Terrorism Expedition Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, and the Combat Infantryman's Badge. Ben married a year before he died. His wife Elaina was an indirect casualty of the war, too. Three months after Rat died, she took her own life. He was 24.

Army
1st Battalion
24th Infantry Regiment
1st Brigade
25th Infantry Division
(Stryker Brigade Combat Team)
Fort Lewis, Washington

Cenotaph marker at memorial #120698526