Benjamin Sklaver, Soldier and Clean Water Activist, Killed in Afghanistan on the Cusp of the Eighth Anniversary of the War.HAMDEN, Conn. -- Benjamin Sklaver, 32, Captain, US Army and founder of ClearWater Initiative ("ClearWater"), was killed on October 2nd in Afghanistan, on his second tour of duty with the 422nd Civil Affairs Designated Active and Reserve component forces and units organized, trained, and equipped specifically to conduct civil affairs activities and to support civil-military operations. Also called CA. See also civil affairs activities; civil-military operations. Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division. He was buried October 6th in CT with military honors including the Bronze Star Bronze Star n. A U.S. military decoration awarded either for heroism or for meritorious achievement in ground combat. Noun 1. and Purple Heart Purple Heart U.S. medal awarded to those wounded in military action. [Am. Hist.: Misc.] See : Bravery . Captain Sklaver explained his previous military mission in Northern Uganda as going "into neighborhoods to leave behind wells for safe water and hope." There he saw the suffering of refugees unable to return to their villages due to the lack of access to clean water. He started ClearWater in 2007 to continue this mission once back home in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . "Ben's excitement about ClearWater was infectious. He had a true passion for helping those less fortunate. While others think about helping, Ben took the initiative based on his experience with the military and work at the Centers for Disease Control to start this simple but extraordinary organization that works to solve an underlying cause of human insecurity," said Elaina Loizou, ClearWater Board member and Sklaver classmate from The Fletcher School at Tufts University Tufts University, main campus at Medford, Mass.; coeducational; chartered 1852 by Universalists as a college for men. It became a university in 1955. Jackson College, formerly a coordinate undergraduate college for women, merged with the College of Liberal Arts in . ClearWater, a non-profit, charitable organization This article is about charitable organizations. For other uses of the word charity, see Charity. A charitable organization (also known as a charity) is an organization with charitable purposes only. , provides clean water by building protected springs and fixing boreholes for populations with no potable potable /pot·a·ble/ (po´tah-b'l) fit to drink. po·ta·ble adj. Fit to drink; drinkable. potable fit to drink. water source due to natural or man-made humanitarian emergencies. To date, ClearWater has provided potable water to over 6,500 individuals in remote, conflict-ridden villages in Uganda. The organization is on track to double that number over the next year to meet its goal of providing access to 250,000 people within ten years. Ugandan villages praised Ben calling his work a "miracle" and praying, "Long live Moses Ben." His efforts help reduce infant mortality (hardware) infant mortality - It is common lore among hackers (and in the electronics industry at large) that the chances of sudden hardware failure drop off exponentially with a machine's time since first use (that is, until the relatively distant time at which enough mechanical and lead to longer, healthier, and more productive lives. Sklaver was killed in Murcheh, Afghanistan, when a suicide attacker ambushed his unit. Another U.S. soldier and their interpreter were killed in the attack. At the time he was leading a joint dismounted patrol meeting with local leaders to discuss ways of creating sustainable infrastructure. He was a 1995 graduate of Hamden High School Hamden High School is a four year high school for grades 9 through 12. It is located in Hamden, Connecticut. The school was built in 1935 and is still in operation today. One of its most notable features is a golden cupola atop a clock tower, at the front of the building. and was graduated from Tufts University. He received his master's degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts. While at Tufts he enrolled in the Reserve Officer Training Corps and was commissioned in 2003. To honor Ben's memory and forward his vision, donations can be made to ClearWater Initiative at www.ClearWaterinitiative.org Notes to Editors About ClearWater Initiative ClearWater Initiative is an organization that executes charitable clean water projects in northern Uganda was started in 2007. ClearWater operates on the principles of simplicity and sustainability. ClearWater works with local communities to repair existing boreholes, and to build protected springs and wells. ClearWater uses only locally-purchased materials to ensure that repair parts are available, relies on Ugandan engineers and labor from local communities to provide employment and skills training, and ensures that the community takes ownership of each project. Furthermore, each project is approved by local and district water officials before construction begins. |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion