Benjamin Charles Dillon

Tuesday, October 09 2007 @ 11:51 PM EDT

Akron Beacon Journal -- EDINBURG TWP.: The news spread fast here.

Bob Dunn, Benjamin Charles Dillon's high school basketball coach, found out Sunday morning.

He was on his way to play golf with Dillon's cousin when he heard that Spc. Dillon, a special operations Army Ranger and a 2004 Southeast High School graduate, had been killed in the Middle East.

A devastated Dunn went home and hugged his children.

By Monday morning, flags at the high school and the Edinburg Township gazebo were at half-staff.

And a sign at Pettigrew Feed & Hardware had been changed to reflect the grief that has overcome this community.

''You'll be missed, Bennie!'' the sign read.

Dillon is the sixth member of the armed forces with ties to Portage County to die in the Middle East since 2005.

The family of the 22-year-old soldier learned of his death Sunday morning, said his sister-in-law, Julia Dillon.

Dillon's family does not know how he was killed, his sister-in-law said.

She said he had called his parents, Terry and Linda Dillon, last Tuesday night to tell them he was leaving for his fourth deployment to the Middle East. But the family did not know where he was going.

''We don't know anything as of now,'' she said.

Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

Dillon, who had two brothers, Nick and Steve, played golf, baseball and basketball in high school and signed up to join the Army in December 2003, before his graduation.

''Ben loved his job,'' said his sister-in-law, an English teacher at Southeast who is married to Dillon's brother Nick.

''He was proud of being a Ranger. That was his goal. That's what he wanted to do.''

Rangers are elite, highly trained Army soldiers.

Dillon was home for about two weeks in September and left for his home base of Fort Benning, Ga., on Sept. 16, she said.

He planned to enter college when his enlistment in the Army was up in 18 months, she said.

Dillon's death was announced over the public address system at Southeast High School Monday morning, Principal Gregory Newell said.

He described Dillon as a ''super kid,'' who ''would do anything for anybody.''

He said staff members who knew Dillon well were taking the loss hard.

But his death doesn't affect just the high school, Newell said.

''It is the whole community'' that grieves, he said.

The term role model applied to Dillon, Newell said. ''That's Ben.''

The Dillon family plays a large role in community life in Edinburg and at the school, Newell said.

Coach Dunn said he met Dillon when he was in second or third grade and followed him his entire career in the district.

In fifth and sixth grade, he said, Dillon was the manager of the varsity basketball team.

Even though he was about 5 feet 6 inches tall, Dillon made the high school team and played point guard, Dunn said.

He was ''a kid who knew the importance of team and did whatever he needed to do to make sure the team was successful,'' Dunn said.

The coach was not surprised that Dillon became an Army Ranger.

''I knew his work ethic and the type of kid that he was and that no matter what he chose, he was going to be very successful,'' he said.

Dillon was ''always smiling'' but was very reserved, Dunn said.

He was a ''leader by example,'' Dunn said.

Hearing about Dillon's death was difficult, Dunn said. ''It made me want to go home and hug my kids quickly. ''It's just a sad time.''

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