Gentry Marine Remembered

Marines carry the casket of U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Benjamin Tuttle
from the church following Thursday's funeral service at First Baptist
Church in Gentry. Tuttle's grandmother and adoptive mother, Faye Tuttle,
weeps as she is escorted by another Marine.
Marines carry the casket of U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Benjamin Tuttle from the church following Thursday's funeral service at First Baptist Church in Gentry. Tuttle's grandmother and adoptive mother, Faye Tuttle, weeps as she is escorted by another Marine.

Many gathered at First Baptist Church on Thursday to say goodbye to Marine Lance Cpl. Benjamin W. Tuttle.

Tuttle, 19, of Gentry died July 14 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany following a medical evacuation from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz during a scheduled port visit in the 5th Fleet Area of Responsibility. His death remains under investigation.

Tuttle was assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 323, Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Air Station in Miramar, Calif. He was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Roger Robins, pastor at Highfill Baptist Church, compared Tuttle’s role as a Marine with his role as a soldier for Christ, saying the role required following orders, being faithful, being familiar with his commander’s voice, being a good fighter, being aware of enemy tactics and being a finisher.

“Ben finished well,” Robins said.

Gary Holland Sr. said Tuttle had spent a lot of time at his home and had worked for him at his dairy.

“When he started working for me he asked to have Wednesday nights off to go to church. It was important to him,” Holland said.

Holland remembered the time Tuttle volunteered to go out and get a container of milk for the house. Not yet knowing how to do it, he opened the wrong valve and ran 1,000 gallons down the drain.

“I teased him about that ever since,” Holland said.

Daryl Knight, a retired law enforcement officer and assistant wrestling coach in Gentry, recalled Tuttle’s two years on the wrestling team, saying “he took third in state in his senior year, and he couldn’t even practice much because he had to work all the time.”

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