Staff Sergeant Benjamin “Ben” Pennington passed away on Sunday, March 8, 2026, at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. His passing was related to injuries sustained during Operation Epic Fury.
Ben’s dream and life calling from an early age was to be a soldier. As a child, Ben grew up playing Army outside with neighbors and friends. He loved watching the Military Channel and read books about the military. His childhood room was decorated with Army prints and had military planes hanging from the ceiling.
Ben enlisted in the Army at age 18. He spent much of his career stationed at Fort Polk in Louisiana and served a tour in Korea before landing at his final assignment at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs.
“Pennington was a servant through and through—always willing to help. His energy was contagious . . . he was full of joy, loved by everyone.”
It was here that Sgt. Pennington developed a relationship with Zeal Church, a loan partner of CDF Capital.
Although Ben was raised at Glendale Christian Church just south of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, he struggled with belief as an adult. Because of the inviting nature of some soldiers from Fort Carson, Ben started to attend Zeal and his faith journey was reignited. In January 2025, Ben was baptized at Zeal Church by Pastor Brandon Cormier.
After Ben’s passing, Brandon able to comfort his family: father, Tom; mother, Carrie; and sister, McKenzie. As he sought to encourage them, he said that they actually offered him encouragement. They were grateful for their son’s rekindled belief. A fuller account of this story was shared by Pastor Brandon during Zeal’s worship service. The video is below.
Dan Hudson was one of the primary trainers of Ben’s unit and was in Saudi Arabia when this tragedy occurred. He remembered, “Pennington was a servant through and through—always willing to help. His energy was contagious. Others fed off of it . . . even when others were exhausted, he never stopped working until the job was done . . . he was full of joy, loved by everyone.”
We continue to pray for the Pennington family and honor Ben’s service to his country.
