The father of fallen Marine Lance Cpl. Benjamin Schmidt got an unusual but appreciated gift from Camp Pendleton last week. Schmidt's Marine brothers built an eleven-foot tall cross in Schmidt's memory, and sent it to San Antonio, where the Schmidt family lives.
Some background: Lance Cpl. Schmidt was killed October 6, 2011 in Afghanistan by so-called "friendly fire." The tank commander in the incident, Sgt. Jason Byrd, was charged with involuntary manslaughter, negligent homicide, and dereliction of duty before the senior U.S. commander in southwestern Afghanistan decided against court marital.
Video courtesy of KENS-TV in San Antonio.
