Fallen Marine from Dallastown honored with media room in his name

Fallen Marine Staff Sgt. Benjamin Hines is being remembered nearly a year after his death with a special room dedicated in his name at the USO of North Carolina in Jacksonville, N.C.

The recently renovated media room was dedicated in Hines' name and memory during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday.

Local officials, members of the Marine Corps and representatives from Lowe's, including executive vice president Joe McFarland, attended the event and remembered Hines.

"He was a Marine through and through, very patriotic young man, just had a zest for life," said Barry Morris, a spokesman for the USO of North Carolina. "That's what this room represents — ... the spirit of Benjamin."

Hines, a 2006 graduate of Dallastown Area High School, was killed in action on April 8, 2019 in a roadside explosion in Afghanistan. Staff Sgt. Christopher K.A. Slutman, 43, of Newark, Delaware, and Cpl. Robert Hendriks, 25, of Locust Valley, N.Y., also died in the bombing. 

Hines's father, Scott, lives in North Carolina and works for Lowe's, which has had a long-standing relationship with the USO, Morris said. The home improvement store gave products and donations of more than $25,000 toward the renovation of the media room.

Local Marines and other active military personnel and their families will be able to use the room, which includes an 85-inch screen television, computers and couches. It's a place where service members can relax, connect with others, watch a movie, or play video games, Morris said.   

"His memory will live on forever through this room," he said.