Edward Romain Benjamin
Edward Romain Benjamin.
United States Army — Technician Fifth Grade, Section Engineer Utility Detachment, Panama Canal
Born August 12, 1920 — Died May 5, 2004
Edward Romain Benjamin was born August 12, 1920, and died at the age of 83 on May 5, 2004. His wife was Wilma Mary Butler. Not all of our heroes were involved in active fighting, but all who served played a vital role in the war. Maintaining and safeguarding the Panama Canal was an extremely vital assignment.
On August 24, 1942, he entered active service in the United States Army. He served stateside until August 8, 1943, then entered foreign service on September 22, 1945 as an Army Technician Fifth Grade in a “Section Engineer Utility Detachment” at the Post of Corozal, the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal, where engineer troops maintained utilities, transport, and infrastructure for the canal and surrounding posts.
Role: The detachment and its engineering sections managed critical base infrastructure, utilities, maintenance operations, and construction support required to sustain the military installations guarding the Panama Canal.
Operations: Personnel assigned to these utility and engineer units coordinated local infrastructure upkeep, housing and facility maintenance via organizations like the Directorate of Engineering and Housing (DEH), and regional defense engineering tasks.