April 28, 2008

Garden City, N.Y. - Later this week sophomore defensive midfielder Joe Benson will play his last game in an Adelphi uniform as he trades in his lacrosse stick for a military uniform in preparation for his tour in Iraq.

Benson, 21, is a member of the Adelphi University lacrosse team and is a reservist in the United States Marine Corps. He holds the rank of Lance Corporal and is a member of the 2nd Battalion 25th Marine Regiment out of Garden City, New York. He is with the infantry and will serve in combat operation in a Mobile Assault Platoon. He is not at liberty to disclose his exact location or assignment.

Benson, who has played two years for the Panthers, will miss his junior year at Adelphi, but plans to return. "Playing lacrosse at Adelphi has been a great experience," Benson said. "I look forward to finishing my lacrosse career at Adelphi."

He has been a member of the Marines for the last three years. This past summer he spent two months in Senegal, Africa for infantry training.

Benson will play his last game for the Panthers when they take on Dominican in their regular season home finale. He is required to report in for duty and resume active duty status until his departure for California on May 27. For the next three months he will have desert training prior to going to Iraq, where he is expected to spend seven months.

"I am not afraid to go. I signed a contract and I will be doing my job. I knew when I joined the infantry that we were at war. Nobody really wants to go, but I can't let my friends go without me. The worst part is leaving behind my family, my girlfriend and my studies."

Benson is just the second Adelphi student-athlete to be deployed to Iraq. In 2003, former cross-country/track & field athlete and soldier, Shelly Ann Anderson spent time in both Kuwait and Iraq.