US Marine Corps Captain Benjamin R. Cross
23 Jan 1991 – 5 Aug 2017
The parents of USMC CAPT Benjamin R. Cross write:
Ben was born January 23, 1991 in Waterville, Maine. He was such a blessing from the start. Always a curious, active, fun and patient little guy. Sweet in every way. It was in the early years that Ben loved all things Batman. He had the action figures, cars, accessories and movies. This would carry through his young years and even when older as fun jokes and comparisons.  We always had so much fun on family trips and sporting events. He was always delving into interests with wholeheartedness and managed to involve us even when we didn’t realize at the time, we were interested. He was such a steadfast and hilarious young man. Extremely empathic. Non judgemental and always had such a wonderful group of friends. Family times were the best!
Ben continued to be involved in sports and school activities throughout his school years, all while excelling in school curriculum. He was Co-President his senior year of high school, and belonged to the National Honor Society. Â
After high school, Ben attended Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia on a full Marine Corps scholarship. Ben’s dream was always to fly. He would go flying locally when the opportunity was there. He continued to be on the Deans list, graduating in 2013. He then commissioned into the Marine Corps. Â
Ben began flight training with various aircraft in preparation to fly the V22B Osprey. In March of 2016 Ben achieved his ultimate goal, his aviator wings in Corpus Christie, Texas. We couldn’t have been prouder and he was so proud to have reached his goal that he worked so hard for. He then started his training on the Osprey aircraft in North Carolina.
After training in North Carolina, he went to Okinawa, Japan where he joined the VMM 265 Squadron. In June of 2017 he went on his first MEU (Marine Expeditionary Unit) to Australia.  He would write and call when he could and would tell us the best stories always with humor. He also was making even more amazing soul friendships.
On August 5th, 2017 we received the worst news imaginable to parents. While attempting a landing on the USS Greenbay the Osprey in which he was flying malfunctioned and caused the Osprey to crash into the side of the ship. The Osprey inverted and sank. There were 23 Marines that had to make their way from the plane while it sank, upside down.  There were two other Marines that died with Ben that day. Their names are Nathaniel Ordway and Ruben Velasco.  Â
We chose the Batman Stone because it was left on Ben’s headstone by a friend 8 years ago. It was no secret that Ben had a connection to Batman and is a perfect representation of the man he was.  We found out after Ben’s passing just how many people he helped along the way. Quite a few we didn’t find out about until after he had passed. He was so humble, which is why we didn’t know until after. Ben’s brave, quiet yet hilarious personality will live on forever in all who knew and cherished him.
Capt. Cross’ parents, Robert and Valerie, with Ben’s tribute stone:
To learn more about Capt. Benjamin R. Cross, please visit his memorial site on facebook: In Memory of Capt Benjamin R. Cross
5 Comments
Thank you Linda Tupper for carrying Ben’s stone to the top of Cadillac Mt. for the first time on September 20 2025.
TSP is an amazing , extremely honorable organization.
To Val and Rob,
Thank you so much for allowing me the privilege to carry Ben’s stone at the 2025 TSP at ANP event. It was truly an honor to hike with and for Marine Captain Benjamin Cross. The day started out bright and early and we could not have asked for better weather. In the past, all of my Hikes with TSP have been rainy with socked-in summits, but this day was different. It was cool, crisp, and a blue bird sky. One that would have been perfect to fly in, with visibility for miles. And that was the thought that ran through my head as I hiked to the summit of Cadillac in memory of Ben. The trail was steep and there were moments when we needed to pull together as a team to either help disperse weight, or take a moment to reconvene, to ensure everyone made it safely. Thinking back to the experience and hike, in what you shared with me of who Ben was, many moments made me feel like Ben was there alongside the team. He was a light to all those around him, and for me on September 20th, he was that light helping me through the steepest sections. I also jammed out to the Davisson Brothers Band before the event and thought of all the incredible journeys and places he experienced. It is such an honor to be able to carry on his legacy and memory on all the many more climbs to come.
Meeting you both and speaking with you meant so much to me. I am so very grateful to have had this experience and look forward to the many more hikes honoring Ben. Thank you for this opportunity.
All the best,
Linda Tupper
Thank you so much Linda for your kind words and a perfect description of the day. It was wonderful meeting you and Steve, and we’re forever grateful to you for carrying Ben’s stone. I’m sure he was with you and would be cheering you and all on. That was who he was❤️.
So very grateful, Val and Rob Cross
This is such a beautiful write up and tribute to Ben. We miss him everyday!
Thank you so much Amanda, we absolutely do miss Ben every single day!❤️❤️. He was an amazing son and person all around ❤️. And he has the best of friends ever!❤️