Obituary of George Franklin Aiken

Lt. Col. Ret. George (Ben) Aiken passed away on July 29, 2007 in Gig Harbor, Wa. Benny (as referred to by friends and family) was born on July 7, 1937 in El Paso, Texas to Nolan and Marcella Aiken. He received a Bachelors of Arts Degree from Texas Western College and was Vice President, Secretary, and Pledge Master of his fraternity, Phi Kappa Tau. Upon graduation in 1960, he received his commission into the United States Army. He earned a Masters of Arts Degree in Public Administration from Webster College. Early on in his military career he spent a great deal of time on duty in Europe and later on as a Green Beret in the Special Forces, he served multiple tours of duty in South East Asia. He was awarded numerous medals, some of which were the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, the Meritorious Service Medal (2), the Bronze Star (3), the Silver Star, and a President’s Citation. His last assignment was that of Olympics Security Coordinator for the Summer Olympics in Korea. He retired in 1988 after 27 years of serving our country and moved to Tucson, Arizona where he taught ROTC for the Pima County Schools. In 2005 he moved to Fox Island, Wa to be near his family. He was preceded in death by his mother and father. He is survived by one sister, Dorothy Fanning and her husband, Harry. He had a nephew Michael Fanning, his wife Heather and their two children, Jack and Emerson and also his niece Deana Fanning and her son Jared. One of the last things Benny did was to sponsor Jared on a trip to Europe to play in two soccer tournaments. He was very proud to be able to do that. He will be missed by his many friends and family. At his request, there will be no public memorial and his ashes will be returned to Tucson.