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Paul William McComb Benner

Chief Warrant Officer Paul William McComb Benner, SC, (1979 - November 21, 1996) was an army cadet of the 2472 15th Field Artillery Regiment Cadet Corps of the Royal Canadian Army Cadets based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

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Cadet Life

Benner joined the cadets at age 12. When he asked to join cadets, his mother thought it was a passing fancy and she gave it three weeks but her son found something in the structure and the discipline that appealed to what his father called Paul's "strong warrior spirit". After moving to Maple Ridge, he would spend two hours on the bus every Tuesday riding to the armouries at Maple and West 11th. His boots were always polished, his uniform pressed. One of his Commanding Officers has early memories of a little boy who refused to quit at anything he tried. Two years in a row, he studied and trained for his "Gold Star" testing and two years in a row he failed. But the third year, Benner was back, this time returning with such conviction that he topped the class and earned a trip to Scotland.

By the time he was 17, he made regimental sergeant major, the highest ranking cadet in the Corps. In a private ceremony, his friend and former Regimental Sergeant Major Craig Burridge passed Paul the pace stick - a drill cane that symbolizes authority and leadership within the Corps. Of all the honors he received in his brief life, none meant more to Paul than that one.
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Death

On November 21, 1996 , Benner and his girlfriend Samantha had missed their late afternoon bus and, because of the cold weather, decided to take a shortcut home by walking along the train tracks. Although they thought they would hear an approaching train, it was too late by the time they heard the whistle blowing of an oncoming locomotive. Samantha froze in shock and without hesitation or regard for his own personal safety, Benner lunged towards her and pushed her out of the way. Because of his prompt and courageous action, she escaped certain death, but Benner was unable to clear the tracks in time and he sustained fatal injuries. He was 17 years old.

Three days later, on a rainy Sunday afternoon, family, League and military representatives and friends gathered around to pay their final respects. A lone piper plays a lament and a group of gangly cadets in tears and rumpled uniforms bid farewell to their Regimental Sergeant Major.
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Legacy

In Benner's memory, his cadet corps, 2472 15th Field Artillery Regiment Cadet Corps, established the Paul Benner Memorial Trophy which is now presented annually to a cadet who exemplifies a high standard of honesty, loyalty, and perseverance.

On February 11, 1998, he was posthumously awarded the Star of Courage. which was created in 1972 "for acts of conspicuous courage in circumstances of great peril." According to Therese Rochefort at Government House, Benner is the only cadet ever to win this medal.
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See Also

• Army Cadet History news report: http://www.armycadethistory.com/Biographies/biography_Paul_Benner.htm