Born and raised on a farm in Georgia, USA, Ben ("Buster") T. Abbott enlisted in the Army Infantry on September 16, 1940. He trained at Fort Jackson, SC, Camp Forrest, TN, Fort Leonard Wood, MO, and Desert Training Center in AZ. After training, Ben was shipped overseas where he served from December 5, 1943 until June 9, 1945. He fought in numerous battles and campaigns in the European Theater (including Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, and Central Europe) and was decorated multiple times. His decorations included: 1. Purple Heart - September 1944 for wounds received in action in France on July 22, 1944 2. Oak Leaf Cluster - September 1944 for wounds received in action in France on August 8, 1944 3. Oak Leaf Cluster - September 1944 for wounds received in action in France on August 11, 1944 4. Oak Leaf Cluster - September 1944 for wounds received in action in France on September 3, 1944 5. Silver Star - September 22, 1944 for gallantry in action near Brest, France on September 1, 1944 6. Battlefield Commission - October 1944 Promoted from rank of Technical Sergeant to Second Lieutenant 7. Bronze Star - October 19, 1944 for campaign of Western Europe 8. Oak Leaf Cluster - November 1944 for wounds received in action in the Hürtgen Forest, Germany Ben T. Abbott was honorably discharged on October 14, 1945. Oral reports from fellow soldiers serving with Ben state that his battlefield commission came after his unit suffered heavy casualties; including their platoon leader. Ben, assuming leadership of his platoon, bravely took out an enemy bunker single-handedly and captured several German soldiers on his own. The men who fought with him all agreed that Ben should have received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his leadership and bravery. Even though he was never awarded that highest honor, he came home after the war as a local hero and resumed his farming lifestyle and even went on to serve his community as the Clerk of the County Court for many years. Ben married in December of 1945 and went on to raise a family of four sons and became a prominent member of his local small hometown, despite his long-term effects of the physical and psychological wounds he brought home with him after the war. One of his sons recalled hearing him grinding his teeth in his sleep most nights and knew that he was still fighting the war in his mind many years later.