BOISE, Idaho — Hundreds of people gathered to honor and celebrate the life of Marine Capt. Benjamin Moulton during a memorial ceremony Sunday evening.
Moulton was among the five Miramar-based Marines killed in a helicopter crash in California on Feb. 6 while flying home from Nevada to San Diego.
Friends, family and Marines shared stories and memories of the Emmett Marine during the emotional service on Boise State's campus.
"He was so magical," Capt. Moulton's uncle Bill Dougherty said during the memorial. "The gleam in Ben's eye, the smile. He could just silence a room with these conversations that I had been having with him for 27 years. He just had such an incredible presence."
The 27-year-old was a graduate of Emmett High School who went on to become captain of the University of Washington's boxing team, and part of ROTC.
Capt. Moulton's family say that Ben had dreams of becoming a Marine pilot since he was young. Those childhood dreams came true when Moulton graduated from university early to enlist in the Marines in 2019. Moulton was promoted to Captain in 2023.
About 130 Marines were flown out from San Diego to attend the memorial honoring Capt. Moulton and the four other Marines who passed in the helicopter crash.
"We have lost five great Americans," Dougherty said. "This is devastating to their families, their friends, the United States Marine Corps - but we need to remember that these were great Americans."
The full service can be viewed below:
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