Benjamin K. Bochtler

+ 1999-2019+

Benjamin Karl Bochtler was born on May 18th, 1999 to parents Edwin and Elizabeth (Van Damm) Bochtler in Reston, Virginia. He was baptized into the Christian faith at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Reston, Virginia on July 1st 2001.

Ben graduated from Bellevue West High School in 2017, where he participated in the Varsity Men’s JROTC Drill Team and was a member of the National Honor Society. He was active in Boy Scouts in Virginia and Kansas before earning his Eagle Scout in Nebraska.

Ben began service with the United States Army as an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Operator in 2017, deploying to Afghanistan with elements of the 299th Brigade Engineer Battalion from April 2018 – January 2019. Upon redeployment, Benjamin began volunteering in the Colorado Springs community with the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (T.A.P.S) offering support for those grieving the loss of a military loved one. Ben was accepted into the United States Military Academy Preparatory School at West Point, New York and reported in July 2019, and played goalie for the Army Prep Black Knights lacrosse team. Ben is preceded in death by his brother, Jonathan. He is survived by his parents, Edwin and Elizabeth; brothers, Nathaniel, Christopher, and Isaiah; sisters, Charlotte and Amelia; and many other loving relatives and friends.