Super Sabre Society member Lt. Col Benton “Ben” Boyer (93) from Hawarden, Iowa, headed west on December 17, 2015.
Ben was a resident of the Hillcrest Health Care for the past 14 years. Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be held 2:00 p.m. Monday, December 28, 2015 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Hawarden. Burial will be at Grace Hill Cemetery. Visitation, with the family present, will be held Sunday December 27, 2015 at Porter Funeral Home from 5 to 7 p.m. Flowers may be sent to Porter Funeral Home , 712 10th Street, PO Box 128, Hawarden, Iowa 51023 (712) 551-2712.
Ben deployed with the 174th Tactical Fighter Squadron in Sioux City, Iowa including a 12-months assignment at Phu Cat Air Base, Vietnam, where he flew 178 combat missions. While in Vietnam he served as the Squadron Operations Officer, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with eight Oak Leaf Clusters, Vietnamese Service Medal with two Bronze Stars, the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Metal, and the the Outstanding Unit Citation. He is the father of Dan Boyer of Ralston, IA .
Benton Boyer was born December 16, 1922 in Hawarden, Iowa, the son of Benton Sr., and Minnie Boyer. He graduated from high school in Hawarden in 1940, then went to college in California before enlisting in the Army Air Corps in 1943 where he attended basic training and graduated from flight school in 1945. He continued his military career in the United States Air Force Reserve and retired from the Iowa National Guard in 1972 as a Lt. Col.
He received numerous distinguished medals from his service in Vietnam. In 1946 he married Lois Boyer (Heuer). He was an active commercial pilot and operated a farm north of Hawarden.
Survivors include his 5 sons, Byron (Jane), Luke, Dan (Laurie), Bill (Roxsi) and Aaron (Joyce); 6 grandchildren, Jennifer (Mike), Corey, Jesse (Kassie), Jared (Kassy), Ashley and Jett; 5 great grandchildren, Mia, Sophia, Beckett, Seaton, and Gracynn; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife, Lois; great grandchild, Raymond; and sister, Betty (Wayne) Marienau.