U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lt. Andrew Benton, a Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets alumnus who earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the College of Engineering and a minor in leadership studies from the corps’ Rice Center for Leader Development in 2015, was selected as the Hokie Hero for Saturday’s football game against North Carolina.

The Hokie Hero program honors corps alumni who are deployed. Recipients are highlighted by Jon Laaser and Mike Burnop during their radio broadcast of Hokie football games, on the Corps of Cadets website, and in the Corps Review alumni magazine.

Benton is an air support control officer deployed on the USS Boxer with the Amphibious Ready Group. He is assigned to Tactical Air Control Squadron 11, where he serves as the air support coordinator and tactical air control center watch officer. He supervises and coordinates air operations across multiple ships and advises commanders on aviation and fire support.

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