DOB/DOD: May 16, 1959 (Madison, WI) – October 23, 1983; 24 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Unmarried
LOCAL ADDRESS: 1 Brookside Lane, Mansfield
ENLISTMENT: April 20, 1982
MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY: 0351, Assaultman
UNIT: Headquarters & Service Company, 81MM/Dragon Platoon, 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, 24th Amphibious Unit
FAMILY: Born to Anthony T. and Rose Marie DiBenedetto. Two brothers, David V. and Stephen A.. Two sisters, Diane M. DiBenedetto Martin and Laura J. DiBenedetto Pinatti.
OTHER: Thomas was a graduate of the E. O. Smith High School in Storrs and attended Thames Valley State Technical College in Norwich before joining the Marine Corps in April 1982. He was sent to Beirut in June for what was to have been a six-month tour of duty.
Edwin O. Smith High School (Storrs, Connecticut) Class of 1977 or 78
No yearbook photos
From the Hartford Courant on November 6, 1983
From The Norwich Bulletin on February 20, 1986
UCONN GRANTED A NEW SCHOLARSHIP
STORRS — A new $500 scholarship has been established at the University of Connecticut’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources by the parents of Thomas DiBenedetto, who was killed in Lebanon more than two years ago.
DiBenedetto, a recent graduate of E.O. Smith High School in Storrs, was serving his first tour of duty in the U.S. Marine Corps at the time of his death.
His parents, Dr. Anthony T. DiBenedetto, vice-president for academic affairs at UConn, and Mrs. DiBenedetto, and their family felt it would be a fitting and lasting tribute to establish The Thomas A. DiBenedetto scholarship with the memorial contributions received from family, relatives, friends, and colleagues.
The DiBenedettos recall that their son had an appreciation for animals and the land.
The first scholarship recipient is Charles Labash of 121-D Smoke Valley Road, Stratford, a renewable natural resources major who expects to graduate from the university in May.
It was awarded to Labash on the basis of his academic achievements and his potential for future professional and academic accomplishments.
WEBMASTER NOTE: This scholarship is still active as of October 2025.
Testimonial contributed by Laura DiBenedetto Pinatti. Used with permission.
He loved the outdoors. He enjoyed being in the woods (our property bordered acres of state land) and probably knew enough to survive out there if he needed to. He once said he could use his long hair as a rope in an emergency.
He was a scuba diver. He had gone to Florida to scuba dive there and had a dream of doing the same in Australia.
He wanted to travel and took a train trip through Canada on his own. When he got back, he didn’t really know what to do next. He decided to enlist in the military as a way to travel and see the world.
There was a snowstorm the day he went out to talk to a recruiter. The only military office open that day was the Marines. He signed up. He went to boot camp and then to Beirut. It was his first and only tour of duty. He hadn’t even been a Marine for a full year. I don’t know what his job was while he was there, but he might have been a radio-guy… I don’t know if that is verifiable… I just remember hearing that he knew of the threats to their base. I’m pretty sure he was promoted to Lance Corporal upon his death. He was only 24. As you know, he is buried in Storrs, Connecticut.
He was smart and older than the typical recruit (24 years old) and was offered multiple opportunities to stay in the United States, Washington, I believe, but he wanted to travel. I think that he, at least, was able to visit Turkey while on leave. He was due to come home pretty soon.
So that’s who he was. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with himself and ended up a Marine. His death left a big hole in our family. We all miss him still
Testimonial from Sister Diane DiBenedetto Martin
He was very kind and selfless; he would help anyone unconditionally. He loved exploring the outdoors and wasn’t afraid to venture out on his own. He enjoyed camping, cooking, music, and was very independent. He was also quite handy and enjoyed fixing things, especially his motorcycle, which he rode yearlong. He had a unique approach to life, never taking the conventional route.
He graduated from EO Smith High School, and I believe he went on to Norwich Tech, but to be honest, I don’t really remember if he finished…my mother always said that he had an option to attend an officers course instead of going straight to basic training, so I assume he finished.
Photo contributed by Laura DiBenedetto Pinatti is of a tree planting ceremony that took place near the cemetery where Corporal DiBenedetto is buried in Mansfield, Connecticut.
Buried in Storrs Cemetery, 63 N. Eagleville Road, Mansfield, Connecticut; Section 7, Col B, Plot 6.
END