When Benjamin Howard Gardner was born on December 14, 1895, in Palestine, Texas, his father, Benjamin, was 41 and his mother, Carolina, was 38. He had seven sisters. He was the first Americans to go to Europe to help fight against the Germans. He went as Lieutenant , having trained at the first American officer's training camp at Leon Springs. He was one of a few officers sent at once to the old country. He served in the U.S. Army during World War I as a Second Lieutenant in the 28th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division. On July 18, 1918, during the second battle of the Marne at Soissons, Lt. Benjamin Howard Gardner, Jr. was killed by a sniper while leading his men in to combat. Initially buried at the American Cemetary, Ploisy, Aisne, France, his body was brought home to rest in 1921 after the war ended. The Howard Gardner Post 85 was named after Benjamin Howard Gardner, Jr.

Source of information: www.ancestry.com, www.centennial.legion.org