Aug 4, 2009 11:56 am US/Central
Fallen Soldier Gives Heart To Winnetka Woman
Cpl. Benjamin Kopp Mourned As Hero
ROSEMOUNT, Minn. (CBS) ―
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Cpl. Benjamin Kopp died in Afghanistan, but Judy Meikle of Winnetka received his heart.
CBS
A fallen soldier from Minnesota is being remembered as a hero.
Army Cpl. Benjamin Kopp was wounded in battle in Afghanistan last month, and died eight days later. But now, his heart lives on in a woman from north suburban Winnetka.
During a memorial, soldiers who fought beside Kopp talked about their final moments with a man who forever changed lives.
"I told him I was proud of him, and that he was my hero, and that I loved him," Spc. Ryan Lundeby of the 75th Ranger Regiment said at the service.
"I know now I will always have someone watching my life," added Spc. Chase Vanderhule, who said Kopp would be his "ranger in the sky."
Officers who spoke at the funeral said Kopp's leadership under direct fire from Taliban fighters, saved the lives of six of his fellow Rangers.
But they weren't the only lives he saved.
Cpl. Kopp wanted to donate his organs, and he did – to a woman from Winnetka. Judy Meikle, 57, received his heart.
"She has not had warm hands in months; in years. Her hands are now warm. Her color is much better."
It's the type of news that makes the grieving process a little easier for Kopp's mom, Jill Stephenson. She says her son put his family and friends above everything.
To get the news that his heart lives on in someone else makes this a little easier.
"She has not had warm hands in months or even years," said Meikle's friend, Paul Weatherhead. "Now she has warm hands and her color is better."
It's the type of news that makes the grieving process a little easier for Kopp's mom, Jill Stephenson. She says her son put his family and friends above everything- to get the news that his heart lives on in someone else makes this a little easier.
"It stopped me in my tracks, I couldn't walk. I kind of go back there now just thinking about it," Stephenson said. "To experience that joy along with my sorrow, that's got to be what a miracle feels like. It's wonderful. It's wonderful."
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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