John Benda (naval officer)

John A. Benda is the executive officer and next commanding officer of the USS Constitution.<ref nameflag/><ref nametimes/><ref namealvin/><ref nametank/><ref name204th/><ref nameclass/><ref name=dedham/> He will be the second commanding officer of the Constitution from Dedham, Massachusetts, following the first, Samuel Nicholson.<ref nameflag/><ref nameclass/><ref name=dedham/>
Early life and education
Benda was born in Roslindale, Boston and moved to Dedham, Massachusetts when he was five years old<ref nametimes/> with his parents, John and Brenda.<ref nameclass/><ref name=dedham/> He attended the Riverdale School, Dedham Middle School, and was graduated from Dedham High School in 1997 where he played baseball and track and was captain of the football and wrestling teams.<ref nametimes/><ref namealvin/><ref nameflag/><ref nameclass/><ref namehonored/> He was voted by his classmates as Most Athletic and Best All Around.<ref nameclass/> Benda has a younger brother, Kenny, and a younger sister, Katie.<ref name=times/>
After high school, Benda attended Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) on a Reserve Officers' Training Corps scholarship where he studied mechanical engineering, joined a fraternity, and played football.<ref name=times/> At WPI, he was named the Freedom Football Conference rookie of the week.<ref namehassard/> He was graduated in 2001.<ref nametransformations/> Upon graduation, he was commissioned an ensign in the United States Navy.<ref nametimes/> His father and both grandfathers had previously served in the military.<ref nametimes/><ref namealvin/> He then earned a master’s of science in leadership at the University of San Diego.<Ref nametimes/> He earned a second master's at the Naval War College in 2012.<Ref name=times/>
Military career
After being commissioned, Benda was sent to the Naval War College for six months of surface warfare school.<ref name=times/> He then served upon the USS Ashland as the communications officer.<ref nametimes/><ref nametransformations/> In early 2003, he was deployed as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.<ref nametimes/> As officer of the deck, he oversaw Marines shuttling back and forth to the beaches of Kuwait.<ref nametimes/>
Benda was then assigned to Amphibious Squadron 7 in San Diego as Assistant Ops Planner.<ref name=times/> While on his way back to the Persian Gulf, his unit was instead redirected to provide humanitarian relief following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.<ref nametimes/> Benda planned the relief mission.<ref nametimes/> For his service in this mission, Benda was awarded the Humanitarian Service Medal.<ref namealvin/> He was also awarded the Meritorious Service Medal.<ref nameclass/>
While on shore duty, Benda was instead reassigned to the USNS GySgt. Fred W. Stockham where he supported special operations units in the Phillipines for five months.<ref name=times/> After earning a master's degree at the University of San Deigo, Benda was assigned to the USS Gary.<ref nametimes/> As the operations officer on the Gary, he did counter-drug operations on the Pacific coasts of South America and Mexico for two years.<ref nametimes/>
Benda then served as the N-3 for the USS Boxer where he spent eight months at sea.<ref nametimes/> During this time, his ship conducted ten multi-lateral exercises with Jordan, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain.<ref nametimes/> They also conducted a variety of operations, including raids, assaults, humanitarian disaster relief, and search-and-seizure missions.<ref name=times/>
After earning his second master's degree, Benda became an instructor at the surface warfare officer school where he taught expeditionary warfare.<ref nametimes/> Benda then returned to San Diego where he had his first engineering tour.<ref nametimes/> As that assignment ended, a position opened on the USS Constitution and Benda was given orders to serve as its second in command.<ref nametimes/> In 2019 it was announced that he would be the next commanding officer of the Constitution.<ref nameflag/><ref name=class/>
Personal life
Benda met his wife, Susan, who is originally from Westwood, Massachusetts while attending graduate school at the Naval War College.<ref nametimes/><ref nameclass/> The couple married in 2012 and now lives in Holliston, Massachusetts.<ref nametimes/> He has a step-daughter and a daughter.<ref nametimes/>
As a lover of history,<ref namemeet/><ref namefairbanks/><ref name=204th/> Benda spoke at the Dedham Historical Society about Dedham's connection to the Constitution, including its first captain, Samuel Nicholson, and the Avery Oak.<ref namepatch/> He has also welcomed aboard the schoolchildren of Dedham,<ref nameflag/> members of the Dedham Retired Men's Club,<ref name=men/> and the Fairbanks House<ref namefairbanks/> for tours of the Constitution. He also gives lectures about the history of the Constitution.<ref nametimes/><ref namepatch/><ref name204th/> In 2019, he was awarded the Outstanding Alumni award from Dedham High School.<ref nameflag/><ref namededham/><ref namehonored/> That same year, he was the Grand Marshall of the Holliston Memorial Day Parade.<ref namememorial/>

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