OPERATION BENJAMIN
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY MISSION
For the first time, Operation Benjamin is undertaking a Mission at Arlington National Cemetery
to replace the headstones of Jewish American soldiers from World War I.
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Join us in replacing the headstones of
PVT David Moser
&
PFC Adolph Hanf​​
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April 7, 2025
3:00 PM
Arlington National Cemetery​​​​
THE SOLDIERS WE WILL BE HONORING
CEREMONY
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Operation Benjamin's first ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery and first headstone replacements for World War I soldiers, this mission promises to be a particularly meaningful one.
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The ceremony for PVT Moser will feature remarks by the soldier's neice Deborah Eiferman, PhD, as well as Congressman Ritchie Torres. The unveiling of the new headstone correcting both the Star of David and the incorrect rank of PFC Adolph Hanf will immediately follow the PVT David Moser ceremony.
Headstone Replacement of 2LT Howard Feldman
Lorraine American Cemetery, October 2021
ABOUT PVT MOSER
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David Moser, born in New York to Benjamin and Lizzie Moser, enlisted in the US Army in 1917. He fought as part of the 77th Field Artillery, 4th Division in a series of battles and offensive preparations all over France. Following the signing of the Armistice in Nobember 1918, Pvt. Moser's unit arrived in Kaisersesch, Germany to continue training exercises and take some much-needed furlough time.
In late February Pvt. Moser fell ill with the Spanish flu, and on March 1, 1919 he passed away at the age of 20 in the Evacuation Hospital in Mayen, Germany.
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Initially buried in the American section of a civilian cemetery in Mayen, Pvt. Moser's remains were reburied at Arlington National Cemetery on September 25, 1920.
Pvt. Moser's World War I Service Extract
ABOUT PFC HANF
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Adolph Hanf was born in 1884 in Warsaw and immigrated to the United States in 1911 at age 27. Hanf first volunteered, and later re-enlisted as a citizen, in the Michigan Organized Militia (later the National Guard), and in September 1917 he registered for the World War I draft. He shipped out in February 1918 with the 125th Infantry Regiment.
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Hanf was killed on August 4, 1918, the Battle of Fismes, during which his regiment faced heavy gun fire, explosives and mustard gas shells. A protracted battle that took many lives and left the town in ruins, the capture of Fismes opened the door to an Allied offensive that continued until the war's end, three months later.
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PFC Hanf's remains were moved several times, and he arrived at his final resting place in Arlington National Cemetery on May 11, 1922.