When
2nd Lt. Benji Abbott graduated from Jacksonville State
University in July 2005, he continued two family
traditions begun by his great-uncle, Mr. George W. Lott.
Like Mr. Lott, Mr. Abbott also graduated from JSU and
served in the military.
“I never thought about serving in the Army until I
went to see my cousin graduate from West Point,” said
Benji. “That ceremony planted the seed in me about the
military.”
Benji, a native of Oxford, became a medic and, after
returning from active duty training, joined the ROTC
battalion at JSU. Abbott in now serving with the 20th
Special Forces Group stationed in Birmingham.
Also, Benji, who graduated with a bachelor of arts
degree in history, currently serves as a Gold Bar
Recruiter for the ROTC battalion at JSU. GBRs recruit
the most promising students in the region to join the
ROTC battalion while they attend JSU.
2nd Lt. George W. Lott, Benji’s great-uncle, entered
Jacksonville State Teachers College in 1946 after
serving in World War II as a sergeant in an artillery
unit. He graduated with bachelor of arts degree in
physical education and received his commission in 1950.
The ROTC program began at JSTC in 1948 and Lott was a
member of the first graduating class.
On Feb. 13, 1951, Lott was sent to Korea. According
to the scrapbooks located in the ROTC battalion, Lott
was captured by the North Korean Army on May 26 while
serving in an artillery unit. He was sent to a
concentration camp and fellow POWs reported that he died
of complications from pneumonia sometime in August 1951.
According to his sister, Mrs. Mildred Abbott, George
was a good brother and very well thought of. Including
herself, Lott had five brothers and four sisters.
“George was raised on a farm in Cranehill, Alabama,
and he got married while he attended JSTC,” said Mrs.
Abbott. “At the time of his deployment George did not
know that his wife was pregnant. Unfortunately, to my
knowledge, he never knew he had a daughter.”
As a result, Lott became the first ROTC cadet from
JSU to pay the ultimate sacrifice while serving on
active duty when the Department of Defense classified
him as Killed In Action.
However, his daughter, Ms. Gilda Marie Lott, born
just before her dad was taken into captivity, continued
the tradition of attending JSU. She graduated in 1973
with a bachelor of science degree in nursing. Gilda, now
married, lives in Atlanta and has two daughters.
The tradition continued to the fourth generation when
Benji joined the military. His great-great uncle served
in the Army between World War I and World War II. In
addition, several other members of his family have or
are currently serving in the military.
According to Benji, both of his grandfathers served
in the Navy during World War II, an uncle served in the
Army during Vietnam, a cousin, who is also a JSU
graduate, served in the Marines during Desert Storm in
1990-91, another cousin graduated from West Point and
served in the 3rd Infantry Division during the Iraqi
invasion, and his brother serves in the Coast Guard.
“After 9/11, I wanted to serve myself, but I also
wanted to finish school so I enlisted in the reserves,”
said Benji. “The ROTC program at JSU provided me with
the opportunity to do both.”
At this time, the next generation is too young to
determine if it will continue the family tradition of
attending JSU and serving in the military, but Mrs.
Abbott said that she sure hopes they will. She considers
both JSU and the military excellent choices to help
begin a career.
For more information about additional family members
serving in the military and attending JSU, 2nd Lt. Benji
Abbott can be reached at rotc@jsu.edu.
For information about the ROTC department at JSU,
visit its Web site at
http://www.jsu.edu/depart/rotc/.
