All over social media, people are sending their prayers and sharing kind words as many pay respects to the hero, Ben Steele. If you bring up Ben Steele, many people instantly know him as a hero, not just to Billings, but the nation. People across the country are mourning the loss of the World War Two, Bataan Death March survivor.

As the Billings community comes together during this hard time, Mayor Tom Hanel sent this statement that reads in part:

"Ben celebrated life every day since the war. A proud American, husband father, grandfather and friend to everyone. The heavens await Ben with a paint brush and rewarding views to paint."

"Montana has lost an American hero and a state treasure, Ben Steele will be remembered for his service, his courage and his artistic legacy," Senator Steve Daines said.

"He was a hero, but he was more than that. He spent 42 months as a prisoner of war. He came out of there and he was able to down the road forgive his enemies, forgive how he was treated and just have a wonderful life that enriched all of Montana," SD2 Superintendent, Terry Bouck said.

It's clear, Steele touched so many lives, he will truly be missed and continued to be honored.

SD2 Superintendent, Terry Bouck says when the Ben Steele Middle School opens, there will be people with knowledge of him the day it opens to talk.

WWII POW and Bataan Death March survivor, Ben Steele, passed away at 4 a.m. Sunday in Billings. He was 98 years old. Though it is difficult to summarize such an incredible and inspiring life, we offer this tribute to Ben Steele.

Benjamin Charles Steele was born in Roundup, Montana, November 17, 1917. Raised on a ranch in the rugged Bull Mountains, Ben moved with his family to the big city of Billings when he was 16. In September 1940, he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps, eventually assigned to the 7th Material Squadron, 19th Bomb Group as an aircraft dispatcher. Stationed at Clark Field in the Philippines, he looked forward to adventure far beyond Big Sky Country. But no one could've imagined what awaited.

On December 8, 1941, they received word that Pearl Harbor had been attacked. Shortly after, so was their home base of Clark Field. On Christmas Day, they were ordered to infantry duty on Bataan, and upon the surrender of Bataan, Steele was one of tens of thousands of prisoners taken by the Japanese and forced along the now infamous death march. At least 7,000 prisoners perished over six days, but not Steele.

His last name served him well, as he steeled himself against the brutality of the Japanese guards, for what would be three and a half years of imprisonment. The tough cowboy from Montana would not allow them to break his will, his spirit or his fierce determination to live.

Suffering from a host of illnesses including, malaria, dysentery, and beriberi, Steele was transferred to Bilibid Prison, and that's where he says, he began to draw. Charcoal sketches on scraps of scavenged paper, depicting the heartless guards and other sights of his captivity. It was his saving grace, a way of coping with his desperate and seemingly hopeless situation.

On August 15, 1945, Steele was liberated by U.S. Occupation troops and eventually, found his way home to his beloved Montana.

Steele went on to receive an education degree and advanced degrees in art, eventually serving as the director and head of the art department at Eastern Montana College.

Though he was far from Japan and the horrors of war, Steele harbored bitterness, hatred and resentment toward those that inflicted such pain and humiliation. This is until, in 1960, a Japanese American student enrolled in his art class. In the book, Tears in the Darkness, which chronicles his experience in World War II, Steele says his "heart hardened and filled with hate" when seeing the student, Harry Koyama. So troubled by how he felt, Steele invited Koyama to his office to talk, and the seeds of forgiveness were sown. They shared their mutual love of art, and through that common bond, Steele was able to let go of the feelings and emotions that had haunted him and followed him home.

Ben Steele embodied the best of our vanishing "greatest generation." Exemplifying the independent and resilient nature of Montanans. Just as with his art, Ben made a perfectly good life out of all the imperfect, jagged and mismatched pieces he was given. A lesson to all that life is what you make of it, and out of it.

We salute Ben Steele, a true Treasure State treasure, a portrait of strength, courage, grace and forgiveness. Montanan through and through. An American hero.

Ben's story and legacy live on in Billings, in the new middle school that bears his name. Ben Steele Middle School will open in 2017. We send our love and prayers to his wife of 64 years, Shirley, and his two daughters Rosemarie and Julie.

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