10/25/05 Army Specialist James "Jimmy" Benoit is fighting a severe infection, undergoing near-daily surgeries and still unable to swallow whole foods more than a month after being wounded in a roadside bomb attack in Baghdad, but Morris Hills High School teachers and students are mobilizing to come to his financial aid.

Danielle austen / daily record

Marc Benoit speaks with his former Morris Hills teachers, Judith Ricucci, left, and Lisa Klepp, who are helping raise money for his injured brother, PFC James Benoit. CAP Marc Benoit speaks with his former Morris Hills teachers, Judith Ricucci, left, and Lisa Klepp, who are helping raise money for his injured brother, Army Specialist James Benoit. PQT How to help Upcoming fundraising efforts for the Benoit family Thursday: The Interact Club of Morris Hills High School will hold a benefit show at 7 p.m. in the school auditorium. Proceeds will benefit both James Benoit, Our Fighting Knight Fund and the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the high school. Friday, Nov. 18: A pasta buffet will be held at St. John's United Methodist Church, 20 Church St., in Wharton. Tickets are $9 for adults, $8 for seniors and $5 for children under 12. For more information, call Cindy Senatore at (973) 361-3719. Friday, Nov. 20: An Evening of Giving at the Rockaway Townsquare mall -- a private night of shopping, discounts and entertainment. Tickets are $10 and must be purchased by Thursday, Nov. 10. Of that amount, $7 will go to the James Benoit, Our Fighting Knight Fund. The remainder goes to the Simon Youth Foundation. Tickets can be purchased at Morris Hills High School or checks made out to the Benoit fund can be sent to the school in care of Todd Schoeps at 520 West Main St., Rockaway, N.J., 07866. HDL Morris Hills H.S. fights for soldier hurt in Iraq BTX by laura bruno daily record When Army Specialist James "Jimmy" Benoit was serving in Iraq two years ago, his high school didn't forget about him. Morris Hills High School mobilized, with students and staff gathering enough baby wipes, snacks, Kool-Aid mix and magazines to fill three, 70-pound care packages for the 2001 graduate and his buddies. Now, with Benoit fighting a severe infection, undergoing near-daily surgeries and still unable to swallow whole foods more than a month after being wounded in a roadside bomb attack in Baghdad, his former teachers and Morris Hills students have mobilized once again. Presenting Benoit's younger brother, Marc, a 2005 Morris Hills graduate, with a $5,000 check Friday, was just the first installment of ongoing fundraising efforts for the family. In total, the high school has raised more than $8,000 and hopes to break the $10,000 mark by Christmas. Touching expression "I've never been involved in something quite so touching," said Judith Ricucci, a Morris Hills history teacher who taught all three Benoit brothers. "Every day, class starts with students asking, 'Did we get any money today?'" With Margaret "Missy" Benoit, a single mother, on leave from her job, the community has rallied to help support the family. Benoit, of Wharton, has been at her son's side for six weeks at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Jimmy Benoit's backside was severely wounded in the bomb attack. He was on his second mission training Iraqi police, with only five months left on his overseas duty, when he was hit. Doctors have told his mother that it is unlikely he will walk again. In addition to watching her 23-year-old son fight to recover from debilitating wounds, Missy Benoit also coped with the possibility of her oldest son, 25-year-old David, returning to Iraq. PFC David Benoit was scheduled to deploy to Iraq for a second tour of duty last month, but at the last minute, received a reprieve. The family had hoped for a compassionate reassignment nearby Walter Reed, but last week they learned he was assigned to Fort Lee in Virginia, about 150 miles from the hospital. Three hours away "I'm not complaining, but I'm not happy," David Benoit said. "It's about three hours away and I'm not going to be able to see my brother during the week." Mother and son have watched over Jimmy in shifts each day, since he's no longer in the intensive care unit, where he had round-the-clock nursing care. "We would like to see (David Benoit) closer," said Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen, who worked to see him reassigned. "It is not an issue we are stopping work on. We would like to see him attached to a unit at Walter Reed or maybe Fort Meade. We are letting the powers that be know that we would like him to be closer to his brother and mother." Missy Benoit has left the Walter Reed campus only three times, and for no more than an hour or two, since she arrived there six weeks ago. She spends her days watching over her son, massaging his feet and hands, taking care of his daily toiletry needs and talking him through the painful memories of the attack. Morale boost The family has been buoyed, however, by the endless stream of get well cards, supermarket gift cards and telephone cards individuals have sent them. "He's amazed when I tell him about the fundraisers," Missy Benoit said. "He's enjoyed all the cards he's been getting, especially from all the students." The high school's efforts began last month. A group of nine teachers each of whom have had at least one of the Benoit brothers in their classes, launched the campaign. It started on back-to-school night with Morris Hills students selling yellow ribbons to fellow students, teachers and parents. Teachers also contributed their September jeans' day donations to the James Benoit, Our Fighting Knight Fund. Teachers pay $5 each to a charity to wear jeans at work once a month. "All the sacrifices are being made by a small number of families and the rest of us get to sit back and benefit," Ricucci said. "We wanted our students to learn that as American citizens we have a responsibility to one another." Ricucci said she wanted to do something thinking about the three boys she had in her classes and the mother she saw at every parent-teacher conference. She described Jimmy Benoit as the "strong, but silent type," who wasn't the type to raise his hand often in class, but was very deep and a talented artist. "I know what she's going through, actually I don't really know, but I feel for her and her kids," Ricucci said. School of generosity What's encouraged the group running the fundraising campaign is the "amazing generosity of people," Ricucci said. The high school's Gridiron Club and Rockaway Wines and Liquors have made the largest donations so far, each giving $1,000 to the fund. Area businesses also responded to the call for help, with businesses like Italia II Pizza Restaurant in Rockaway offering free dinners to Marc Benoit, who has remained home in Wharton, attending classes at the County College of Morris. And the efforts continue. Proceeds from a school concert on Thursday will partly benefit the family and the school is selling tickets to an Evening of Giving at the Rockaway Townsquare mall on Nov. 20. It's a private night of shopping and proceeds from the ticket sales go to charities. Morris Hills is selling tickets for the Benoit fund. Of the $10 ticket price, $7 will go to the Benoits. Wharton's American Legion Post 91 will also donate a portion of the proceeds from a 1950s-themed dance Saturday to the family. Church helps, too St. John's United Methodist Church is organizing a series of fundraisers, the first of which is a pasta buffet scheduled for Nov. 18 at the Wharton church. Cindy Senatore, a St. John's parishioner organizing the fundraising effort, said she is committed to helping the Benoits for the long term. The family is likely to struggle financially even once Jimmy Benoit comes home, she said. "Our sons were in the service at the same time," Senatore said. "My son was in Afghanistan and Iraq, too, but he came home safe and sound. Unfortunately, hers didn't." Laura Bruno can be reached at (973) 428-6626 or lbruno2@gannett.com.