BENTON, IL — A Celebration of Life Gathering Service has been scheduled for a Benton native who was killed while diffusing an improvised explosive device in Iraq in early September.

According to Pate Funeral Home in Benton, the service for 31-year-old Brandon Kyle Pinson will take place on Saturday, Nov. 2 from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Benton American Legion Post 280 and VFW Post 2671 in Benton.

He was employed as a civilian employee of FSD of Geneva, a Switzerland-based humanitarian non-governmental organization that aims to clear explosive devices that threaten civilian populations that were affected by war.

Pinson was leading a team working to clear improvised explosive devices left behind from battles with the Islamic State when the accident happened.