I know there isn’t any official RedState Peace Prize (and I don’t have the authority to create one), but if there was one, this guy should be in the running.

Sgt. Brett Bennethum is part of the 733rd Transportation Company based in Reading, Pa. He just deployed for Iraq. He will be doing the dangerous, yet humble work of transporting supplies into Iraq. Few war movies are made about the transport of supplies, but these kinds of heroes are as critical to victory as a frontline soldier.

Sgt. Bennethum is a family man. He has a four year old daughter, a 10 month old daughter, and another child on the way; his wife, Abby is pregnant with a deployment baby.

On the day of his deployment to Iraq, Sgt. Bennethum was accompanied by his family. The soldiers were immediately ordered into formation. That’s when 4 year old Paige ran up next to her father and gripped his hand, refusing to let go. The Sergeant’s commanding officer did not have the heart to ask that Paige be led away from the formation; he had the decency and the compassion to allow father and daughter a few more moments of precious time together.

Paige’s mother, Abby, captured the moment in a photograph. She submitted it to her local newspaper and it’s now spreading like wildfire on the Internet. This wildfire, though, is one of compassion, love, and sacrifice. The photo of Paige grasping her father’s hand is heart wrenching. Take a look for yourself. The link is here. No matter how tough and stoic you regard yourself, this photo will surely provide you with a tear.

So, for his sacrifice and that of his family, for his bravery in helping to bring peace and security to a foreign nation, I nominate Sgt. Bennethum for the RedState Peace Prize (were it to exist).

Furthermore, Sgt. Bennethum is far more deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize than is Barack Obama. But that, of course, is simply a statement of fact.