Title:
Adjunct Faculty
Highest degree and school:
Bachelor of Arts in History, American Military University
Teaching at SDI since: 2021
Justin Benz teaches a number of courses for SDI’s School of Firearms Technology, including FTT 111: Firearms Inspection and Troubleshooting, FTT 104: Gunsmithing Tools Lab, and FTE 217: Modern Sporting Rifle. He has served in the U.S. Air Force for over 17 years, where he spent a large portion of his career as a Combat Arms instructor. He also has experience teaching NRA pistol courses and North Carolina Concealed Carry Classes. A student as well as a teacher, Justin earned his BA in American History from American Military University and is currently pursuing his MA in Political Science.
Justin’s great passion is teaching, which he considers to be both a gift and a calling. Every day he strives to learn and become a more well-rounded person; he loves to engage with others, help in the evolution of thoughts and ideas, and feel the satisfaction of being able to be a small part of someone’s educational journey. After being promoted out of day-to-day teaching in the Air Force, Justin said “SDI offered the opportunity to get back into teaching firearms in a unique, advanced academic environment that I believe is filing a demand for a trade that has needed this type of training and education. I’m truly honored to be a part of that.”
Outside of the classroom, Justin is married to his best friend and together they are parents to four (soon to be five) kids ranging from ages 3 to 21. A sports fanatic, his idea of a perfect day would be to sleep in, enjoy a nice breakfast with his family, and then catch some kind of sporting event, especially from a Carolina-based team. Justin enjoys woodworking, jigsaw puzzles, playing guitar, and learning about American history – the one thing he wants to learn more about is extensive details on the founding of America.