Steven L. Bennett
| Steven L. Bennett | |
|---|---|
  | |
| Born |
April 22, 1946 Palestine, Texas |
| Died |
June 29, 1972 (aged 26) Quang Tri, Vietnam |
| Place of burial | Lafayette Memorial Cemetery at Lafayette, Louisiana |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America |
| Service/branch |
 United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1968–1972 |
| Rank |
 Captain |
| Unit |
20th Tactical Air Support Squadron Pacific Air Forces |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
| Awards |
Medal of Honor Air Medal (4) Purple Heart (2) Cheney Award |
Steven Logan Bennett (April 22, 1946 – June 29, 1972) of Palestine, Texas was a United States Air Force pilot who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for heroism during the Vietnam War on August 8, 1974.
Capt. Bennett's only child, Angela Bennett-Engele, and her family, reside in the DFW area of Texas. She is always happy to speak at various engagements, when asked. She is also the current president of the OV-10 Association located in Fort Worth, and is the Volunteer Administrator (a volunteer position) for the Fort Worth Aviation Museum. She and her family can be found, volunteering, at the museum almost every Saturday morning. She is always open to meeting people, and telling her Dad's story.
Honors
He is the namesake of the ship MV Capt. Steven L. Bennett (T-AK-4296) and his name is engraved on the Vietnam Memorial at Panel 01W - Row 051. There have been numerous other dedications done in his honor. They range from streets being named after him to buildings, including a gymnasium and a cafeteria, a sports arena and VFW posts, and many monuments. He has been mentioned in several military history books.
Medal of Honor citation
The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR
posthumously to
CAPTAIN STEVEN L. BENNETT
UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
20th Tactical Air Support Squadron, Pacific Air Forces.
Place and date of action: Quang Tri, Republic of Vietnam, June 29, 1972.
For service as set forth in the following
Citation:
Capt. Bennett was the pilot of a light aircraft flying an artillery adjustment mission along a heavily defended segment of route structure. A large concentration of enemy troops was massing for an attack on a friendly unit. Capt. Bennett requested tactical air support but was advised that none was available. He also requested artillery support but this too was denied due to the close proximity of friendly troops to the target. Capt. Bennett was determined to aid the endangered unit and elected to strafe the hostile positions. After 4 such passes, the enemy force began to retreat. Capt. Bennett continued the attack, but, as he completed his fifth strafing pass, his aircraft was struck by a surface-to-air missile, which severely damaged the left engine and the left main landing gear. As fire spread in the left engine, Capt. Bennett realized that recovery at a friendly airfield was impossible. He instructed his observer to prepare for an ejection, but was informed by the observer that his parachute had been shredded by the force of the impacting missile. Although Capt. Bennett had a good parachute, he knew that if he ejected, the observer would have no chance of survival. With complete disregard for his own life, Capt. Bennett elected to ditch the aircraft into the Gulf of Tonkin, even though he realized that a pilot of this type aircraft had never survived a ditching. The ensuing impact upon the water caused the aircraft to cartwheel and severely damaged the front cockpit, making escape for Capt. Bennett impossible. The observer successfully made his way out of the aircraft and was rescued. Capt. Bennett's unparalleled concern for his companion, extraordinary heroism and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty, at the cost of his life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S. Air Force.[1]
(signed) GERALD R. FORD
Awards and decorations
 |
 |
Medal of Honor |
|
Purple Heart with bronze oak leaf cluster |
|
Air Medal with three bronze oak leaf clusters |
| National Defense Service Medal | |
| Vietnam Service Medal | |
| Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal |
See also
References
- ↑ "Medal of Honor recipients - Vietnam (A-L)". United States Army Center of Military History. August 3, 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-21.
- "Tropical Times article" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 3, 2006. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
- "Medal of Honor citation". Retrieved October 5, 2010. at msc.mil
- "article at Air Force News". Retrieved October 5, 2010.
- "Handbook of Texas Online article". Retrieved October 5, 2010.
- Schneider, Donald K. (December 2002). Air Force Heroes in Vietnam. Washington: University Press of the Pacific. ISBN 1-4102-0384-0.
- "article at mishalov.com". Retrieved October 5, 2010.
External links
- "Steven L. Bennett". Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients. Find a Grave. Retrieved 2009-01-28.