50 years ago today, June 24, in sunny Vietnam-land - Where were you?

SPC Jan Allbright, M.Sc., R.S. — Wed, 24 Jun 2015 08:53:08 -0400

General Westmoreland advised Washington that he needed more American soldiers than those previously approved and proposed that the U.S. bomb the railroad from North Vietnam to China, mine Haiphong harbor, and carry out B-52 strikes.

Hanoi Radio announces that the Vietcong have shot POW and US Army Sergeant Harold G. Bennett.
Harold Bennett and Charles Crafts were MACV advisors to an ARVN unit operating in Phuoc Tuy Province, South Vietnam.
A native of Maine, Crafts had been in country about 1 month. On the afternoon of December 29, 1964, Bennett, Crafts and their ARVN unit made contact with Viet Cong guerrillas and the unit engaged in a firefight.
During the firefight, both were taken prisoner.
By early 1965, Crafts and Bennett joined other prisoners held by the Viet Cong.
Those who returned supplied information on the fates of those who did not.
In late spring, 1965, Bennett began to refuse food.
This was not an uncommon occurrence among prisoners suffering dysentery, malnutrition, malaise, injury and other ills that were common among prisoners of war in the South.
Normally, the other prisoners worked hard to prevent further illness by forcing food on the POW who refused food, provided the sick man was not isolated.
Returned POWs report the death of several men from the cycle of illness-refusal to eat-depression-starvation.
Bennett did not die of starvation, however.
The Vietnamese National Liberation Front (NLF) announced on Radio Hanoi on June 24, 1965 that Bennett had been shot in retaliation for Viet Cong terrorist Tran Van Dong’s execution by South Vietnam.
He was the first POW to be executed in retaliation.
When the war ended in 1973, the Vietnamese listed Bennett as having died in captivity.
They did not return his remains.
He is one of nearly 2400 Americans still missing in Southeast Asia.

Response by SCPO David Lockwood made Jun 24 at 2015 8:58 AM

SCPO David Lockwood — Wed, 24 Jun 2015 08:58:57 -0400

More Soldiers needed in middle east also!

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 24 at 2015 9:05 AM

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 24 Jun 2015 09:05:11 -0400

Wow. I never heard of Sgt Harold Benett. Goes to show you how we only concern ourselves with certain parts of our history and the names of heroes get forgotten.

Response by PO1 Mike Edgecomb made Jun 24 at 2015 11:08 AM

PO1 Mike Edgecomb — Wed, 24 Jun 2015 11:08:46 -0400

I was 9 Years old! May Sergeant Harold G. Bennett rest in Peace!

http://www.vietnamgear.com/Article.aspx?Art=65

War Story - BINH GIA – The Battle

This article was originally published in Behind The Lines magazine. VietnamGear.com has reproduced this article with the kind permission of Gary Linderer.

Response by SSgt Boyd Herrst made Mar 11 at 2018 5:51 PM

SSgt Boyd Herrst — Sun, 11 Mar 2018 17:51:34 -0400

Puts me at 15 at that time, 2 days after my birthday ..

Response by Capt James Skaggs made Jul 23 at 2019 12:01 AM

Capt James Skaggs — Tue, 23 Jul 2019 00:01:34 -0400

Udorn, Thailand. Intelligence officer. Flying drones up the Ho chi min trail.