Donald V. Bennett
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (January 2013) |
Donald V. Bennett | |
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Born | Lakeside, Ohio, US | May 9, 1915
Died | November 28, 2005 Asheville, North Carolina, US | (aged 90)
Allegiance | United States |
Service/ | United States Army |
Years of service | 1940–1974 |
Rank | General |
Commands held | U.S. Army Pacific Command U.S. Forces Korea Defense Intelligence Agency United States Military Academy 62nd Armored Field Artillery Battalion |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Awards | Distinguished Service Cross Army Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit Bronze Star Purple Heart (2) |
Donald Vivian Bennett (May 9, 1915 – November 28, 2005) retired as a four-star general from the United States Army in 1974. He attended Michigan State University for two years, but then left to attend, and graduate from, the United States Military Academy in 1940. Bennett then served overseas in World War II in North Africa, Sicily, and in the invasion of the European continent. Bennett received the Distinguished Service Cross as well as two Purple Hearts for his service. He was born in Lakeside, Ohio and retired to Asheville, North Carolina. He entered military service from Ohio.
On 6 June 1944, Lieutenant Colonel Bennett, along with the 62nd Armored Field Artillery Battalion which he commanded, landed with the second wave at 0720 on
By redistributing the remaining officers and equipment; by emplacing the .50 caliber machine guns of the antiaircraft unit so as to give close support to the infantry; and by radioing for tank and artillery fire support from the LCTs, he organized a sizable force and, at about 1000 hours, successfully assaulted the ridge. He then continued moving about the beach under intense fire and succeeded in locating a protected place to bring his battalion and move it across the beach. Lieutenant Colonel Bennett, in disregarding his own safety under such heavy enemy fire throughout the day and in his clear thinking, contributed immeasurably to the establishment of the beachhead.
General Bennett recounts his World War II experience in his memoir, Honor Untarnished, published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC in 2003. He graduated from the
Bennett died on November 28, 2005, at the age of 90 and was buried at the United States Military Academy Cemetery in West Point, New York.
Gen. Bennett was inducted into the inaugural class of the Phi Kappa Tau Hall of Fame at the fraternity's centennial convention in 2006.
See also
References
- West Point Obituary w/photo Archived 2007-07-04 at the Wayback Machine
- WW2DB: Donald Bennett
- ^ U.S. Army Register: Active and Retired List. Vol. I. Washington, D.C.: Department of the Army. January 1, 1966. p. 42. Retrieved 2022-07-20.