Edward Clyde Benfold
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| Edward Clyde Benfold | |
|---|---|
| January 15, 1931 - September 5, 1952 | |
 Hospitalman Edward Benfold |
|
| Place of birth | Staten Island, New York |
| Place of death | KIA in Korea |
| Allegiance | U.S. Navy |
| Years of service | 1950-1952 |
| Rank | Hospitalman Third Class |
| Unit | 1st Marine Division |
| Battles/wars | Korean War |
| Awards | Medal of Honor, Purple Heart, Gold Star, Combat Service Ribbon, Korean Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean War Service Medal. |
Edward Clyde Benfold (January 15, 1931 - September 5, 1952) was a United States Navy sailor who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Korean War. He was killed in action, aged 21, while serving with the 1st Marine Division, as a Hospitalman Third Class.
Born in Staten Island, Petty Officer Benfold graduated from Audubon High School in Audubon, New Jersey. Petty Officer Benfold entered the service at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1950. After completion of recruit training in Great Lakes, Illinois, he was selected for "A" school training as a Hospitalman. In July 1951, he was designated as a Medical Field Technician and was ordered to duty with the Fleet Marine Force, Ground, Pacific.
[edit] Medal of Honor Citation
He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, according to the citation, "for gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a Hospital Corpsman, attached to a company in the First Marine Division during operations against enemy aggressor forces in Korea on September 5, 1952... When his company was subjected to heavy artillery and mortar barrages, followed by a determined assault during the hours of darkness by an enemy force estimated at battalion strength, Benfold resolutely moved from position to position in the face of intense hostile fire, treating the wounded and lending words of encouragement. Leaving the protection of his sheltered position to treat the wounded when the platoon area in which he was working was attacked from both the front and the rear, he moved forward to an exposed ridge line where he observed two Marines in a large crater. As he approached the two men to determine their condition, an enemy soldier threw two grenades into the crater while two other enemies charged the position. Picking up a grenade in each hand, Benfold leaped out of the crater and hurled himself against the onrushing hostile soldiers, pushing the grenades against their chests and killing both the attackers. Mortally wounded while carrying out this heroic act, Benfold, by his great personal valor and resolute spirit of self-sacrifice in the face of almost certain death, was directly responsible for saving the lives of his two comrades. His exceptional courage reflects the highest credit upon himself and enhances the finest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for others."
[edit] Other Medals
Edward Clyde Benfold also earned a Purple heart, a Gold Star, the Combat Service Ribbon, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Korean War Service Medal.
[edit] Legacy
The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Benfold (DDG-65) was named after Hospitalman Third Class Edward C. Benfold.
