Steven L. Bennett

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Steven L. Bennett
April 22, 1946(1946-04-22) – June 29, 1972 (aged 26)
 
Place of birth Palestine, Texas
Place of death Quang Tri, Vietnam
Allegiance Flag of the United States United States of America
Service/branch Flag of the United States Air Force 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)

Steven Logan Bennett (April 22, 1946–June 29, 1972) of Palestine, Texas was a United States Air Force pilot who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism during the Vietnam War on April 8, 1974.

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[edit] Military service

Prior to entering the Air Force, Steven Bennett attended USL in Lafayette, Louisiana. He was in ROTC and received his private pilot's license in 1965. He entered the Air Force in 1968, and earned his pilot wings at Webb AFB, Texas in 1969. In 1970, he completed the B-52 bomber training course at Castle AFB, CA. He flew B-52's out of Thailand for almost a year. He then transitioned to become a Forward Air Controller (FAC), and graduated from the FAC and fighter training courses at Cannon AFB, New Mexico, before reporting to Vietnam in April of 1972. He had only been in combat for three months before his Medal of Honor mission and had also won the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters.

Captain Bennett was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. President Gerald Ford presented the decoration to Captain Bennett’s wife, Linda, and daughter, Angela, at the Blair House on August 8, 1974. Bennett is buried in Lafayette Memorial Cemetery at Lafayette, Louisiana. He was survived by his wife and one child. He had two brothers, David and Miles and three sisters, Kathe, Lynne and Ardra. His mother preceded him in death and his father passed away many years later in 2006.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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, 29 June 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 four such passes, the enemy force began to retreat. Capt. Bennett continued to 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.

(signed) GERALD R. FORD

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