Devotion to Duty: Private First Class Emory L. Bennett & the Forgotten War

U.S. Army Pfc. Emory Lawrence Bennett, c. 1950-51 (courtesy of U.S. Army).

Emory Lawrence Bennett (December 20, 1929 – June 24, 1951) was a United States Army soldier in the Korean War who posthumously received the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, six months later, on February 1, 1952 (Error: The medal was actually presented to his father on January 16, 1952). Bennett’s body arrived home on November 23, 1951. He is interred at Pinecrest Cemetery in Cocoa, Florida.

 

Information above provided by Wikipedia.

 

After the defeat of Nazi Germany during World War II, the world barely had a break before a new enemy emerged, with Nazis being replaced by Communists. The end of World War II also resulted in the rise of two new superpowers: the United States and the Soviet Union. Both nations were interested in expanding their influence and protecting their interests around the world. The Cold War began in March 1947 when President Harry S. Truman presented the Truman Doctrine before a joint session of Congress. President Truman asked Congress for $400 million in military and economic assistance for Turkey and Greece, so that those two countries would not fall to Communism. President Truman developed the policy of “containment”, in which the United States pledged military, economic and political assistance to any nation threatened by Soviet supported Communist movements.

The Cold War, however, was not a war in the traditional sense; instead, it was fought with propaganda, a nuclear arms race, space race, covert operations and proxy wars. And while we are on the subject of proxy wars, after the Second World War, the Soviet Union and the United States both occupied half of Korea and accepted the surrender of the Japanese in that region, effectively splitting the country into two along the 38th parallel. Under the influence of the Soviet Union, a Communist government was put in place in North Korea. South Korea, led by anti-Communist dictator Syngman Rhee, maintained close ties to the United States. All good? Not at all.

On June 25th, 1950, the Korean War began when North Korean forces invaded South Korea by crossing over the 38th parallel with the support of the Soviet Union and soon after Communist China. By July 1950, American troops were committed to the war in Korea and this is where the hero of this story shows up. In July 1950, a twenty-year old Floridian named Emory Lawrence Bennett enlisted in the U.S. Army. Almost one year later, Emory L. Bennett would sacrifice his life in a war overshadowed by the Second World War.

 

Emory L. Bennett's story, hidden history that has remained long forgotten, is the story of just one of the many American heroes that perished during the Korean War & the first major conflict of the Cold War against the evils of Communism that threatened democracy around the globe.

 

For the rest of Bennett's story, please check out the audio link provided for EPISODE THIRTY-FIVE & the FINAL EPISODE of our podcast, Hidden History: An Odyssey Through Time

 

LISTEN NOW: Devotion to Duty: Private First Class Emory L. Bennett & the Forgotten War

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Images and Documents

Emory L. Bennett, listed last, in the 1930 U.S. Census (courtesy of familysearch.org). 

Emory L. Bennett, listed last, in the 1935 Florida State Census (courtesy of familysearch.org).

Emory L. Bennett, listed last, in the 1940 U.S. Census (courtesy of familysearch.org).

Emory L. Bennett, listed last, in the 1945 Florida State Census (courtesy of familysearch.org).

This 1946 map created by the Central Intelligence Agency depicts the zones of occupation in Korea, with the Soviets in the north & the Americans in the south (courtesy of CIA).

Emory L. Bennett, listed 4th from top, in the 1950 U.S. Census (courtesy of familysearch.org).

American mortar crew fires on the Communist North Korean invaders, July 11, 1950 (courtesy of United States Army Center of Military History).

American soldiers marching to the front in the Korean War as Korean refugees head in the opposite direction, 1950 (courtesy of Library of Congress).

Wounded soldiers are evacuated (foreground) as M-4 tanks of the 5th Regimental Combat Team move to the front in the Kumchun area in Korea, October 6, 1950 (courtesy of United States Army Center of Military History).

First Lieutenant Baldomero Lopez, USMC, leads the 3rd Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines over the seawall on the northern side of Red Beach. Wooden scaling ladders are in use to facilitate disembarkation from the LCVP that brought these men to the shore. Lopez was killed in action within a few minutes, while assaulting a North Korean bunker, Inchon, Korea, September 15, 1950 (courtesy of Naval History and Heritage Command).

U.S. Army Private First Class Emory Lawrence Bennett, c. 1950-51 (courtesy of Congressional Medal of Honor Society).

Little Korean girl places a wreath of flowers on the grave of an American soldier, while Private First Class Chester Painter & Corporal Harry May present arms, United Nations cemetery, Pusan, Korea, April 9, 1951 (courtesy of U.S. National Archives).

Newspaper article announcing that Emory L. Bennett would be receiving the Medal of Honor, The Liverpool Review, Ohio, December 29, 1951 (courtesy of fultonhistory.com).

Newspaper article announcing that Emory L. Bennett would be receiving the Medal of Honor, The Atlanta Constitution, Georgia, December 31, 1951 (courtesy of fultonhistory.com).

Newspaper article about the Medal of Honor presentation at the Pentagon on January 16, 1952, The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester, New York, January 17, 1952 (courtesy of fultonhistory.com).

Sherman Tank of Company B, 72nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, fires its 76mm gun at enemy bunkers on Napalm Ridge, in support of the 8th ROK (Republic of Korea) Division, Korea, May 11, 1952 (courtesy of Naval History and Heritage Command).

One-thousand pound bomb explodes as U.S. Navy and Marine Corps planes strike enemy positions in the Bunker Hill area of the Korean front lines, September 9, 1952 (courtesy of Naval History and Heritage Command).

A truck and 155mm Howitzer knocked out by Communist during break-through of the capital, ROK division sector, Korea, July 14, 1953.

Photocopy of Emory Bennett’s Medal of Honor and Purple Heart placed on his Medal of Honor Certificate (courtesy of Orders and Medals Society of America).

The final resting place of Private First Class Emory L. Bennett, Pinecrest Cemetery, Cocoa, Florida.

Emory Lawrence Bennett Memorial, New Smyrna Beach, Florida

(courtesy of nationalwarmemorialregistry.org)

U.S. Army Pfc. Emory Lawrence Bennett Memorial, Cocoa, Florida (courtesy of hmdb.org).

FEATURED VIDEOS

After serving as a navigator in the U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II, William Donald Sinclair was contacted in 1947 about competing for a commission in the newly formed U.S. Air Force. He graduated in July 1949 from pilot training & 18 months later, he was off to serve in the Korean War, assigned to the 8th Fighter Bomber Squadron. The Korean War introduced new aircraft & technology, which also meant inexperienced pilots making errors, some of them fatal. Sinclair flew over 100 missions, dropping napalm on enemy troops & attacking supply trains. When his replacement arrived early, Sinclair left two days before his tour was complete; two days later, his old base was overrun & his replacement was killed. Years later, once his service was over, Sinclair served in the Colorado House of Representatives. His wife of 56 years, Barbara, passed away in 2010 & as of 2024, it seems William D. Sinclair is still alive & should be about 100 years old. Thank you for your service Mr. Sinclair!

Born in California in 1933, James Miho was only a boy during World War Il, when he & his family were interned as part of the Japanese-American evacuation. When Miho was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Korean War, he was aware of how important his training would be for his survival after the death of his older brother. Miho trained a Turkish Company Infantry group for combat & helped establish communication systems for mortars. He also served as the communication sergeant to interrogate prisoners of war (POW). Miho found himself with a bodyguard after rumors circulated that he was a spy working for the Japanese & with the enemy. Wounded with shrapnel in his chest during the Korean War, Miho treated himself in order to avoid receiving the Purple Heart & offending his parents. While on leave in Japan, Miho's attitude toward the war changed, and he also found inspiration in the formal city of Kyoto for his career as a graphic designer. After the Korean War, James Miho went on to become a groundbreaking graphic designer & educational leader who established his own firm, James Miho Inc., & created the logo for the Japanese American National Museum. He passed away on April 21, 2022 at the age of 89. We honor his service.

Reading Material

The Korean War provided the first confrontation between two nuclear powers: the United States and the Soviet Union. And as the war progressed, the conflict demonstrated how difficult it would be for either side to use atomic bombs decisively in battle. 

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The Korean War, which ended with an armistice on July 27, 1953, is sometimes referred to as the "Forgotten War" or a "police action" because it was overshadowed by World War II several years earlier and Congress never declared war on North Korea. Despite being sometimes forgotten, the war had five unforgettable firsts. 

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Resources

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