John H. Bennet
was born in Boston, Mass., in (never you mind!)
In January of 1944 he enlisted in the Marines and became part of the 5th Division at Camp Pendleton in California. From there he sailed to the island of Maui, Hawaii, for training at Camp Tarawa. He was joined by thousands of men who ranged in age from 16 (or less in some cases) to fifty. All of who were hastily trained for the Pacific Theatre of war and shipped out after one month, ill-prepared for the action that was soon to follow.

He was deployed to the island of Two Jima Japan as part of a fleet of troop carriers ferrying four divisions of troops for the assault. The fighting on that island was so fierce that more men were killed or wounded there than on Normandy Beach. He remembers using safety pins to close the wounds on a buddy when no corpsman could be readily found. He was wounded twice in the fierce fighting and taken back to the hospital in Hawaii for recuperation.

Upon recuperation for two long months, he returned to the U.S. as a Drill Instructor for the Marine Corps at Paris Island Camp till the war finally ended.

When the Phillippines President Qusnaswan died while in the United States, he was detailed as a color guard for the body as it was returned in state to Manilla. He was later shipped to Shanghai, China, for a time before being sent to Nagasaki, Japan; to act as an observer after the atomic bomb was dropped there. Upon completion of that assignment, he returned as Drill Instructor at Paris Island.

In 1950, when the Korean War began, he was assigned to the 1st Division and sent to Korea. The North Koreans were pushing the South Koreans back to the peninsula. He was with the 1st Division when it landed at Inchon and liberated Seoul, the capital of South Korea. As the 1st Division worked its way north to the Chosen Reservoir, only light resistance was met. But when the Chinese became involved in the war on the 24th of November, they had 26 divisions to the American’s one division, which was soon surrounded by enemy troops.

The 1st Division did not retreat, they continued to fight, but in another direction, taking their dead and wounded with them as they moved.

The temperature was –50 degrees below and John was assigned to the rear guard in charge of four machine gun nests. When the Chinese had eliminated three of the nests, John was able to make it to the fourth nest and killed some 250 Chinese as they poured towards him before being taken prisoner. He was awarded the Silver Star for his bravery but the memory of that moment haunts him still.

The North Koreans made the captured soldiers march in the extreme cold for 60 miles to Camp 5. If any fell, they were killed. This march became known as the Death March. John was held captive for 18 months, before being liberated by United Nations forces. He was taken to the Hospital ship Repose, then brought to a hospital in Japan. From there he was sent to the Seattle Washington Naval Receiving Station and was assigned Brig Warden.

In 1964 John Bennett retired as Master Gunnery Sergeant.
Keep the Flag Waving!!