Donald Vivian Bennett (May 9, 1915 – November 28, 2005) retired as a four-star general from the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

in 1974. He attended Michigan State University for two years, but then left to attend, and graduate from, the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

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 The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

as well as two

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

s 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 D-Day. His party was subjected to a tremendous volume of machine gun fire which inflicted 50 percent casualties before they reached the comparative safety of the shingle at the base of the cliff adjoining the beach. Observing that following units were pinned down on the beach, he immediately left his cover and moved about the beach under heavy fire in order to assemble and reorganize the infantry assault companies, four tanks, and an antiaircraft unit. 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

Command and General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

in 1951 and the Army War College in 1955. General Bennett also served as

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of the

from 1966 to 1969. He was Commander of VII US Corps from June 1968 until September 1969,

Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency The Director of the United States Defense Intelligence Agency is a military officer who, upon nomination by the President of the United States and confirmation by the Senate, serves as the United States' highest-ranking military intelligence offic ...

from September 1969 until August 1972 and Commander of U.S. Forces Korea from September 1972 until July 1973. He retired in 1974 as commanding general of the U.S. Army Pacific Command. 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

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Hall of Fame at the fraternity's centennial convention in 2006.

References

West Point Obituary w/photo

WW2DB: Donald Bennett
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Donald V. 1915 births 2005 deaths People from Ottawa County, Ohio Michigan State University alumni United States Military Academy alumni Military personnel from Ohio United States Army personnel of World War II Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army War College alumni Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Army generals Superintendents of the United States Military Academy Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Directors of the Defense Intelligence Agency Commanders, United States Forces Korea Burials at West Point Cemetery 20th-century American academics

See also

References