Medal of Honor: Emory L. Bennett – Korean War, June 24, 1951

Medal of Honor: Emory L. Bennett – Korean War, June 24, 1951

Emory Lawrence Bennett
Private First Class, U.S. Army
Conflict: Korean War
Unit: Company B, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division
Date of Action: June 24, 1951
Location: Near Sobangsan, Korea

Summary of Action:
On a ridge near Sobangsan, Korea, as dawn neared on June 24, 1951, Company B of the 15th Infantry Regiment braced for the unimaginable. At 2:00 AM, two battalions of enemy troops surged forward in a frenzied banzai assault, determined to annihilate the American defenders.

At the heart of this chaos stood 21-year-old Private First Class Emory Bennett of Cocoa, Florida—a young man raised on the banks of the Indian River, a crack shot, and now a one-man bulwark against disaster. As enemy troops poured up the hillside, Bennett left the relative safety of his foxhole and stood upright, fully exposed. From that vulnerable position, he unleashed a storm of automatic fire into the onrushing enemy, inflicting devastating casualties and disrupting their momentum.

Wounded in the firefight, Bennett refused to fall back. His courageous stand gave his comrades the critical time needed to regroup. When the enemy renewed its assault and the order came to withdraw, Bennett once again made the unthinkable choice: he stayed behind. Alone, bleeding, and outnumbered, he continued to fire into the ranks of the enemy, buying time for the rest of Company B to escape encirclement.

He was mortally wounded in the final moments of his stand—but not before altering the fate of his unit.

Medal of Honor Citation:
Private First Class Bennett, a member of Company B, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty in action against an armed enemy of the United Nations.

At approximately 0200 hours, two enemy battalions swarmed up the ridgeline in a ferocious banzai charge in an attempt to dislodge PFC Bennett’s company from its defensive positions. Meeting the challenge, the gallant defenders delivered destructive retaliation, but the enemy pressed the assault with fanatical determination and the integrity of the perimeter was imperiled.

Fully aware of the odds against him, PFC Bennett unhesitatingly left his foxhole, moved through withering fire, stood within full view of the enemy, and, employing his automatic rifle, poured crippling fire into the ranks of the onrushing assailants, inflicting numerous casualties. Although wounded, PFC Bennett gallantly maintained his one-man defense and the attack was momentarily halted.

During this lull in battle, the company regrouped for counterattack, but the numerically superior foe soon infiltrated into the position. Upon orders to move back, PFC Bennett voluntarily remained to provide covering fire for the withdrawing elements, and, defying the enemy, continued to sweep the charging foe with devastating fire until mortally wounded.

His willing self-sacrifice and intrepid actions saved the position from being overrun and enabled the company to effect an orderly withdrawal. PFC Bennett’s unflinching courage and consummate devotion to duty reflect lasting glory on himself and the military service.