| NAME: Elmer Eugene Bennett |
NICKNAME: — |
SERVICE NUMBER: 478909 |
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| HOME OF RECORD: Bridgeport, OH |
NEXT OF KIN: Mother, Mrs. Maud Bennett |
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| DATE OF BIRTH: 9/16/1918 |
SERVICE DATES: 10/12/1942 – 6/29/1944 |
DATE OF DEATH: 6/29/1944 |
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| CAMPAIGN | UNIT | MOS | RATE | RESULT | |||
| Roi-Namur | C/1/24 | 746 | PFC | ||||
| Saipan | C/1/24 | 746 | PFC | KIA | |||
| INDIVIDUAL DECORATIONS: Purple Heart |
LAST KNOWN RANK: Private First Class |
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Elmer Bennett was born in West Virginia in 1918. He grew up in Wheeling, where his father Ray worked for one of the many train lines that ran through the town. At some point in the late 1930s, the family moved across the bridge from Wheeling to Bridgeport, Ohio.
Bennett joined the Marines on October 12, 1942. He went through boot camp at Parris Island, then joined Company C, First Separate Battalion (Reinforced) at New River, North Carolina in December. Bennett was proficient with the heavy Browning Automatic Rifle; his skill earned him a promotion to Private First Class in the summer of 1943, and he carried the weapon into combat on Namur as a member of Charlie Company, 24th Marines.
PFC Bennett survived his first encounter with the Japanese, but sadly was not so fortunate in the battle of Saipan. He was killed in action on June 29, 1944 – tragically, the day’s only casualty.
After the war, Elmer Bennett’s remains were returned to his hometown. He is buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Wheeling, West Virginia.