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NAME John Dave Bennett |
NICKNAME JD |
SERVICE NUMBER 349773 |
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| UNIT Company C 2nd Marine Raider Battalion “Carlson’s Raiders” |
HOME OF RECORD General Delivery, Springfield, IL |
NEXT OF KIN Uncle, Mr. John D. Bennett |
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| DATE OF BIRTH January 12, 1914 |
ENTERED SERVICE January 7, 1942 |
DATE OF LOSS November 11, 1942 |
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| REGION Solomon Islands |
CAMPAIGN / AREA Guadalcanal / “The Long Patrol” |
CASUALTY TYPE Killed In Action |
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| CIRCUMSTANCES OF LOSS Corporal John D. Bennett was a squad leader in Company C, 2nd Marine Raider Battalion, during the “Long Patrol” on Guadalcanal. On 11 November 1942, Lieutenant Colonel Evans Carlson sent out aggressive patrols between the villages of Binu and Asamana, Guadalcanal. At about 1100 hours, the point squad of Company C ran into a fortified Japanese unit guarding the approaches to Asamana itself. Bennett’s squad was on the point, and Bennett himself was in the lead. He spotted the trap and, as he ordered his men to spread out, was immediately shot in the chest and killed. When his squad managed to extricate themselves after several hours of fighting, his body had to be left behind. The Raiders occupied the Japanese position the following day, and buried their dead in the field. The exact location of Bennett’s grave was not recorded, and his remains have never been recovered. |
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| INDIVIDUAL DECORATIONS Purple Heart |
LAST KNOWN RANK Corporal |
STATUS OF REMAINS Buried in the field, vicinity of Asamana |
MEMORIALS Manila American Cemetery |
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Biography:
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I was in J. D. Bennett’s squad. He was blasted across the chest by a Jap machine gun. We entered that open field of kunai grass with some misgivings and just as we finished crossing the open half mile field we approached more heavy jungle. We could hear the enemy clanking on something and jabbering. J.D. ordered us into a scrimmage line and then all hell broke loose. Larry Spillan and Joe Harrison were killed.
Man, I never heard so goddamn much firing. I couldn’t get close enough to the ground. One fucking machine gun didn’t sound too fucking friendly in front of me. Lt. Maitland ordered “Okay men, let’s get up and charge them….” Sgt. “Bull Dog” Evans said “Okay, Lieutenant, you get up first and we will follow you,” but that ended any foolish charge talk.
– Pete Arias, 2nd Raider Battalion, quoted in The Raider Patch, May 1981.
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