A small building just off the main street of a small town--Perryville, Ark.--will now bear the name of a soldier whose deeds were anything but small: Staff Sergeant Harold George Bennett, native son and the first American prisoner of war killed during the Vietnam War and ordeal.
Sergeant Bennett tried to escape not just one or two but three times, refusing to give up. And he was a hero not just in Vietnam but to his family. "He gave me away at my wedding," his little sister Laura recalled at the dedication ceremony. "He was very protective. He was wonderful." In so many ways.
It would take an act of Congress and years to name a post office in this state for this soldier. And it's hard to think of a soldier, citizen, and brother more worthy of the honor. He packed a lot into his 24-year-old life, and while the whereabouts of his body is unknown, this post office will serve as his memorial back home. (During the fight in which he was captured, the Army says that twice Harold George Bennett called off any attempt to rescue him lest another American trooper be killed in the attempt.)
In 2004, the sergeant was named to the U.S. Army Ranger Hall of Fame, and his multiple distinctions help explain why: a Silver Star, the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Prisoner of War Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, a Purple Heart and now a post office bearing his name.
Harold George Bennett would have turned 76 this past weekend if he hadn't been killed by his captors in a wanton act of murder. At ease, sergeant, at last. It is we who should be saluting you this fair Arkansas day brightened by your memory and our endless gratitude.
Editorial on 10/20/2016