Donald R. Bennett
Bio
Donald Ray Bennett began his military career in the U.S. Marine Reserve’s 11th Tank Batallion based in San Diego. Having lied about his age, he enlisted in the reserves at the tender age of 15. After graduation, his reserve unit was called up for deployment to Korea. He initially served as part of Bravo Company’s 1st Tank Battalion at Incheon Landing. He offers details of receiving his tank in preparation for deployment overseas and the challenges of working with a tank that he had never seen before. After landing at Incheon, the unit proceeded to Walmido Island in support of infantry troops there. He recounts serving in the same area as Lieutenant General Chesty Puller, a recipient of five Navy Crosses, and Colonel Homer Litzenberg. His unit would cross the Han River and fight their way into Seoul before working their way to the 38th Parallel and eventually into the Chosin Reservoir during the horrific fighting that occurred there. He has returned to Korea as part of a revisit program sponsored by the Korean government. He is a proud veteran and survivor of the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. He also served two tours in Vietnam.
Video Clips
Enlisted at Fifteen, Sergeant before High School Graduation
Donald R. Bennett, who was part of the US Marine Reserve Regiment in San Diego during the majority of his high school years, recalls the early days of his service from receiving his tank in San Diego to seeing the tank loaded for transport to Japan. He notes that the tank he received was like nothing they had ever trained on. He shares that as a young eighteen-year-old high school graduate, he was put in charge of four other men, most older than he was, who had little to no training in operating tanks. He continues sharing the process of preparing his tank once they arrived in Kobe, Japan.
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Moving to the 38th Parallel and Back to Incheon
Donald R. Bennett recalls his unit moved from Seoul to the Han River shortly after his arrival and fought its way to the 38th Parallel. He details their movements toward the 38th Parallel and their return to Incheon and eventually Wonsan Harbor. He notes Bob Hope actually beat his unit into Wonsan because of the delay they faced in landing due to someone, possibly the Russians, mining much of the harbor. He discusses the challenges of being a young tank commander in charge of four other men who had relatively little knowledge or training related to tanks.
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Approaching Chosin Reservoir
Donald Bennett recounts moving to the base of the mountain at Chosin (Jangjin). He shares how the tanks were unable to make it up the roads which were too narrow until the engineers fixed the roads in spots. He recalls being awakened early on November 28th and being told the Chinese were attacking everywhere and that they needed to move out. He explains encountering other service members who had encountered Chinese. He finishes this segment by discussing his arrival at Kor'to-ri.
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We Were in Big Trouble
Donald Bennett begins this portion of his account of the Battle of Chosin (Jangjin) Reservoir with his unit's departure to headquarters. Along the way, he remembers seeing burning trucks and witnessing American and Chinese units shooting at each other. He recalls their encounter with the Chinese who eventually knocked the track off of the first tank and then shortly thereafter surrounded the American trucks and tanks, including his. He details the night being very cold and dark. His tank was hit by something, which he later would discover was an anti-tank weapon that knocked off his 50-caliber machine gun. He shares the damage that was done to his tank and the destruction of another tank.
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Last One Up the Mountain, Last One Down
Donald Bennett recounts living conditions while they were in the Chosin (Jangjin) Reservoir. He shares a detailed account of a close encounter between the Chinese and his tank. He recalls the challenge of driving the tanks back down the mountain after the snow had been packed down into the ice. He remembers that his tank was the last tank down. He shares how those that remained in his unit were taken by boat back to Busan and were reformed at an airstrip where they conducted foot patrols before fighting their way up the center of Korea across the 38th Parallel in support of the 1st Marine Regiment.
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