THE WALL OF FACES

Sp4 Clifton Bennett is buried at Sunset Memorial Gardens in Graniteville, South Carolina.

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. As long as you are remembered you will always be with us....

Specialist Four Clifton E. Bennett, Served with Company A, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, United States Army Vietnam.

On August 2, 1966, Operation Paul Revere II was a continuing mission, beginning in May 1966, to interdict North Vietnamese Army (NVA) infiltration and supply routes in the Pleiku and Kontum Provinces. From August 2nd to 7th, efforts centered on finding the enemy. The enemy was reportedly in the area, but most of the sightings and contacts were of individuals and small groups. Shortly after noon on August 8th, A Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, made contact with a large enemy force near Landing Zone Juliet. The 3rd Platoon was on point and made the initial contact with the NVA. They aggressively pursued and were immediately hit by several enemy heavy and light machine guns, cutting them off from the rest of the company. Most of the 3rd Platoon was able to exfiltrate back to the A Company perimeter, where the company found itself under very heavy attack. The Americans at Juliet withstood mass assaults for several hours. An attempt to encircle the company was beaten back by heavy artillery and Tactical (TAC) Air Support. Cannon fire from Charlie Battery, Division Artillery delivered 1408 high-explosive rounds in two hours, which reportedly eliminated 98 NVA. When the roar of helicopters from two companies from the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry, was heard arriving to reinforce LZ Juliet, the frightened enemy broke contact, leaving 106 of their dead. He was pursued until contact was lost after dark. The United States paid a high price in the engagement: 25 dead and 36 more wounded. The lost troopers included SP4 Clifton E. Bennett, SP4 Judge Burroughs Jr., PFC Orrie J. Buskey, PFC Brian J. Clune, PSGT Melvin F. Floyd, PFC Charles R. Greene, PFC David C. Hampton, SSGT Martis L. Haynes, PFC Douglas W. Jones, PFC George E. Matuscsak, PFC Mark E. Parker, SP4 Derek B. Pope, PFC Richard W. Power, SP4 Charles R. Powers, SP4 Richard W. Roy, SP4 Donald A. Sherrod, PFC John H. Shetters, PFC Frederick Stafford, PFC Bradley H. Tate, PFC David L. Thorpe, PFC Jack A. Welch, PFC Donald L. Corbin, SP4 John J. Kolz, PFC Alfredo Ostolaza-Maldonado, and SMAJ Richard A. Schaaf. [Taken from virtualwall.org, first-team.us, 1st Air Cavalry Division: Memoirs of the First Team, Vietnam, August 1965-December 1969]

DEAR SPEC 4 BENNETT,
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE AS A GRUNT WITH THE 1ST CAVALRY. THIS WAS THE UNIT OF A FRIEND'S BROTHER. SAY HI TO MIKE. IT IS 2017, WHICH MAKES IT FAR TOO LONG FOR YOU TO HAVE BEEN GONE. WE APPRECIATE ALL YOU HAVE DONE, AND YOUR SACRIFICE. WATCH OVER THE U.S.A., IT STILL NEEDS YOUR COURAGE.. GOD BLESS YOU. MAY THE SAINTS AND ANGELS BE AT YOUR SIDE. REST IN PEACE. AND HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY.