Captain Steven L. Bennett

(USAF)

 

53 years ago,

on June 29, 1972,

Captain Steven L. Bennett,

age 26, was flying

an OV-10 Bronco

forward air control

aircraft over Quang Tri

Province, South Vietnam.

He was assigned to the

20th Tactical Air Support

Squadron,

directing artillery and

air strikes in support

of ground forces.

His observer

on the mission was

a U.S. Marine Corps

artillery spotter seated

behind him.

 

That afternoon, Bennett

responded to a call for

help from a small

South Vietnamese unit

under heavy attack

by a larger North

Vietnamese force.

No fighters were

available for close

air support

and naval gunfire was

ruled out due to the

close proximity of

friendly forces.

Bennett chose to strafe

the enemy with his own

aircraft.

He executed four strafing

runs using the OV-10’s

four 7.62 mm machine

guns, each time

exposing himself

to intense ground fire.

 

After the fourth pass,

the enemy began to

break contact.

On the fifth pass,

the OV-10 was hit by a

surface-to-air missile.

The explosion crippled

the left engine,

set the wing on fire,

and destroyed the left

landing gear.

Bennett struggled

to keep the damaged

aircraft aloft.

He ordered his observer

to prepare to eject,

but the observer’s

parachute had been

destroyed by shrapnel

from the missile blast.

 

Bennett faced a decision. He could eject

and survive, but his

observer would be left

behind.

Instead, he chose to

attempt a water landing

in the Gulf of Tonkin.

No pilot had ever

survived ditching

an OV-10.

He descended over the

water and brought the

aircraft down.

It struck the surface

and cartwheeled.

Bennett was trapped in

the wreckage and killed.

The observer escaped

and was rescued.

Bennett’s body was

recovered the next day.

 

For his actions, Captain

Steven L. Bennett was

posthumously awarded

the *Medal of Honor*.

The medal was presented to his widow Linda

by Vice President

Gerald R. Ford

on August 8, 1974.

 

스티븐 L. 베넷 대위
(미 공군)

53년 전인 1972년 6월 

29일, 당시 26세였던 

스티븐 L. 베넷 대위는 

남베트남 꽝찌 성 상공에서 

OV-10 브롱코 전방 항공 

관제기를 조종하고 

있었습니다. 

그는 제20 전술 항공 지원 

비행대대에 배속되어

 지상군 지원을 위한 

포병 및 공습을 

지휘했습니다. 

그의 임무 관측자는 

그의 뒤에 앉아 있던 

미 해병대 포병 

관측병이었습니다.

그날 오후, 베넷 대위는 

대규모 북베트남군의 

맹렬한 공격을 받고 있는

 소규모 남베트남 부대의 

지원 요청에 응답했습니다. 

근접 항공 지원을 위한 

전투기는 없었고, 

아군 병력과의 근접 거리로 

인해 함포 사격은 

불가능했습니다.

 베넷 대위는 자신의 

항공기로 적에게 

기총소사를 가하기로 

결정했습니다.

 그는 OV-10의 7.62mm 

기관총 4정을 사용하여 

네 차례의 기총소사 

작전을 수행했으며, 

매번 강렬한 지상 공격에 

노출되었습니다.

네 번째 비행 후, 적기는

 교전을 중단하기 

시작했습니다.

 다섯 번째 비행에서 

OV-10은 지대공 미사일에

 맞았습니다.

 폭발로 좌측 엔진이 

마비되고 날개에 불이 

붙었으며, 좌측 랜딩기어가 

파손되었습니다. 

베넷은 손상된 항공기를 

공중에 띄우기 위해 

애썼습니다.

 그는 관측자에게 탈출 

준비를 하라고 명령했지만,

 관측자의 낙하산은 

미사일 폭발의 파편에

 파괴되었습니다.

베넷은 결정에 직면했습니다.

 탈출하여 살아남을 수는 

있지만, 관측자는 뒤에 

남겨질 것이었습니다.

 대신 그는 통킹 만의 

수상 착륙을 시도했습니다. 

OV-10을 불시착하고 

살아남은 조종사는 

없었습니다. 

그는 수면 위로 강하하여 

항공기를 추락시켰습니다. 

항공기는 수면에 충돌하여

 회전했습니다. 

베넷은 잔해에 갇히게 되어

 사망했습니다. 

관측자는 탈출하여 

구조되었습니다. 

베넷의 시신은 다음 날 

수습되었습니다.

스티븐 L. 베넷 대위는 

그의 공로로 사후 

*명예 훈장*을 

수여받았습니다. 

이 훈장은 1974년 8월 8일

 제럴드 R. 포드 부통령이 

그의 미망인 린다에게 

수여했습니다.

진정한 미국의 전설이자 

영웅, 우디 보슬러에게 

신의 가호가 있기를!