Robert David Bennett
Fallen Hero’s Hometown and State: Cincinnati, OH
Branch of Service: United States Air Force
Rank: Captain
Captain Robert David Bennett was a career U.S. Air Force Pilot who loved flying to the core of his soul. He served with the 1st Air Commando Group, Detachment 2A, 2nd Air Division, 13th Air Force, participating in Operation Farm Gate (code named “Jungle Jim”), a covert and classified mission in Vietnam in the early 1960s. Bennett was awarded the purple heart, the flying cross, and a street on the flight-line at Hurlburt field is named after him.
Fellow serviceman, Richard Cooke, recalled, “He was a good man, a very decent man who treated everyone with respect, and he was admired and respected by everyone who knew him. He was a pilot’s pilot. Bob really enjoyed flying and it showed. To watch him fly an airplane was a pleasure.”
Captain Bennett was a hero as a father and Air Commando devoted to keeping America free. His letters home always mentioned preserving America’s way of life and fighting the insurgency of communism. He made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. May his devotion never be taken for granted or forgotten.
Age: 31
Date of Death: November 05, 1962