Staff Sergeant Harold Bennett was the first American POW of the Vietnam War executed while in captivity

Staff Sergeant Harold Bennett was the first American POW of the Vietnam War executed while in captivity.

Staff Sergeant Harold Bennett was the first American POW of the Vietnam War executed while in captivity, and he fought his captors until the day they murdered him.

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Bennett deployed to Vietnam in 1964 as an advisor with the 33rd Vietnamese Ranger Battalion. That December, they faced an overwhelming Viet Cong force at the Battle of Binh Gia. 

Despite the VC closing in and casualties falling all around, Bennett fearlessly moved around the battlefield rallying the Rangers to fight back and calling in American air support. Helicopters began lifting survivors out. Bennett twice refused to be evacuated when the opportunity arrived, and was eventually captured by the VC.

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Bennett refused to cooperate with the enemy. In less than 6 months as a POW, he planned and executed 3 escape attempts. On the 3rd, he attempted to overpower a guard, injuring the man in the process, while the guard nearly bit his finger off. His insubordination led to frequent beatings, reduced rations, and shackles in solitary confinement. By June of 1965, the VC had enough of him. Following the execution of a convicted communist prisoner by the South Vietnamese government, the VC announced they had executed Bennett in retaliation.

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For his outstanding courage on the battlefield and heroic resolve while in captivity, Bennett was posthumously awarded the Silver Star. His remains have never been recovered. In 2004, he was posthumously inducted into the U.S. Army Ranger Hall of Fame.