Emory Lawrence Bennett

Emory Lawrence Bennett was born on December 20, 1929, at New Smyrna, Florida, moved to Brevard County on March 15, 1936, graduated from Cocoa High School in 1948, enlisted in the U.S. Army on July 25, 1950, and was killed in action on June 24, 1951. He was buried in Pinecrest Cemetery and was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously by President Harry Truman on December 3, 1951. As a private first class in Company B, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, Bennett fought near Sobangsan, Korea, when two enemy battalions charged his company’s defensive positions at about 0200 hours. He left his foxhole under heavy fire, stood in full view of the enemy, and used his automatic rifle to inflict numerous casualties. Though wounded, he continued his one-man defense and briefly halted the attack. When the enemy later infiltrated the position and his company was ordered to withdraw, Bennett voluntarily stayed behind to provide covering fire until he was mortally wounded, helping save the position from being overrun and enabling an orderly withdrawal.

Cocoa, Florida · United States