Name:
Gregory Rea Benton, Jr.
Rank/Branch:
E2/US Marine Corps
Unit:
Company D, 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, 3rd Marine Division
Date Of Birth:
19 November 1950
Home City of Record:
Vallejo CA
Date of Loss:
23 May 1969
Country if Loss:
South Vietnam
Loss
Coordinates:
160700N 1072000E
Status (in 1973):
Missing In Action
Category:
3
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground:
Ground
Other Personnel in Incident:
(none missing)
Source:
Compiled by Homecoming II Project 01 March 1991 from one or more of
the following: raw data from U.S.
Government agency sources, correspondence with
POW/MIA families, published sources,
interviews. Updated by the P.O.W.
NETWORK.
REMARKS:
SYNOPSIS:
Greg Benton is an American Indian
(the USG shows Benton as
Caucasian) and above all he wanted
to do his part for his country. He has a
pin in his leg as a result of a
car accident while delivering newspapers as
a boy. Because of the pin, Greg
had to fight to get into the Marine Corps
and had a difficult time in boot
camp because of it. But he badly wanted to
become a Marine.
When PFC Benton went to Vietnam,
he was assigned to Company D, 1st
Battalion, 9th Marines in Vietnam.
Like other soldiers in Vietnam, Benton was
overwhelmed by the death of his
comrades. In a letter home he wrote: "Death
is slowly catching up with me, and I cannot avoid it much longer. I dislike
having my
life end in this hole, but there
is little I can do to prevent it. Though my body
may be weak and soft my spirit
is strong and bold."
On May 23, 1969, Benton was part
of a security force evacuating casualties
at Quang Tri when his helicopter
landing zone was overrun. A firefight ensued,
and when it was over, search efforts
were conducted of the area. All personnel
were accounted for except for Benton.
No trace was found. It was not known
whether he had been injured, captured,
or killed. Benton was classified Missing In
Action.
When U.S. involvement the war ended
in 1975, thousands of refugees fled
Vietnam to escape the communist
regime, bringing with them stories of Americans
still in their country. Since then,
over 10,000 such reports have accumulated in
U.S. agency files. Many experts,
after reviewing the information, believe
hundreds may still be alive today,
still prisoners.
It is not known if Benton survived
the attack on the landing zone on May 23,
1969 or if he is one of those said
to be still alive. If he is still alive,
he surely remembers and has lived
by the Marine Corps slogan, "Semper Fideles".
He knows the importance his fellow
Marines placed on recovering even the dead
from the battlefield. If he is
alive, he must wonder why his country has broken
faith with him and why he has been
abandoned. It's time we brought our men home.
I asked to adopt a Native American
POW/MIA so everyone who comes to this site will realize the true
first Americans remained dedicated to the United States of America, even
though their land was taken from them. They have fought valiantly
for this country ever since the first white man stepped onto the soil of
the USA.
PFC Benton is a shining example
of true patriotism. He fought to get into the US Marines and fought
for his country. A true hero.
The graphics used for this page were painted by
a wonderful Native American, Jerome Bushyhead of the Cheyenne Tribe.
Jerome passed away April 15, 2000 after a long battle with liver cancer.
Please visit http://www.artnatam.comto
see more of Jerome's work and many other Native American artists.
If you would like to send a card to his family
the address is:
Mari Bushyhead
109 W. Jenkins
El Reno, OK 73036
Mari's email address is: mari@artnatam.com
