"He was a radio operator, advancing in the rear of his company as it
engaged a well-defended Japanese strong point holding up the progress of
the entire battalion. When a rifle platoon supporting a light tank
hesitated in its advance, he voluntarily and with utter disregard for
personal safety left his comparatively secure position and ran across
bullet-whipped terrain to the tank, waving and shouting to the men of
the platoon to follow. Carrying his bulky radio and armed only with a
pistol, he fearlessly penetrated intense machine gun and rifle fire to
the enemy position, where he killed 1 of the enemy in a foxhole and
moved on to annihilate the crew of a light machine gun. Heedless of the
terrific fire now concentrated on him, he continued to spearhead the
assault, killing 2 more of the enemy and exhorting the other men to
advance, until he fell mortally wounded. After being evacuated to an aid
station, his first thought was still of the American advance.
Overcoming great pain he called for the battalion operations officer to
report the location of enemy weapons and valuable tactical information
he had secured in his heroic charge. The unwavering courage, the
unswerving devotion to the task at hand, the aggressive leadership of
Pfc. Benjamin were a source of great and lasting inspiration to his
comrades and were to a great extent responsible for the success of the
battalion's mission."
Thank you for your service and may you be at peace,
Brian
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