Technical Sergent (T/Sgt) Charles E. Bennett was born on June 28, 1920. He died on August 1, 1943.
Charles was survived by a very grateful nation, as well as his father Elmer I. Bennett, his mother Dinah B. Bennett, his sister Alice (Bennett) Ketelsen, his brother Terrence Bennett and his niece Dinah M. Ketelsen.
His death came as the result of his love for and his dedication to the United States of America.
Charles enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps on December 18, 1941. He was fully aware that his skills as an auto mechanic would serve him well as he joined the armed forces.
On the day Charles died he was a crew member, in the capacity of gunner, (one government form letter lists him as engineer) with the air ship Hell’s Wench. This plane was the lead ship of 328th Bomber Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group Heavy, at Ploesti, Romania. Approaching the target this aircraft was hit by German antiaircraft fire and that set the plane ablaze. Once hit, the plane could have bellied into an open field but, without wavering Colonel Addison E. Baker, ship’s pilot, led the bombers following him straight to the oil refineries…the targets of this fateful mission. Baker’s crew, including Charles Bennett, dropped their remaining bombs on the targets below. When Col. Baker attempted to leave formation and gain altitude for the crew to escape by parachute the effort was unsuccessful. The B-24 Liberator crashed to the ground in flames, killing the entire crew.
T/Sgt Bennett lost his life in the Ploesti raid “Operation Tidal Wave” one of the most daring raids of WWII, August 1, 1943. Coming in at tree top level the “Travlin Circus” destroyed the Romanian refineries. For his valor T/Sgt Bennett was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster.
On July 24, 1947, T/Sgt Bennett was awarded the Purple Heart for Military Merit and for wounds received in Action resulting in his death.
Eventually T/Sgt. Charles E. Bennett’s remains were identified and appropriately buried.
A report of Burial was completed on March 14, 1950 attesting to the original site of burial and re-burial of identified remains.
T/Sgt Charles E. Bennett’s final resting place is at Ardennes American Cemetery, Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium, Plot: D Row: 7 Grave: 54. The decision to bury Charles overseas was his mother’s decision. She was not able to fully accept the remains as that of her son’s and did not want to accidentally claim another family’s son. He shall remain in Belgium.

Credits: The bulk of this information was obtained from various government documents as well as from a computer database called Find-a-Grave.