Clifton Bennett and Frank Laero

Clifford O. Bennett of Washington Township has many reasons to be proud. Most of all, he is part of four generations in his family to serve in the United States Army. His grandfather served in the Civil War, his father in World War I and Cliff in World War II. Later, his son enlisted in the U.S. Army and served as a Medical Technician. When we sat down for our interview, he had pages of hand written notes he made during his time in the European Theater. He also carries a piece of German shrapnel in his pocket that landed in his foxhole, reminding him of what he had walked through in the thick of many battles.

He was 19 and just got of high school in Natrona Heights when he was drafted. He was ready to follow his dads and grandfather’s footsteps and go to war. He was assigned to the 28th Infantry Division, a federalized Pennsylvania National Guard division. Its red Keystone insignia identified the 28th Division. Cliff was inducted at Fort Meade, did his boot camp training at Fort McClellan in Alabama. From there he was sent to Mechanic School at Fort Benning in Georgia and 12 weeks later he was assigned to the 2nd Echelon Infantry. He was shipped oversees in October of 1943 to Pembroke Docks, South Wales where training continued. Cliff was assigned to the Second Battalion, Ammunition and Pioneer (A&P) Platoon.

It may be of interest to note here that the 28th Infantry Division has a history of participating in every war in which the United States fought, dating back to the Revolutionary War of 1812, Mexican War, Civil War, Spanish-American War, Philippines Insurrection, and in the Spring of 1918 the Keystone Division arrived in France to fight alongside the French Army. A famous and well-known World War I event was helping rescue the “Lost Battalion” of the 77th Division in the Meuse-Argonne offense. Clifton Bennett, 26 years later, was to join that tradition by landing in France as a soldier in the same Division that fought there in his dad’s time during World War I.

Action didn’t come until July of 1944, nearly a month and half after D Day. They landed at Omaha Beach and entered the European Theater campaign. Soon they were passing through France’s St. Lo, Percy, St. Sever, Sourdeval, Mortain and Ger. Advancing 18 miles a day, Cliff’s Division liberated Verneuill, Breteuil, and Damville. They fought their way to the Belgium border and then to Germany. Cliff also became part of the famous Battle of the Bulge. They fought their way to the river on the border of Luxembourg.

It was shortly after this that his company was sent back to Belgium for reorganization and to be held in reserve. The fighting has thinned out their lines and many troops became scattered. Regrouping was necessary and he was transferred to the Regimental Headquarters Company. After this took place the whole Division began a southern march back into France over to Colmar. Their job was to wipe out German resistance throughout that part of France. When that was completed they began the advance back to Germany, this time ending up at the Rhine River. They stayed there until the fighting stopped. At this time they moved into the German industrial city of Sandernach.

One of the interesting stories Cliff has concerns the time they had to clear the German’s out of the pillboxes. The pillbox walls were ten feet thick and nearly impenetrable. Cliff got the job to take a ten foot pole, put 20 pounds of dynamite at the end of it with a short fuse. He then had to crawl up to the pillbox to put the pole with the dynamite in position for firing. The purpose wasn’t to blow the walls out, but to create a shock blow disabling the Germans long enough to overtake them. For this, Cliff received a Bronze Star.

Cliff not only received the Bronze Star, but a Good Conduct Medal and five campaign stars for Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes, Rhineland and Central Europe. After the fighting, Cliff was discharged in October 1945. He had been promoted to a Sergeant rank. He returned home to his wife, who he had married just before being drafted. Cliff and his wife have two children and three grandchildren. He’ll be 82 this November. Recently, he took a bus trip to Washington, D.C. with other veterans to view the new World War II Memorial.

It is the Clifton Bennett’s of World War II that we are thankful for. These men and women who served and fought for our country returned to continue building a country that stands tall today.

Watch Cliff’s account of his battlefield experiences.