AWARDED DFC: 1
CONFLICT/SPACE FLIGHT/EVENT:  Vietnam
MODEL:  LOH-6

Citation:  1.) The President of the United States takes great pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to First Lieutenant Coleman L. Bennett for heroism and extraordinary achievement in aerial flight while serving as an Aerial Observer with the Eleventh Marines, First Marine Division in connection with combat operations against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam. On the evening of 27 January 1971, while conducting an aerial reconnaissance of the DaNang Vital Area in search of enemy rocket sites, First Lieutenant Bennett detected signs of North Vietnamese Army soldiers and requested his pilot to execute several low passes to confirm their presence. On the second pass, only fifty feet from the ground, several rounds of enemy fire penetrated the cabin seriously wounding First Lieutenant Bennett, shattering his pilot's left leg, and crippling the aircraft. Although suffering intense pain, he quickly returned the hostile fire then, manipulating the pedals, assisted the pilot to achieve a safe landing on a nearby road. Thinking only of his companion, he then rendered skillful first aid treatment until the arrival of medical evacuation helicopters. First Lieutenant Bennett's courage, quick reactions to a critical situation, and selfless devotion to duty despite his own painful wounds were instrumental in saving the life of a fellow Marine and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service.