Evening star., 1951-12-29
Top Medal Awarded
|GI Who Killed 50 Reds
I'm 0ne-Ma Stand
BY the Associated Press

A soldier who killed half a.
hundred Reds in a savage, deter
mined one-man stand before he
himself died has been awarded
the highest military award.
The Army announced today the
Medal of Honor has been given
Pfc. Emory l.. Bennett of Cocoa,
Fla. Gen. James A. Van Fleet,
9th Army commander, said "the
gallant deeds of this brave soldier
played a vital role in the success
Iful achievement of the mission of
his unit"
Award Of another Medal of
Honor posthumously to Sergt. 1/c
Donald R. Meyer, whose parents
live at Keego Harbor, Mich, was
ANNOUNCED last night. He gave his
life to save his comrades on the
eve of his departure for home
on rotation.
Pvt. Benefits fight against a
Rassed enemy attack gave his
company time to withdraw.
He had only nine months Of
Army service when he fought that
action near Sobangsan, Korea, on
last June "a.
Left Safety of Foxhole.
First 1t. Remer Y. Brinson of
Graymont, Ga.,- of Company B,
18th Regiment, Sd Infantry Di-
vision, told this story of the fight:
"The enemy made suicide,
mass attack before dawn. The
company was in danger of being
Ioverrun when Pvt. Bennett moved
forward out of the comparative
safety of his foxhole until he was
almost face to face with the
charging enemy. Fire from his
Browning automatic weapon "cut
down the Chinese in quick sue
cession and stopped them in their
tracks"
"B company was able to re-
group, but the weight of the SUI
perior numbers of the enemy
slowly bore down and forced it
back.
pvt. Bennett stayed where he
was, shouting encouragement to
us and yelling to the Chinese to
come and get him The enemy
threw everything they had at him,
but he kept up his heavy fire and
would not let them pass.
Finally, after we had moved
out safely, we saw him go down
under a renewed hail of fire. Prior
to my leaving the position I saw
dead Communists, sometimes two
deep, in front of Pvt. Benefits
position.
Pvt. Bennett was born Deem
Der 20, 1929. at New Smyrna
Beach, Fla. His parents, Mr.. and
Mrs. Sterling G. Bennett, now live
at Cocoa. The medal will be pre-
sented to them at a later date.
| The act Of valor which won
the medal for Sergt. Meyer was
described by his company COM
Imander. Capt. John F. Taylor of
Austin, Tex.
Led Attack on Hilltop.
Sergt. Meyer, an assistant pla-
Itoon sergeant in the 35th Regi-
Iment of the 25th Division, took
command of his platoon when his
senior officers were wounded. He
led his troops in storming a rocky
hilltop position strongly held by
the Communists. When the Amer
lcan attackers were near the brow
Of the hill an enemy grenade
landed in their midst. Sergt.
Meyer unhesitatingly ran to the
spot and threw himself on the
grenade, absorbing it's full blast
and saving his comrades.
Capt. Taylor said the platoon,
inspired by their sergeant's hero
ism, swept over the hill and killed
or captured the remaining enemy
defenders.
Sergt. Meyer arrived in Korea
three weeks after the outbreak of
fighting there He survived a
wound received in action last
January and had been notified
that he would be sent home on
rotation within 10 days. He was
I21 at the time of his death.