BENTON, GREGORY REA, JR.
Name: Gregory Rea Benton, Jr. Rank/Branch: E2/US Marine Corps Unit: Company D, 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, 3rd Marine Division Date of Birth: 18 April 1950 Home City of Record: Vallejo CA Date of Loss: 23 May 1969 Country of Loss: South Vietnam Loss Coordinates: 160700N 1072000E Status (in 1973): Missing In Action Category: 3 Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: Ground
Other Personnel In Incident: (none missing)
Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 01 March 1991 from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews. Updated by the P.O.W. NETWORK in 2006.
REMARKS:
SYNOPSIS: Greg Benton is an American Indian (the USG shows Benton as Caucasian) and above all he wanted to do his part for his country. He has a pin in his leg as a result of a car accident while delivering newspapers as a boy. Because of the pin, Greg had to fight to get into the Marine Corps and had a difficult time in boot camp because of it. But he badly wanted to become a Marine.
When PFC Benton went to Vietnam, he was assigned to Company D, 1st Battalion, 9th Marines in Vietnam. Like other soldiers in Vietnam, Benton was overwhelmed by the death of his comrades. In a letter home he wrote: "Death is slowly catching up with me, and I cannot avoid it much longer. I dislike having my life end in this hole, but there is little I can do to prevent it. Though my body may be weak and soft my spirit is strong and bold."
On May 23, 1969, Benton was part of a security force evacuating casualties at Quang Tri when his helicopter landing zone was overrun. A firefight ensued, and when it was over, search efforts were conducted of the area. All personnel were accounted for except for Benton. No trace was found. It was not known whether he had been injured, captured, or killed. Benton was classified Missing In Action.
When U.S. involvement the war ended in 1975, thousands of refugees fled Vietnam to escape the communist regime, bringing with them stories of Americans still in their country. Since then, over 10,000 such reports have accumulated in U.S. agency files. Many experts, after reviewing the information, believe hundreds may still be alive today, still prisoners.
It is not known if Benton survived the attack on the landing zone on May 23, 1969 or if he is one of those said to be still alive. If he is still alive, he surely remembers and has lived by the Marine Corps slogan, "Semper Fideles". He knows the importance his fellow Marines placed on recovering even the dead from the battlefield. If he is alive, he must wonder why his country has broken faith with him and why he has been abandoned. It's time we brought our men home.
=============================== From - Mon Jul 10 17:03:48 2000
My name is Mary E. Benton and I am Greg's older sister and his Primary Next of Kin as listed with HQMC.
I just wanted to correct a few mistakes. The reason the USG shows my brother as Caucasian is because when we were born our parents registered us as Caucasian because they were ashamed to be Native American in those days. I have provided the Marine Corps and other government agencies with documents to correct my brother's nationality to Native American. It is very important because of the DNA testing. Greg's date of birth is April 18, 1950.
The quote you have: "Death is slowly catching up with me, etc." is actually part of a poem Greg wrote while he was in Vietnam and sent to me.
On May 23, 1969 Greg had just come off a 4 hour patrol when 2nd squad was ambushed down in the valley below hill 891 where Greg's squad was (3rd squad). His squad went back down the hill to act as security while the two dead marines and one wounded were loaded aboard the helicopter. Because the enemy was still in the area, the squads were ordered back up the hill immediately after the helicopter left and it was while the men were going back up the hill from the valley that my brother disappeared. No one went back down the hill for four hours to conduct a search because the enemy was still in the area. They searched for approximately 45 minutes and could find no trace of my brother. My brother is the only MIA from 1/9, Delta Company, 3rd Marine Division during the entire Vietnam conflict.
Two years ago I found 1Lt Larry McCauley and SGT Cecil Phillips who were with my brother that day in Vietnam. Larry was my brother's Platoon Command and Cecil was the Platoon Sergeant. They both feel that my brother was captured by the NVA troops that were in the area. No shots were heard after the initial incident and no trace was found of my brother or any of his belongings.
I will be going to Vietnam for my brother's birthday on April 18, 2001 with Larry McCauley. I want to leave a Native American totem pole and a plaque for my brother. I want to perform some Native American spiritual ceremonies for him. I am going to try to find information about him while I am in Vietnam.
Mary E. Benton
Thank you for all you have done for our men and women on the Wall. My E-mail address is: pow52369@earthlink.net
==================== 09/2005
PFC Gregory Benton (D Co, 1 Bn, 9 Marine, 3 Marine Division)
My name is Bill Dwyer and I am a Southeast Asia Analyst at the Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office in Arlington, VA. I am currently looking for Marines that served in D Co, 1 Bn, 9 Marine, 3 Marine Division in May 1969. I am looking for anyone involved in the incident of 23 May 1969. Additionally, I am trying to locate an individual who left a note to Gregory at the Wall in D.C. The signature looks like J Cortez "E" 2/9, but I can't be sure. Any help or direction would be greatly appreciated. My e-mail address and phone number are William.dwyer@osd.mil / (703) 699-1240. Thanks!!
SFC (Ret) Bill Dwyer
Southeast Asia Intelligence Analyst
============================================== At 09:27 AM 10/25/2006 -0700, you wrote:
Thank you. Yes, my brother is Gregory R. Benton, Jr., MIA since May 23, 1969. I am waiting on pins and needles this month because a team from JPAC will be in Laos this month to pick up two farmers who found a body on a mountain just 1/2 mile from where my brother disappeared. They crossed the border 37 years ago into South Vietnam to go hunting and while on this mountain came across an American soldier laying close to a enemy foxhole. I have been fighting with everyone for years to just go into Laos and ask any of the villagers if they remember finding any of our soldiers during the war. The mountain Greg's company was on was on the Laotian border even though his investigation said South Vietnam. Finally, while I was in Wash, D.C. at the Ntl Lg meeting in 2003, one of the analysts found me and showed me a message on his computer that had just come in from team members at a village in Laos. They got information on two shootdowns and 2 other ground troops that were killed...just from two villages. I have been to every meeting, every update in my area in California...to include Nevada and Arizona...so I could meet with people one on one and keep my brother's case active. It finally paid off. My brother was alive when they left him behind. He had malaria, an injured knee, and a hyrnia which made it difficult for him to even walk. He wasn't allowed to get any medical attention. I learned this from his Platoon Commander after I found him in 1998. He lives in Pennsylvania but flew out to California to spend 3 days with me going over my brother's case. I feel sure that this is my brother. I have a headstone in place for him already at Arlington, Virginia. When he is returned I will have him buried there and when my time comes I will be buried with him. I am a SSGT also. Thank you for all you do for us. You are so important for our cause.
Semper Fi, Proud sister of a Marine, Mary Benton