If you knew or served with this Airman and have additional information or photos to support this Page, please leave a message for the Page Administrator(s) HERE.
He was the copilot of a B-52D that was on a mission to bomb storage facilities near Bac Mai Airfield, North Vietnam when it was hit by a surface-to-air missile (SAM). His body was never recovered; he is memorialized in Natchez and on Court A of the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.
His 2nd Distinguished Flying Cross w/Valor citation:
Captain Thomas W. Bennett, Jr., distinguished himself by heroism while participating in aerial flight as a B-52 Copilot in Southeast Asia on 22 December 1972. On that date, Captain Bennett participated in high priority bombing missions against vital military targets in heavily defended areas of North Vietnam. Despite the intensity of the defensive reaction and the extreme hazard posed by numerous surface-to-air missiles and hostile interceptors, Captain Bennett displayed extraordinary courage and a remarkable ability to place mission requirements above his personal safety as he flew his aircraft to a successful release of his ordnance on the designated targets. The outstanding heroism and selfless devotion to duty displayed by Captain Bennett reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
Attention! The dates you selected for being assigned to this Unit are outside the 1977 to Present we believe this Unit was in existence. Can you please re-check your dates and click HERE if you wish to amend these? If you believe your Unit was in existence during your selected dates, please let us know at admin@togetherweserved.com.
The Air Force Reserve Command is a Major Command of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters stationed at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federally controlled Air Reserve Component of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of duly appointed commissioned officers and enlisted airmen.
AFRC supports the Air Force mission to defend the United States through the control and exploitation of air and space by supporting Global Engagement. AFRC also plays an integral role in the day-to-day Air Force mission and is not strictly a force held in reserve for possible war or contingency operations.
The federal reserve component of the United States Air Force, AFRC has approximately 450 aircraft assigned for which it has sole control. as well as access to several hundred additional active duty USAF aircraft via AFRC "Associate" wings that are collocated with active duty Air Force wings, sharing access to those aircraft.. The inventory includes the latest, most capable models of aircraft that are also assigned to the active-duty U.S. Air Force. On any given day, 99 percent of AFRC's aircraft are mission-ready and able to deploy within 72 hours.
The purpose of the Air Force Reserve as derived from Title 10 United States Code is to:
Provide combat-ready units and individuals for active duty whenever there are not enough trained units and people in the Regular component of the Air Force to perform any national security mission.
