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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.
Aircraft/Missile Information
Model Boeing B-52H Stratofortress Length 160.89 ft | 49.04 m Width 185.10 ft | 56.42 m Height 40.68 ft | 12.40 m Engine(s) 8 x Pratt & Whitney TF33-P-3 turbofan engines generating 17,000lbs of standard thrust each. Empty Weight 172,743 lbs | 78,355 kg MTOW 487,993 lbs | 221,350 kg Max Speed 595 mph | 958 km/h | 517 kts Max Range 10,000 miles | 16,093 km Ceiling 54,954 ft | 16,750 m | 10.4 miles Climb Rate Not Available Hardpoints 2 Armament Mission-specific armament can include any of the following:
20 x AGM-86B ALCM cruise missiles (internal) 20 x AGM-129 cruise missiles (internal) 2 x AGM-86B ALCMs cruise missile (external) 2 x AGM-129 cruise missiles (external) Free Fall Nuclear Bombs 12 x AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles 12 x AGM-142A air-to-surface missiles AGM-86C CALCM cruise missiles JDAMs
Up to 51,570lbs (340kg) class bombs or mines Accommodations 6 Operators United States of America