At almost 100, World War II veteran remains active in gatherings at The War Memorial

It’s been 80 years since Larry Bennett was drafted into the Army.
 
All these years later, the World War II veteran still remembers, in great detail, stories from his time in the service.
 
The 99-year-old Bennett resides in Grosse Pointe Woods and has been part of the Grosse Pointe Veterans Club for approximately 20 years. The club, which meets at The War Memorial, works to support, educate, and advocate for local veterans. For nearly three decades, he has also been an active member of the Men’s Club of Grosse Pointe, which gathers here twice a month. 

Inducted into the Army in March 1943 shortly after his high school graduation, Bennett’s basic training was at Camp Robinson in North Little Rock, Arkansas. In October 1943, he and fellow members of the 3rd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, departed for Italy. His first combat situation took place north of Naples, Italy as a rifleman. 

“I remember getting into position at night and early the next morning we would attack by going up a mountain to take a town,” he said. “Then it was hiding from the shells and bullets. The terrain we were in was mountainous, so it was treacherous going from one height to another. The Germans always controlled the high ground, so we were at a disadvantage.”   

As a rifleman, Bennett was equipped with materials like a bolt action rifle, an ammunition belt, entrenching tool, a blanket, jacket, combat boots, and a canteen.  

In January 1944, he took part in the amphibious landing of Anzio, Italy.   

“We didn’t have much opposition when we first landed, but as days went by, we had more opposition against us,” he said. “We were there for four months. We extended our lines as far as we could and couldn’t go any farther. Then the Germans regrouped and kept us in that position for four months. I spent that time in a fox hole.”   

His second amphibious landing came in August 1944, west of Marseille, France, while a short few months later, on Oct. 30, 1944, Bennett was wounded in action while in France.  

“We advanced and were at Saint Dyé in France. We were on a mountain, preparing to take this town,” he said. “The Germans threw some shells at us.”  

Bennett was struck in his left thigh from what he believes was a shell from an 88 mm German anti-tank artillery gun.   
“It was a sharp pain that felt like it was on fire and all of a sudden, I couldn’t walk,” he shared.
 
Bennett was sent to an evacuation hospital, was operated on, then transported on a hospital train. He spent four months hospitalized, recovering from his injuries. Upon discharge, Bennett returned to the 3rd Infantry Division. He crossed the Rhine River into Germany in March 1945.   

Bennett recalled the story from April 1945 when the division assembled in Zeppelinfeld when the American flag was raised over the Nazi swastika. Zeppelinfeld in Nuremberg, Germany, was one of several Nazi party rally grounds.   

“That represented that the Nazi’s had been defeated,” he said. “Audie Murphy got his Medal of Honor at that assembly. He was in the same division that I was in.”    

Murphy received every military combat award for valor available from the Army.   

Bennett remained in Europe through December 1945, and was discharged from the Army the day after Christmas as a staff sergeant. Some honors he received from his military service are the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, and the World War II Victory Medal.  
A regular attendee of The War Memorial’s Veterans Day Breakfast, Bennett has resided in Grosse Pointe Woods since 1951. His wife of 74 years, Betty Bennett, sadly passed away in 2021. He has two children, five grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.    

*This story originally was published in the January-February 2024 edition of Live Inspired Magazine, a War Memorial publication.