HISTORY NEBRASKA MANUSCRIPT FINDING AID
RG1732.AM: Dallas Ray Bennett, 1920-2012
Papers: ca. 1942-1989
Bassett, Rock County, Nebraska: World War II Marine
Size: 1 envelope
BACKGROUND NOTE
Dallas Ray Bennett, youngest son of W.W. and Bessie (Ferris) Bennett was born on March 6, 1920, in Selden Pct., Rock County, Nebraska. The Bennett family moved in to Bassett in 1924, where Dallas graduated from Rock County High School in 1937. He joined the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and was stationed at the Valentine, Nebraska, Refuge Lakes. Bennett joined the US Marine Corps on July24, 1940. He served in the Pacific Theater, in Alaska, and in occupied Japan. He was discharged in July 1946.
While on leave Bennett married Lois N. Krause at Elk Point, South Dakota, on February 17, 1945. Settling in Bassett, Bennet was a partner in Bennett Brothers Construction, Inc. From 1960-1962 he was acting postmaster in Bassett and also served as assistant fire chief. He was Bassett’s mayor from 1967 to 1969. He finished his postal career in 1985 as a rural carrier out of Ainsworth. In 2008 Bennett flew on the World War II Honor Flight to Washington, DC. He died on June 24, 2012.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
This collection consists of an envelope containing items documenting Dallas R. Bennett’s service during World War II. Of greatest interest is Bennett’s memoir titled “Forty-Seven Years Late,” which relates his experiences in Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, before, during and after the first offensive against the Japanese at Tulagi and Guadalcanal, August 7, 1942 – January 31, 1943. Supplementary materials include photographs, copies of newspaper clippings, and a Guadalcanal bumper sticker.
INVENTORY
Envelope containing:
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- Photographs: Guadalcanal and Tulagi with explanatory notes; photograph of Bennett taken in Kodiak, Alaska, August 1944
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- Newspaper clippings (copies)
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- Article: The Boat Train Raid of the 2nd Marines
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- Independence Day Dinner menu on the USS President Hayes, July 4, 1942 (copy)
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- Biographical sketch
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- Guadalcanal Campaign Veteran bumper sticker
Subject headings:
Bennett, Dallas Ray, 1920-2012
Guadalcanal, Battle of, Solomon Islands, 1942-1943
Marines — United States
World War, 1939-1945 — Personal narratives