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Corp Herbert E. Benson
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Corp Herbert E. Benson Veteran

Birth
Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, USA
Death
13 Aug 1942 (aged 24)
Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands
Monument
Manila, Capital District, National Capital Region, Philippines Add to Map
Plot
Tablets of the Missing
Memorial ID
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Herbert Emanuel Benson was born in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, in 1918 according to census records (other sources report Orange, Essex County, New Jersey). He was the oldest son of Swedish immigrants Ernest Benson and Helga Perrson/Pearson. Ernest was a construction contractor and Helga a housewife. Benson was raised and received his grammar school education in New Jersey, living there until he joined the United States Marine Corps Reserve.

The 1930 US Census shows the family as living in South Orange, Essex County, New Jersey. The following family members are recorded as living in the home at that time:
Head Ernest Benson M 49 Sweden
Wife Helga Benson F 33 Sweden
Son Herbert Benson M 11 New Jersey
Dau Anna Benson F 10 New Jersey
Sister-in-law Ellen Pearson F 37 Sweden

After high school, Benson obtained employment as a draftsman in the General Service Division with Standard Oil. Benson joined the Marine Corps Reserve on May 1, 1939. His reserve unit was based out of the post office building in nearby Elizabeth, New Jersey, and he attended weekly drills along with William Bainbridge until the spring of 1941, when they were both assigned to Company G, Second Battalion, Seventh Marine Regiment, First Marine Division. In October, 1941, now Private First Class Benson was assigned to the Intelligence Section of Headquarters Company, First Marine Division. He immediately made an impression. "Benson was tall and blond," recalled Photographic Officer Lieutenant Thayer Soule, "a good kid with a flair for drawing and telling jokes."

In April 1942, Benson promoted to the rank of Corporal and soon thereafter the First Marine Division deployed to New Zealand for further training. Throughout 1942, the primary objective of the First Marine Division was to take the fight to the Japanese. So shortly after their arrival at Wellington, the word was passed that they would soon be departing for the war zone. The Intelligence Section was concentrating on a small island in the Solomon Islands called Guadalcanal - it was chosen as their first target.

The landing on Guadalcanal went unopposed. The Japanese waited in the jungle for the coming battle with the Marines. The Intelligence Section set about gathering and analyzing information they gleaned from the area. On August 12th, a Marine patrol from the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, captured a Japanese soldier named Sakado, who was found in their area. The Marines learned that the Japanese west of the Matanikau River were a disorganized and demoralized group, short on food and in poor health. They could, Sakado thought, be induced to surrender given the proper conditions.

The commander of the Intelligence Section, Colonel Frank Bryan Goettge, had been annoyed by the rush job that intelligence had been forced into in New Zealand and the now apparent shortcomings in maps and other data were becoming more evident. Sakado was a godsend. Col. Goettge sent First Sergeant Steven Custer to organize a patrol, which Goettge himself would head. They would take an interpreter, a doctor, a good portion of the intelligence section and some riflemen for support, and boat across to a secluded beach where a white flag had reportedly been seen. They would convince the Japanese there to surrender and work their way back to Headquarters the next day, with Goettge, presumably, at the head of a cluster of happily surrendered Japanese.

The patrol, consisting of 25 men plus Sakado (who was led by a rope around his neck by Platoon Sergeant Denzil Ray Caltrider) and Benson's old friend Corporal William Bainbridge, set out from the camp at Kukum at about 1800 hours – a twelve hour delay caused by numerous personnel changes. The men were traveling light, carrying enough food for one day, a canteen, a poncho, and only light weapons (contary to First Sergeant Custer's plan who called for heavy weapons).

Due to tidal issues, the delay caused another problem – it was now too late to risk heading for the original landing site. Ignoring the warnings of Lieutenant Colonel Bill Whaling and the cries of Sakado, who begged them not to land there, the boat turned for shore and landed about 200 yards west of the Matanikau. The boat ran up on a sandbar, forcing the Marines to jump over the gun-whales and rock it free, creating quite a racket. They waded in to shore and, taking cover behind a line of banyan trees, held a quick council of war. All the noise they had made and now this pause gave the Japanese soldiers of the 2nd Platoon, 11th CU Security Force under Lt. Soichi Shindo, plenty of time to pick their targets. As Col. Goettge led an advance party into the treeline, two shots rang out. Col. Goettge fell dead with a shot to the head. The seriously wounded 1stSgt Custer dropped on top of him. Two Marines who crawled forward to check on the men recovered Goettge's insignia and wristwatch. The survivors formed a defensive perimeter on the beach, and over the course of the night and following morning were gradually picked off by the Japanese defenders. By dawn, the patrol had been wiped out aside from three survivors who managed to swim back to friendly lines one at a time. They reported seeing Japanese swords "flashing in the sun" as they fell upon the wounded and dead. One of the dead, was Herbert Benson.

The bodies of the dead were never recovered. There were accounts of knowing where they were and that they had been thrown into fighting trenches and covered up. There were at least three reports over the following weeks that the bodies were partially buried in the sand with limbs sticking out of the makeshift graves. One report, made by a Marine years later stated he was on patrol at the scene of the slaughter and personally saw the mutilated bodies of Goettge's patrol to include decapitated torsos and boots with limbs still attached. But no bodies were ever recovered.

The bodies of Benson, Bainbridge and the rest of the men are lost to this day. Several attempts over the past 65 years have found nothing and it is suspected now that building in the area and the change of the shoreline will result in the patrol's remains never being recovered.

After the war, Standard Oil launched a ship, the SS Esso Portland". During the launching, the ship was dedicated to their former employee, Herbert Benson. The dedication was read by the Rev. Howard C. Scharfe and part of the dedication is as follows:

"We remember before Thee this ship and all who sail on her; we remember before Thee the personal qualities of Herbert Benson in whose honor she is launched, his integrity, his uprightness of character, his devotion to his church and family; his love for his country.
"Wherever he is this day will Thou give unto him Thy blessing, and Thy comfort to those of his people here present. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen."

Corporal Herbert Emanuel Benson, Sn # 271950, earned the following badges/decorations for his service in the United State Marine Corps and during World War II:
- Combat Action Ribbon
- Purple Heart Medal
- Navy/Marine Corps Presidential Unit Citation
- American Defense Service Medal
- Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations campaign Medal with one bronze battle/campaign star
- World War II Victory Medal
- Navy/Marine Corps Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon
- Marine Corps Rifle marksmanship badge
- Marine Corps Basic Qualification Badge with Bars

**NOTE** - A portion of this bio is based on information from the website missingmarines.com. They have done a fantastic job of researching approximately 3000 US Marines whose bodies were lost in the war. This writer wholeheartedly recommends their site for researchers or families of the missing. - Rick Lawrence, MSgt., USMC/USAFR {RET})
Herbert Emanuel Benson was born in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, in 1918 according to census records (other sources report Orange, Essex County, New Jersey). He was the oldest son of Swedish immigrants Ernest Benson and Helga Perrson/Pearson. Ernest was a construction contractor and Helga a housewife. Benson was raised and received his grammar school education in New Jersey, living there until he joined the United States Marine Corps Reserve.

The 1930 US Census shows the family as living in South Orange, Essex County, New Jersey. The following family members are recorded as living in the home at that time:
Head Ernest Benson M 49 Sweden
Wife Helga Benson F 33 Sweden
Son Herbert Benson M 11 New Jersey
Dau Anna Benson F 10 New Jersey
Sister-in-law Ellen Pearson F 37 Sweden

After high school, Benson obtained employment as a draftsman in the General Service Division with Standard Oil. Benson joined the Marine Corps Reserve on May 1, 1939. His reserve unit was based out of the post office building in nearby Elizabeth, New Jersey, and he attended weekly drills along with William Bainbridge until the spring of 1941, when they were both assigned to Company G, Second Battalion, Seventh Marine Regiment, First Marine Division. In October, 1941, now Private First Class Benson was assigned to the Intelligence Section of Headquarters Company, First Marine Division. He immediately made an impression. "Benson was tall and blond," recalled Photographic Officer Lieutenant Thayer Soule, "a good kid with a flair for drawing and telling jokes."

In April 1942, Benson promoted to the rank of Corporal and soon thereafter the First Marine Division deployed to New Zealand for further training. Throughout 1942, the primary objective of the First Marine Division was to take the fight to the Japanese. So shortly after their arrival at Wellington, the word was passed that they would soon be departing for the war zone. The Intelligence Section was concentrating on a small island in the Solomon Islands called Guadalcanal - it was chosen as their first target.

The landing on Guadalcanal went unopposed. The Japanese waited in the jungle for the coming battle with the Marines. The Intelligence Section set about gathering and analyzing information they gleaned from the area. On August 12th, a Marine patrol from the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, captured a Japanese soldier named Sakado, who was found in their area. The Marines learned that the Japanese west of the Matanikau River were a disorganized and demoralized group, short on food and in poor health. They could, Sakado thought, be induced to surrender given the proper conditions.

The commander of the Intelligence Section, Colonel Frank Bryan Goettge, had been annoyed by the rush job that intelligence had been forced into in New Zealand and the now apparent shortcomings in maps and other data were becoming more evident. Sakado was a godsend. Col. Goettge sent First Sergeant Steven Custer to organize a patrol, which Goettge himself would head. They would take an interpreter, a doctor, a good portion of the intelligence section and some riflemen for support, and boat across to a secluded beach where a white flag had reportedly been seen. They would convince the Japanese there to surrender and work their way back to Headquarters the next day, with Goettge, presumably, at the head of a cluster of happily surrendered Japanese.

The patrol, consisting of 25 men plus Sakado (who was led by a rope around his neck by Platoon Sergeant Denzil Ray Caltrider) and Benson's old friend Corporal William Bainbridge, set out from the camp at Kukum at about 1800 hours – a twelve hour delay caused by numerous personnel changes. The men were traveling light, carrying enough food for one day, a canteen, a poncho, and only light weapons (contary to First Sergeant Custer's plan who called for heavy weapons).

Due to tidal issues, the delay caused another problem – it was now too late to risk heading for the original landing site. Ignoring the warnings of Lieutenant Colonel Bill Whaling and the cries of Sakado, who begged them not to land there, the boat turned for shore and landed about 200 yards west of the Matanikau. The boat ran up on a sandbar, forcing the Marines to jump over the gun-whales and rock it free, creating quite a racket. They waded in to shore and, taking cover behind a line of banyan trees, held a quick council of war. All the noise they had made and now this pause gave the Japanese soldiers of the 2nd Platoon, 11th CU Security Force under Lt. Soichi Shindo, plenty of time to pick their targets. As Col. Goettge led an advance party into the treeline, two shots rang out. Col. Goettge fell dead with a shot to the head. The seriously wounded 1stSgt Custer dropped on top of him. Two Marines who crawled forward to check on the men recovered Goettge's insignia and wristwatch. The survivors formed a defensive perimeter on the beach, and over the course of the night and following morning were gradually picked off by the Japanese defenders. By dawn, the patrol had been wiped out aside from three survivors who managed to swim back to friendly lines one at a time. They reported seeing Japanese swords "flashing in the sun" as they fell upon the wounded and dead. One of the dead, was Herbert Benson.

The bodies of the dead were never recovered. There were accounts of knowing where they were and that they had been thrown into fighting trenches and covered up. There were at least three reports over the following weeks that the bodies were partially buried in the sand with limbs sticking out of the makeshift graves. One report, made by a Marine years later stated he was on patrol at the scene of the slaughter and personally saw the mutilated bodies of Goettge's patrol to include decapitated torsos and boots with limbs still attached. But no bodies were ever recovered.

The bodies of Benson, Bainbridge and the rest of the men are lost to this day. Several attempts over the past 65 years have found nothing and it is suspected now that building in the area and the change of the shoreline will result in the patrol's remains never being recovered.

After the war, Standard Oil launched a ship, the SS Esso Portland". During the launching, the ship was dedicated to their former employee, Herbert Benson. The dedication was read by the Rev. Howard C. Scharfe and part of the dedication is as follows:

"We remember before Thee this ship and all who sail on her; we remember before Thee the personal qualities of Herbert Benson in whose honor she is launched, his integrity, his uprightness of character, his devotion to his church and family; his love for his country.
"Wherever he is this day will Thou give unto him Thy blessing, and Thy comfort to those of his people here present. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen."

Corporal Herbert Emanuel Benson, Sn # 271950, earned the following badges/decorations for his service in the United State Marine Corps and during World War II:
- Combat Action Ribbon
- Purple Heart Medal
- Navy/Marine Corps Presidential Unit Citation
- American Defense Service Medal
- Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations campaign Medal with one bronze battle/campaign star
- World War II Victory Medal
- Navy/Marine Corps Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon
- Marine Corps Rifle marksmanship badge
- Marine Corps Basic Qualification Badge with Bars

**NOTE** - A portion of this bio is based on information from the website missingmarines.com. They have done a fantastic job of researching approximately 3000 US Marines whose bodies were lost in the war. This writer wholeheartedly recommends their site for researchers or families of the missing. - Rick Lawrence, MSgt., USMC/USAFR {RET})

Gravesite Details

Entered the service from New Jersey.


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  • Maintained by: Rick Lawrence
  • Originally Created by: War Graves
  • Added: Aug 8, 2010
  • Find a Grave Memorial ID:
  • Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56786880/herbert_e-benson: accessed ), memorial page for Corp Herbert E. Benson (23 Apr 1918–13 Aug 1942), Find a Grave Memorial ID 56786880, citing Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, Manila, Capital District, National Capital Region, Philippines; Maintained by Rick Lawrence (contributor 47207615).