Ralph LaVere Bennett was born Apr. 7, 1922 to James Otis and Jennie Edna Ramsey Bennett. He died June 14, 1944 and is memorialized at the Walls of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery, Taguig City, Philippines.
Cpl. Bennett served in World War II with the U.S. Army 209th Engineer Combat Battalion and was MIA/KIA in North Burma and was awarded the Purple Heart.
Source: ancestry.com
Cpl. Ralph Bennett was laid to rest beside his family members in Ames Municipal Cemetery during a memorial service on Aug. 1, 2019. Cpl. Bennett died June 14, 1944 in the China-Burma-India Theater, one of 75 soldiers KIA in an ambush in Myanmar, Burma. He was an engineer with the 209th Battalion. Historical accounts estimate that 85 percent of the 209th died in that ambush. His burial is the final chapter of a story that transcends three generations and a multi-decade search for closure.
Source: Ames Tribune
