WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate passed legislation Thursday designating a Perryville, Arkansas Post Office as the “Harold George Bennett Post Office.”

Sergeant George Bennett, a native of Thornburg, Arkansas served as a Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) advisor during the war operating out of South Vietnam. On December 29, 1964, during a firefight with Viet Cong guerillas, Sgt. Bennett was taken prisoner.

Sgt. Bennett was the first American POW killed in Vietnam. He spent 179 days as a POW and after his third attempted escape, he was executed by his captors on June 25, 1965.  

U.S. Senator John Boozman and Congressman French Hill led efforts to honor Sgt. Bennett.

“Sergeant Bennett’s story of courage, patriotism and sacrifice should be preserved for future generations. This recognition is important to the community he called home and a tribute to our nation’s appreciation for his selfless service,” Boozman said.

“I can think of no better time to honor the life of one of Arkansas’s great war heroes than Memorial Day Weekend. I want to thank Senator Boozman for moving this bill swiftly through the Senate, and I look forward to the President signing it into law so that Sergeant Harold George Bennett can receive the lasting tribute he deserves for his brave service to our great Nation,” Hill said.

The House of Representatives passed this legislation in April. It will head to the President’s desk to be signed into law.