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Marine Suffering Traumatic Brain Injury Receives Purple Heart
by U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Dave Flores
October 19, 2018
Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Dillon Bennett, machine gunner, 3rd
Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, was awarded a Purple Heart by Col.
Kyle B. Ellison, commanding officer, 7th Marine Regiment, aboard the
Combat Center on July 27, 2018.
Bennett received the Purple
Heart for wounds sustained while deployed in support of Operation
Inherent Resolve on July 9, 2018. After extinguishing an anti-tank
missile system, Bennett and his squad of Marines were ordered to
fire another missile. While on his way to retrieve the missile,
Bennett was struck by a mortar round. According to Bennett, he
doesn’t recall anything after the blast but he was informed by his
fellow Marines that he got up, grabbed the missile and brought it
back to finish the fire mission.
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Lance Cpl. Dillon Bennett,
machine gunner, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, receives
a Purple Heart from Col. Kyle B. Ellison, commanding
officer, 7th Marine Regiment, at 7th Marines' Headquarters
aboard the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine
Palms, Calif., July 27, 2018. Bennett received the Purple
Heart for wounds sustained while deployed in support of
Operation Inherent Resolve on July 9, 2018. (Image created
by USA Patriotism! from U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance
Cpl. Dave Flores)
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“Receiving the award was a humbling experience,” Bennett said.
“Even though I don’t remember what happened, I am glad that my body
and ‘warrior’ instincts kicked in along with my training. This whole
experience has really brought me down to Earth.”
During the
incident, Bennett suffered a traumatic brain injury and received
shrapnel to the knee as well as cuts and bruises, but he was glad to
walk away from the situation alive.
“I know that my son wants
to be back, fighting with his men,” said Chad Bennett, father of
Lance Cpl. Bennett. “We know he has a long journey ahead of him, but
we are there for him every step of the way.”
Bennett’s
friends, hospital staff, parents and grandfather, who is a retired
officer from 7th Marines, were all in attendance to congratulate
Bennett on the recognition he received as well as his homecoming.
“We planned on being here to help him recover from the injury
when he got back stateside,” said Shar Bennett, mother of Lance Cpl.
Bennett. “So to be apart of the ceremony was an added bonus. Hearing
the colonel speak kindly about our son was an amazing experience. It
caused us to hold our head a little higher, for Dillon.”
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