World War II Honoree
Killed in World War II
Arthur J. Benko
Branch of Service
U.S. Army Air Force
Hometown
Bisbee, Arizona
Honored By
Gary Farwell
HE ENTERED THE ARMY IN 1941 FROM HIS HOME STATE OF ARIZONA. AFTER BASIC TRAINING HE WAS ASSIGNED TO THE ARMY AIR CORPS AIR GUNNERY SCHOOL IN LAS VEGAS, NEVADA. THEN HE WAS SENT TO THE 374TH BOMB SQUADRON, 308TH BOMB GROUP AT PUEBLO, COLORADO. IN EARLY 1943 HIS OUTFIT DEPLOYED TO THE CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER OF OPERATIONS AS PART OF THE 14TH AIR FORCE. HE WAS ASSISTANT ENGINEER AND TOP TURRET GUNNER ON THE B-24D NAMED 'THE GOON'. ON A MISSION IN OCTOBER 1943 TO BOMB JAPANESE TARGETS NEAR HAIPHONG, INDO-CHINA, HE SHOT DOWN SEVEN JAPANESE ZERO FIGHTERS AND WAS HIMSELF WOUNDED. FOR THIS HE WAS RECOMMENDED FOR THE SILVER STAR MEDAL AND PURPLE HEART MEDAL. IN NOVEMBER 1943 HIS AIRCRAFT WAS BADLY DAMAGED ON A BOMBING MISSION NEAR HONG KONG AND ALL BUT 3 CREW MEMBERS WERE ORDERED TO PARACHUTE OUT. HE WAS NEVER RECOVERED AND PRESUMED DEAD. BY THAT TIME HE WAS CREDITED WITH 16 AERIAL VICTORIES, ONE OF THE TOP SCORING ACES OF WWII WITH MORE KILLS THAN ANY OTHER AERIAL GUNNER. HE WAS AWARDED THE SILVER STAR MEDAL, THE LEGION OF MERIT MEDAL, TWO DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS MEDALS, THREE AIR MEDALS AND TWO PURPLE HEART MEDALS AMONG OTHERS.