Robert Bennett
LOCATION: The National Smokejumper Association hosted the Mann Gulch 75th Anniversary Memorial Tribute for Robert Bennett at the Maplewood Cemetery in Paris, Tennessee, on Sunday, August 4th, 2024.
NSA Board Member: Jim Cherry (MSO 57)
Site Coordinator: Jim Cherry
Robert, 22, died August 5, 1949, along with twelve other Missoula smokejumpers in the Mann Gulch Fire. James Harrison was formerly a Missoula smokejumper but was a fireguard at Meriwether Campground when he died. View original obituary.
BIOGRAPHY: Robert was born on March 18, 1927, in Paris, Tennessee, to Guy and Anne Louise Moses Bennett. He was the third of four children and graduated from Grove High School in 1945. He was a member of the First Christian Church of Paris, where he also attended Sunday school. He had a paper route, and he enjoyed high school sports, especially football. He also loved building and flying model planes. After high school and just after his 18th birthday, Robert joined the Army, serving in the 29th General Medical Corps with the occupation forces in Japan. He attained the rank of staff sergeant and ended his military service in Korea with an honorable discharge on Christmas Day, 1946. The following fall, he enrolled in the University of Montana School of Forestry in Missoula. He joined the smokejumpers in the summer of 1948 along with his buddy Leonard Piper.
RELATIVES: Eighteen family members and friends attended the ceremony, including Gary Bennett, Robert’s nephew. Wendy Bennett, Kristen Cole, Alaina Ellis, Don, Louise and David Talley, Bill Russel, John and Jim Sharber, Rob Bennet, Michael and Larry Conger, Beth Pafford, and Cheryl Beech. Jason Russell, Bennett’s great nephew, was a hotshot and wildland firefighter from Washington State. Many eulogies were written on Robert’s behalf. Robert, who went simply by “Bob,” was well-liked, loved the outdoors, and was known by his friends and family to be honest, trustworthy, and a beacon of common sense.
CEREMONY: NSA Board of Directors member Jim Cherry also served as the Site Coordinator. Jim’s companion, Sandy Dodson, and former smokejumper Fred Hatler Jr. (MYC 70) assisted him with administration and logistics. The Tennessee Department of Natural Resources also sent a representative to the ceremony. Robert Bennett’s nephew, Gary Bennett, was also instrumental in supplying historical documents and pictures, communicating with family members, and arranging the service with the local pastor. The Tennessee Department of Natural Resources also sent a representative to the ceremony.
Forty-one attendees signed the tribute registry, and about a dozen more who did not sign in were at the graveside service in the afternoon at Maplewood Cemetery. Brad Ridgeway, a local funeral home, provided a shade tent and chairs for the event in 97-degree heat at no charge. Over 100 attended the First Christian Church worship service in the morning, honoring Robert’s memory.
RECOGNITION: Two smokejumpers were in attendance, including current board member and former President of the National Smokejumpers Association, Jim Cherry (MSO 57) and Fred Hatler (MYC 70). The NSA provided a special brass medallion affixed to Robert Bennett’s gravestone so anyone who read the inscription would know that Robert Bennett was indeed a hero recognized by the National Smokejumper Association.
Jim Cherry reflected that “despite the time that has expired between the tragedy and today, the grief felt by the family was still palpable when the loss was discussed. Very few were living at the time of the tragedy, but some remember the weight of the loss experienced within the family and the community. It was and is seen not just as the loss of life but also the loss of opportunities and possibilities that Robert’s life held for an unrealized future.”
There was a deep appreciation expressed for all the NSA did to remember Robert Bennett and to recognize those who continue to guard and protect us and our natural resources each day.
MEDIA: News Editor Glenn Tanner of The Paris Post-Intelligencer posted the following front-page news article on Tuesday, July 30, 2024.
