Benjamin Harrison Purcell Jr. (February 14, 1928 – April 2, 2013) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

officer, businessman, and a state legislator.

Background

Born in

Habersham County, Georgia Habersham County is a County (United States), county in the Northeast Georgia, Northeast region of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 46,031. The county seat is C ...

, he enlisted in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

in 1946. In 1948 he enlisted in the United States Army ROTC program at what is now the

University of North Georgia The University of North Georgia (UNG) is a public university with multiple campuses in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. It is part of the University System of Georgia. The university was established on January 8, 2013, through a m ...

and was commissioned an army officer. He served in the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

and at

Fort Benning Fort Benning (named Fort Moore from 2023–2025) is a United States Army post in the Columbus, Georgia area. Located on Georgia's border with Alabama, Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve compone ...

. In 1967, he was sent to

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered Diplomatic recognition, international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the ...

where he was the executive commander of the 80th General Support Group at

Danang Da Nang or DanangSee also Danang Dragons (, ) is the list of cities in Vietnam, fifth-largest city in Vietnam by municipal population. It lies on the coast of the Western Pacific Ocean of Vietnam at the mouth of the Hàn River (Vietnam), Hàn R ...

. On 8 February 1968, Purcell was a passenger on a UH-1D helicopter #64-13894 flying from

Đông Hà Combat Base Đông Hà Combat Base (also known as Camp Spillman, Camp Red Devil or simply Đông Hà) is a former U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army base northwest of Quảng Trị in central Vietnam. The base was first used by the 4th Marines in late April ...

to Danang when it was hit by enemy fire near

Quảng Trị Quảng Trị () is a district-level town in Quảng Trị Province in the North Central Coast region of Vietnam. It is second of two municipalities in the province after the provincial capital Đông Hà. History The Sino-Vietnamese name Qu ...

. The helicopter crash-landed and Purcell and the other five passengers and crew were captured by

Vietcong The Viet Cong (VC) was an epithet and umbrella term to refer to the Communism, communist-driven armed movement and united front organization in South Vietnam. It was formally organized as and led by the National Liberation Front of South Vi ...

. Purcell was the highest ranking Army officer captured during the war. Purcell twice attempted to escape from captivity, but was recaptured both times and held prisoner until 27 March 1973 when he was released during Operation Homecoming. After he retired from the army in 1980, he served in the

Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republican Party (United States), Repu ...

as a Democrat, representing State District #9 which includes the areas around Dawsonville and Dahlonega from 1993 to 1997. Purcell and his wife wrote a book: ''Love & Duty.'' He also owned a Christmas tree farm in Clarkesville, Georgia. He died in Clarkesville, Georgia.

Notes

External links

Benjamin Purcell-Pownetwork.orgVideo of Purcell's life story
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Purcell, Benjamin Harrison 1928 births 2013 deaths United States Army personnel of the Korean War United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War Businesspeople from Georgia (U.S. state) Democratic Party members of the Georgia House of Representatives Military personnel from Georgia (U.S. state) People from Banks County, Georgia People from Clarkesville, Georgia Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Silver Star United States Army colonels American prisoners of war in the Vietnam War Writers from Georgia (U.S. state) 20th-century members of the Georgia General Assembly