By Jennifer La Lima
Bennett, 57, of Bellmore traveled often for his job as a tugboat captain and crewmember. On Sunday, Jan. 29, at about 1 a.m., Bennett and two other crewmen were working on a barge tied to two other barges on the Hudson River. Bennett fell between the barges and suffered blunt-force trauma. Bennett was killed when pinned between the two barges.
Since his funeral, Bennett's family has been preparing to move into their new home, two doors down, which they purchased before Bennett's death.
Bennett and his wife were married in 1991. Soulmates from the start, Monica came from a family of tugboat crewmembers, and the two shared a love for a vacation spot called Schroon Lake.
Monica, an Oceanside High School science teacher, will never forget the first time she realized she was in love with Bennett. She said, "There was a time when I was having trouble with money, and I had to sell my telescope. He knew the story, and one day surprised me with a telescope. He was truly a good person. He was my soulmate, someone who truly gave of himself. He never said a bad word about anyone. He was just so loved, I feel like he is still here."
Bennett was a stepfather and dear friend to Monica's children, Thomas Brown, 28, and Joanna Brown, 25. Both Thomas and Joanna have long loved Bennett as their father.
Together, Bennett and Monica had a son, Jeremiah, 11, whom the family calls Larry's greatest gift to the world. "He was a terrific father," Monica said. "Jerry was the most important thing in his life. Larry was meant to be a father," said Monica.
Bennett and Jeremiah were a team to be reckoned with. The father and son duo shared a love of skiing, specifically para-skiing, an extreme sport for which skiers are dropped off by helicopter at the top of a slope, skis on and ready to hit the slopes. The sport combined Bennett's love for skydiving and skiing.
As a trained Army paratrooper, Bennett had taken home his love for the sport. In his lifetime, he acquired 10 hours of free-fall time and nearly 1,000 sky dives.
Bennett served in Vietnam for 18 months. There, he flew more than 25 rescue missions and was a sergeant in the U.S. Army's First Infantry Division. After the death of his best friend, Bennett was asked to return to the U.S. to be a pole-bearer. He was not called back into war. Monica sometimes wonders if this chance homecoming allowed Bennett a longer life.
For his service in the U.S. Army, he received many accolades, including the Bronze Star, the Air Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal. To most of his family, friends and colleagues, he spoke of none of his honors.
In recent years, Bennett became a member of the Veterans of the Vietnam War, the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
At his funeral, Herbert Friedman of the Veterans of Foreign Wars acknowledged not only Bennett's bravery and spirit, but his modesty. Upon acceptance into the veterans' organization, Bennett filled out a standard emergency form about his military career. Friedman recalls that Bennett did not mention one medal on that form. It wasn't until after his death that both Friedman and Monica came across the many honors bestowed to Bennett.
In a eulogy, Friedman said, "How rare it is for a man to have won all of those medals and not even mention them. One in a million. His battle is now over, and he joins his fellow Vietnam veterans."
Bennett wore a Combat Infantry Badge. According to Friedman, the badge signifies that the individual stood in battle as an infantryman and risked his life for his nation.
Monica once asked her husband about this badge and his modesty. She said, "Larry told me that when you're the real thing, it doesn't matter who has what. He believed that all of the veterans did their best, and they all deserved honors."
Daughter Joanna is thankful for the role that Bennett played in their family. She believes that Bennett brought a sense of logic and reason into her and her brothers' lives.
"He really made us a family," Joanna said.
Perhaps the truest testament of his devotion to his wife and family, Joanna recalls the way Bennett cared for Monica after she was diagnosed with cancer nearly three years ago.
In the eulogy she delivered for her stepfather, Joanna said, "He took care of her. Larry's dedication to my mother through sickness and health has been outstanding. He lived to please her. She was his sun, moon and stars. Perhaps that's why he made certain she had that telescope."
Comments about this story? JlaLima@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 234
