{"id":695,"date":"2018-02-18T03:23:42","date_gmt":"2018-02-18T03:23:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/toddshistory.com\/?p=695"},"modified":"2018-02-18T03:23:42","modified_gmt":"2018-02-18T03:23:42","slug":"benny-hilburn-his-life-is-one-of-service-to-his-god-his-country-and-his-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toddshistory.com\/?p=695","title":{"rendered":"BENNY HILBURN – HIS LIFE IS ONE OF SERVICE TO HIS GOD, HIS COUNTRY AND HIS COMMUNITY"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0 ENSIGN HILBURN 1968\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 BENNY HILBURN 2018<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was early 1968, and thousands of enemy troops surrounded a fire base in South Vietnam. As his aircraft flew at low altitude dropping sensors over the area, the young naval officer knew the North Vietnamese were equipped with several types of anti-aircraft weapons. At the height his US Navy P2V Neptune\u00a0was flying, rifle fire could also easily reach it. However, his biggest fear was not the enemy. The crew had just received a warning notice. B52 Stratofortresses were inbound, and soon would be directly over the battlefield. From 30,000 feet, thousands of pounds of deadly ordinance would be dropping on targets. It was time to get out of the way.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m getting ahead of myself, so I\u2019ll start at the beginning.<\/p>\n

Benny Hilburn was born in Ft. Worth, Texas in 1943. He was the son of Ben Bazzel Hilburn and Pauline (Stringer) Hilburn. Benny\u2019s dad was manager of a Swift poultry plant, and Benny spent his first five years of life in Yoakum, Texas. The Hilburn family moved to Lockhart in 1949. It should come as no surprise that Benny was an active, fun loving kid. He was a Cub Scout, and played trombone in the high school band.<\/p>\n

Upon graduation from Lockhart High School in 1961, Benny attended Texas A&M. Benny\u2019s dad and two uncles were Texas Aggies. It only made sense that Benny attend there too.<\/p>\n

He was a proud member of the Fightin\u2019 Texas Aggie Band, a military unit within Texas A&M\u2019s Corps \"\"<\/a>of Cadets, and the world\u2019s largest military marching band. At A&M, the first two years of Army or Air Force ROTC was compulsory. Benny was determined to be an aviator, and figured the Navy gave him the best shot at attaining that goal. He took advantage of a program allowing him to enlist in the Navy while still attending college, anticipating qualifying for its pilot program.<\/p>\n

His wish came true. After completion of the Navy\u2019s Officer Candidate School, the newly minted ensign was selected for flight training, receiving his wings in December 1966. Ensign Hilburn qualified on a variety of aircraft, including the T34 and T28.\u00a0 Multi-engine training on the Grumman S2 followed at<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Benny\u2019s mom proudly pins on his aviator\u2019s wings<\/em><\/strong> \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Corpus Christi Naval Air Station. Benny qualified on aircraft carrier takeoffs and \u2018traps\u2019 (landings) on the reconfigured World War II aircraft carrier, the U.S.S. Lexington.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Lieutenant (j.g.) Hilburn\u2019s next duty station was Naval Air Station Lemoore, where he was introduced to one of the era\u2019s toughest warbirds. Even though the 1960s was well into the jet age, the Navy continued to fly many aircraft whose vintages reached back to World War II. The A-1 \"\"<\/a>Skyraider <\/em>was one of these. This aircraft was a beast. Developed too late to see action in World War II, the SPAD, <\/em>as it was nicknamed, was the Marine and Navy workhorse of the Korean War. \u00a0The plane could put fear into an uninitiated pilot. Its 2700 horsepower radial engine was so powerful that the pilot very quickly learned to \u2018lead with rudder.\u2019 If he didn\u2019t, the consequences could be catastrophic, as the aircraft would do a \u2018torque roll,\u2019 that is, turn around its propeller. Benny recalls that \u201cmy right leg became very<\/em> strong.\u201d The A-1 was a close air support aircraft in Vietnam, eventually being turned over to the South Vietnamese. Its ability to linger over the battlefield, carrying 8000 pounds of ordinance on its fifteen hardpoints made it a welcome sight to troops in combat.<\/p>\n

However, flying close air combat support wasn\u2019t in the cards for the young aviator. While training on the A-1, a new squadron came looking for pilots. Observation Squadron (VO) 67 had just been created. It used heavily modified P2V Neptune anti-submarine aircraft. VO-67\u2019s future mission was secret. \u201cI asked where it was going, and they said they couldn\u2019t tell me,\u201d Benny recalls. Twenty-\"\"<\/a>three years old, and with the invincibility of youth, it sounded like a grand adventure. He volunteered immediately.<\/p>\n

By 1966, the North Vietnamese (NVA) were moving massive amounts of equipment and personnel into South Vietnam. The powers-that-be had declared Hanoi and its harbor facilities at Haiphong off limits to bombing and mining, so plans were made to interdict enemy movement along a series of hidden routes dubbed the \u2018Ho Chi Minh Trail.\u2019 The quickest solution to finding the enemy was to use aircraft already capable of detecting hidden movement and sound. The Navy, with its anti-submarine technology, was the only branch of service with that capability. VO-67\u2019s mission was born.<\/p>\n

The heavily modified and newly armored Neptunes were \"\"<\/a>secretly flown to Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Base. Nakhon Phanom was chosen because it was hard up against the Mekong River, Thailand\u2019s border with the country of Laos, ostensibly \u2018neutral\u2019 and thus off-limits to United States combat missions. They immediately began the use of converted sonobuoys, dubbed \u2018acoubuoys,\u2019 and other devices.<\/p>\n

There, VO-67\u2019s twelve crews and a large number of ground personnel went to war. \u201cWhen we arrived,\u201d Benny says, \u201cit was primitive. The runway was short, and they were still using [World War II era interconnecting steel] Marston mats for runways and hard stands. \u201cWe were told that our combat mortality rate was expected to be 75%.\u201d A grim prediction, but one based on reality. By 1967, the NVA had emplaced radar-guided anti-aircraft batteries the length of the Trail. Survivability of the slow moving Neptunes was unknown.<\/p>\n

VO-67 began flying clandestine combat missions in November of \"\"<\/a>1967. Using \u2018Mud River\u2019 as part of their call signs, the twelve crews flew over Laos dropping listening devices in jungles near suspected troop movement areas. Drop altitudes depended on the type of sensor used. Some were released at 2500 feet, some at five hundred feet. The lumbering four engine aircraft wasn\u2019t built for speed. Its two jets and two propeller-driven engines could only push it so fast. If known anti-aircraft batteries were suspected in the area, VO-67\u2019s air crews used terrain masking and the many karst outcroppings to survive missions. As \u2018third pilot\u2019 Benny sat in the nose of the aircraft, bent over a Norden bombsite. When near the target area, he took command of the aircraft, just like a World War II bombardier. \u00a0There was nothing between him and the enemy but Plexiglas.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Then, in January of 1968, communist North Vietnamese besieged Khe Sanh Combat Base, just south of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).\u00a0 As a run-up to, and to distract the South Vietnamese and Americans from the coming Tet Offensive, as many as 40,000 North Vietnamese (NVA) soon were in the mountainous area, cutting the base off from normal supply routes. Life in the surrounded base for the Marines, Army and Air Force personnel was extremely dangerous. There was a very real risk that the base would be overrun. VO-67\u2019s mission changed. Flying low-level missions, its aircraft dropped different types of sensors to get \u2018real-time\u2019 fixes on where the enemy was massing. Based on these sensors, fighter-bombers were directed with their deadly ordnance against the well-hidden enemy.<\/p>\n

Benny Hilburn reflected that \u201cI wasn\u2019t afraid of getting shot down.\"\"<\/a> There were so many aircraft in the air in Khe Sanh\u2019s defense, I was afraid of a mid-air collision!\u201d However, an even greater fear was being in the area when the B52 Stratofortresses, begin unloading their payloads as close as two hundred meters from the Base perimeter. \u201cWe were given five minutes to clear the area,\u201d he recounts. \u201cYou did not want to be around anywhere near when their bombs were falling through the air.\u2019<\/p>\n

In the minds of Khe Sanh\u2019s defenders, and in those of many who have studied the battle, VO-67\u2019s efforts at finding where the enemy was, so it could be destroyed, was instrumental in the ultimate relief of the combat base.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a>For nine months, Lt (j.g) Hilburn flew missions over the jungles of Laos and Viet Nam. While his aircraft was occasionally hit by small arms fire, his crew survived unscathed. Others weren\u2019t so lucky. Between January 11, 1968 and February 27, 1968, VO-67 lost nine men in each of Crews 2 and 5, and the pilot and one crewmen of Crew 7 to enemy fire or navigational errors.\u00a0\u00a0 \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

VO-67\u2019s duties were taken over by newer, faster aircraft, and the squadron was de-commissioned in 1968. A richly deserved Presidential Unit Citation was not awarded until 2008, after VO-67\u2019s remarkable story was finally declassified.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A long overdue Presidential Unit Citation<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Rotating back to the United States, Lieutenant (s.g.) Benny Hilburn filled out his \u2018dream\u2019 sheet for his next assignment Unlike many, he actually did receive an assignment that turned out to be a dream. \u00a0For the remainder of his Navy career, Benny was assigned to a squadron at Norfolk, Virginia, ferrying all types of aircraft around the United States. It was aviator heaven.<\/p>\n

By November 1969, the United States was reducing the size of its military. Lieutenant (s.g.) Hilburn, after five amazing years, decided to leave active service. In 1970, and in part because of his love for aviation, Benny went to work for the Federal Aviation Administration, commonly referred to as the FAA. \u00a0While assigned to Corpus Christi, Benny met a beautiful young Oklahoman, who was working as a medical technician. They married on December 29, 1972 (and not in January of 1973, as she had planned), because Benny wanted to get the tax deduction for 1972!<\/p>\n

Linda and Benny are the proud parents of three children: Melissa, David, and Alison. They also have seven grandchildren.<\/p>\n

Benny\u2019s FAA assignments included Dallas-Ft.Worth, Midland, San Antonio, Lubbock, Enid, (and after the 1981 strike by controllers, he was assigned on an emergency basis back to DFW while the family remained in Enid), Ft. Worth Regional, Houston Intercontinental, and Austin.<\/p>\n

Benny and his family returned to Lockhart in 1990, where he and his wife Linda raised their son and two daughters, David, Melissa and Allison.\u00a0 Benny continued to work with the FAA in a management capacity, to include a position requiring the government\u2019s highest security clearance. Benny\u2019s skills and leadership proved invaluable to the FAA in administrative areas, particularly after 9\/11. Traveling between Tacoma, Washington and Panama City, Florida, he coordinated airspace designs to ensure safety for the United States President when on Air Force One. In 2007, he finished out his illustrious career at Randolph Air Force Base as FAA liaison with the Air Force training command.<\/p>\n

Retirement did not slow Hilburn down. He just quit getting a paycheck. His service to his church and community just got even busier. What does this \u2018retired\u2019 person do today? Where do I start?<\/p>\n

Benny serves as a deacon at First Lockhart Baptist Church. He\u2019s also sat on many committees, notably as chairman for Long Range Planning. He meets with men of various denominations weekly as part of a men\u2019s Bible study.<\/p>\n

He has served in many capacities with the Lockhart Kiwanis Club. Many Saturdays will find him building wheelchair ramps. These ramps liberate the physically and mentally challenged, allowing them to enter and leave their homes safely. Usually the first to arrive and last to leave the club\u2019s weekly meeting, he sets up the meeting room, and cleans up the tables. The club\u2019s annual Five K Stampede relies on him to coordinate its sign-up system, and place directional and safety signs.<\/p>\n

Benny volunteers in many capacities at Chisholm Trail Roundup. He\u2019s always on the Meals on Wheels sign-up sheet, for both Kiwanis and<\/em> his church. He recently finished up two unopposed terms on the Lockhart City Council. He was universally acknowledged as a non-partisan, level-headed, conscientious representative of his community.<\/p>\n

In his \u2018spare\u2019 time, Benny volunteers to transport people to doctors\u2019 visits and the airport. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

In January 2018, in recognition of his selfless service, he was named Lockhart\u2019s Most Worthy Citizen by the Lockhart Chamber of Commerce.<\/p>\n

Benny is deeply devoted in his faith and love for his God, his family, and community in his willingness to help others. Unfailingly kind and generous, this most remarkable American continues to be a blessing to Caldwell County. And, he is a lot of fun to be around.<\/p>\n

If you can slow him down long enough, be sure to thank Benny Hilburn for his service to his country.<\/p>\n

Todd Blomerth 2\/2018<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 ENSIGN HILBURN 1968\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 BENNY HILBURN 2018 It was early 1968, and thousands of enemy troops surrounded a fire base in South Vietnam. As his aircraft flew at low altitude dropping sensors over the area, the young naval officer knew the North Vietnamese were equipped with several types of anti-aircraft weapons. At the height his … Continue reading BENNY HILBURN – HIS LIFE IS ONE OF SERVICE TO HIS GOD, HIS COUNTRY AND HIS COMMUNITY<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-695","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-veterans-stories","category-vietnam"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/toddshistory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/695","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/toddshistory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/toddshistory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toddshistory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toddshistory.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=695"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/toddshistory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/695\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":715,"href":"https:\/\/toddshistory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/695\/revisions\/715"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/toddshistory.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=695"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toddshistory.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=695"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toddshistory.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=695"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}