LITTLE ROCK — The U.S. House on Monday approved a resolution to rename the post office in Perryville after an Arkansan who was the first American prisoner of war killed in the Vietnam War.
The resolution by U.S. Rep. French Hill, R-Little Rock, would rename the post office the Harold George Bennett Post Office.
Bennett, a native of Thornburg, spent 179 days as a POW. He was executed by his captors on June 25, 1965, after three escape attempts.
Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., has filed a companion measure.
“Today we honor Sergeant Bennett’s heroism, bravery, and service by installing a marker of his lasting contribution to his native state and nation he served so ably,” Hill said Monday in a statement. “Duty, honor, country: His example is one all Americans and Arkansans can admire, and I urge my colleagues in the Senate to join Senator Boozman and me in supporting this bill.”