Undated, unidentified clipping in a scrapbook at the Saranac Lake Veteran's Club.Born: c. 1925
Died: February 15, 2011
Married: Patricia J. Wilson (died December 8, 2018)
Col. Harold F. Bentz, Jr., known as "Brick," was the son of Harold and Amelia Bentz of 6 Old Military Road. He was a World War II veteran.
He graduated from Saranac Lake High School in 1942 and then earned a B.S. degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1946 and a Master of Arts in political science from Tulane University in New Orleans in 1954.
Starting in 1946 as a second lieutenant of infantry, he served in the U.S. Army for thirty years, retiring in 1976. During his military career, Col. Bentz held staff assignments from platoon level to the staffs of Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Secretary of Defense. He was first assigned as a platoon leader in the 21st Infantry, 24th Division located at Kumamoto on the island of Kyushu Japan in 1947. The next year he served as the legal and government officer with the Nagasaki Military Government Team overseeing the Prefecture of Nagasaki during the military occupation of Japan. He later returned to the 21st Infantry as a Company Commander.
Upon his return to the U.S., Col. Bentz was named company commander in the 14th Regimental Combat Team (Mountain), the last remaining ski troops following World War II, at Fort Carson, Colorado. His next assignment was as a battalion operations officer in the 30th Infantry Regiment at Ft. Benning, Georgia. He was then selected for an advanced degree, attending Tulane University, after which he was made instructor at the Special Operations School at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. His next assignment was in Hawaii, where he become plans officer for the 14th Psychological Operations Battalion, which he would later command, moving it to Okinawa. Returning stateside, he was assigned to the staff of the 501st Airborne Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division in Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
In 1961, he was assigned to the staff of the Military Assistance Command in Vietnam. Because of his training and experience in Special Operations in Vietnam, Col. Bentz was selected to join the operations staff (DCSOPS) in the Army headquarters at the Pentagon, and three years later he was elevated to the Special Operations staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, where he served for five years.
In 1967, he joined the 4th Infantry Division in the highlands of Vietnam, where his assignments included the division staff, infantry battalion commander and deputy brigade commander, which position he held during the Tet Offensive of 1968.
For the next four years, Col. Bentz commanded the 7th Psychological Operations Group on Okinawa, responsible for military propaganda operations throughout the Far East and Southeast Asia.
He then joined the staff of the Pacific Command (CINCPAC) in Hawaii. His final assignment before retiring in 1976 was in the office of the secretary of defense at the Pentagon.
Col. Bentz's awards and decorations included the Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters, the Bronze Star with V device for valor, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Vietnam Service Medal with four battle stars, and the Combat Infantry Badge.
Returning to the Adirondacks, he took an interest in community affairs, serving as district commissioner of the Boy Scouts, a board member of Meals on Wheels, a member of Rotary and president and longtime board member of the Saranac Lake Free Library.
Source: Adirondack Daily Enterprise, February 23, 2011
