Henry Robert Benefiel (1910 - 2000)

Henry was born May 17, 1910 at 667 Austin St., Los Angeles, CA (later the family moved to E. 36th Place). [Anecdotes: In 1918, at age 8 at his grandfather Herman Cordes’ farm at the Villa Tract, Henry took to “flying” off the barn roof--the first indication of an interest in aviation? In the early 1920’s, Henry taught himself carbon arc welding in the basement of the family home. In junior high, Henry was on the “light-weight (“130 pounders”) football team and had to buy his own shoes. He installed a fence for the next door neighbor (a teacher) in order to earn money for the shoes.] In 1922, the Bissell family (Angelo, Florence, and sons Gil and Bruce) moved in down the street from the Benefiels in San Fernando. They stayed until the completion of the Pacoima Dam in 1930. In 1924, Henry got smallpox, and the Benefiel home was quarantined, with Henry’s mother Marie, his older sister Helen and his younger siblings all confined. He was near death three times, and his mother painstakingly lanced all of his pocks. The house was fumigated. In the fall, he started school at San Fernando High. Gil Bissell played basketball (and became team captain) and Henry played football (half-back, earned letters for three years), and both also did some track. Henry was elected to the Honor Society and was a voracious reader, reading mostly books about patents and inventions. In 1926, Thomas Edison visited San Fernando High to give a talk and Henry was “star-struck”. [Anecdote: Helen remembers that Henry was the first kid to have a crystal set radio, and how magical it was the first time she heard Caruso’s voice through the headphones of Henry’s radio]. In 1927, during the summer of their junior year Henry, Gil, and their friend Nathan Cates all took an extended trip in an old Model-T Ford they had rebuilt. They drove north to visit the California State Fair in Sacramento, the home of Henry’s uncle Charlie Nurnberger in Soquel, California, and then through the Sierras: Nevada City, CA, then Bridgeport, CA (where they spent one night voluntarily in the jail due to the cold), and Yosemite National Park. At San Fernando High, Henry was on the debate team, was elected treasurer and then president of the class, was editor of the annual (entitled the “Orange Blossom”) in 1928. During this time he worked in his father’s business selling soft drinks. Henry graduated in 1928 and attended UCLA as a freshman with undeclared major (close to majoring in biology), was in the Reserve Officer Training Corps. (ROTC), played football, supported the wrestling team, and joined an athletic fraternity (Pi Theta Phi, Lambda Chi Alpha chapter), but the Great Depression came in 1929, and he had to drop out of college to work and help support his family. He went to work initially at the Orange Market in San Fernando, where he rebuilt a truck, then in 1930, he got a mechanic job in a Chrysler dealership shop, but the pay was too low, and after six months, he was able to go to work as a mechanic for his father at the Coca-Cola Company of Los Angeles. He had a motorcycle and was interested in flying. He learned to fly from Roscoe Turner, and acquired his first airplane, a long wing Eagle Rock. He belonged to a local flying club, where one of his fellow members introduced him to a “French girl”, Juliette (“Julie”) Bouvin from Eastview, Ontario, Canada. Henry and Julie were married in 1931. Henry’s sister Helen and her husband Morgan Hill served as the witnesses to the civil ceremony. In July, 1931, he needed to sell the plane and arranged to do so to a flying club in Fallon, Nevada, where he flew the plane and received $750 down on a promise of $1500 (he never received the rest, but just an old car and $40 cash). Earl Henry (“Bud”) Benefiel was born March 26, 1932. Henry and Julie were living in Henry’s brother Fred’s wife Lois’ mother’s house in Sunland, CA. After Earl’s birth, they moved to occupy one of the outbuildings (“chicken house”) of Henry’s parents home (the “Rock house”) in Little Tujunga Canyon, CA. Henry had acquired a second airplane (experimental design), which was parked next to this dwelling. They only remained in these circumstances a couple of months, then Henry sold the second airplane and they rented a house on South Central Avenue in Los Angeles. Henry returned to work at the production department at Coca-Cola Los Angeles. In 1933, Henry raced cars (model B Fords) for a time at Jim Jeffrey’s Burbank, CA race track. [Anecdote: his sister Helen witnessed some of these races, including one in which she thought he had been killed (it was another driver). She was very glad this was a short-lived enthusiasm of Henry’s.] Henry, Julie and Earl moved several times during the ensuing years. Julie and Earl went to Canada to visit her relatives every summer. In 1937-38, Julie took singing lessons in Hollywood from ex-opera star Beatrice Mackenzie, but unfortunately suffered stage fright and was unable to perform in front of an audience. In late 1939-41, Henry developed ideas, in collaboration with his boss, Lawrence Sinz, for several patents on bottling machinery that was used by the George J. Meyer Company in their equipment. The proceeds paid for a house they purchased in the Atwater District (LeClete Avenue) in Los Angeles. [Anecdote: Helen visited the three of them at this house and everyone got violently ill because Henry (pursuing one of his invention schemes) was boiling mercury in the kitchen.] Henry saw an ad in a magazine for starting one’s own bullfrog farm (for marketing frog legs to restaurants) and sent off to Louisiana for bullfrogs and started the farm in the backyard of the LeClete Ave. house. When the neighbors complained of the noise, he moved the frog farm to a location in Pico-Rivera, CA, but eventually poachers stole all his frogs. In January, 1942, Henry joined the California State Guard and served as a sergeant. He had wanted to be a pilot in the war effort, and went down to the recruiting office in Los Angeles at the same time as actor Jackie Coogan. They were interested in 18-22 year olds with at least one year of college, both Henry (age 32) and Coogan were too old, and were turned down. He later returned to enquire about an ad regarding glider pilot training, and ended up being sworn in. His enlistment serial number was #19091371, starting as a Pfc. In July, 1942, Julie and her friend Margaret Bissell (nee Encell) drove Henry to March Field in Riverside, CA, for his initial intake. In august, 1942, he was assigned to Fort MacArthur in san Pedro, CA where uniforms were issued, physical exams and vaccinations performed. Then Henry took the ‘Red car’ back to March Field, where he was classified as a refrigeration engineer. From there to Twentynine Palms, CA for primary flight training in single seat Taylorcraft airplanes without engines to simulate gliders. He had three different tow pilots in three months and ended up being promoted to staff sergeant. Next, from November to December, 1942, he was transferred to Fort Sumner, New Mexico (the base was just being built) where he was classified as a welder. Next to Big Springs, Texas, near Amarillo, from January to March, 1943 for intensive flying in Piper Cubs and Taylorcraft (Henry was the first night-flying trainee). From there from March to May, 1943 to George Air Base in Victorville, California, where he became a flight instructor on real cargo gliders, and became a flight officer (#T-587 rank). From there to Bowman Field in Louisville, Kentucky from June to July, 1943 for more day and night flying and landing (Julie and Earl visited for a week during this time). Next, in August to September, 1943, he went to Fort Mackall in North Carolina for combat training, which consisted of flying with paratroops on board the glider. [Anecdote: Henry witnessed fatal accidents involving paratroops and gliders during this phase of training.] Then in October, 1943, he went to Alliance, Nebraska, where he was assigned to his group and squadron: 94th Troop Carrier Squadron, 439th Troop Carrier Group [Note: 4 squadrons = 1 group. Every squadron had 12 planes + 12 gliders, but Henry never had more than 11 planes in his squadron. He sold his 1932 Ford in Nebraska.] Next, in November and December of 1943, he went to Pope Field, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, which was a staging area where they kept flying practice. [Anecdote: Henry had an accident in which, due to his tow rope being incorrectly placed, his glider cut loose over pine forest. He and his co-pilot escaped with minor injuries. The next day, an OSS interrogation required them to find the tow rope.] He was back on leave to Los Angeles over Christmas (hitched a ride with a Major Evans in a C-47). In January, 1944, he was assigned to New York City, where his unit boarded a troop ship (an ex-German ocean liner) called the SS George Washington which left in a convoy bound for Liverpool. At Liverpool, they were transferred by train to Uppotery near Nottingham, from February, 1944 until D-Day (June 6, 1944). On D-Day, Henry was assigned to the second wave of gliders. They never flew during the invasion, but were retained for later. On June 15, 1944, Henry was assigned to take heavy equipment (ground) for a whole battle group across the English Channel in a Landing Ship tank (LST). They landed on Omaha Beach, after the action. [Anecdote: The first night Henry slept on a tractor, and the next morning discovered that overnight, he had lost two of his men, who had gotten Calvados liquor from a local farmer that was apparently poisonous, and they died.] The 94th TC was assigned to base at Chateau Dun, Normandy, where they remained during July and August of 1944, and Henry was made a second lieutenant via field commission while there. After this, Henry and two squadrons were redeployed via Marrakech, Morocco, to Orbitello, Italy (They were low on gas and just made it to Marrakech). In Orbitello, 50 miles north of Rome, they were there to mount an invasion into southern France, to be called Operation Dragoon. On august 15, 1944, they landed in Argens Valley, Lamotte, France (Champagne region). This was a diversionary action. There was a tactical error with a release of gliders. In Henry’s glider there were 14 Japanese-American soldiers and one Caucasian officer (They were a chemical warfare unit), with one large mortar plus four shells with chemical weapons. They got out in a C-47 bound for Corsica, then back to Orbitello. Around September 1, 1944, they returned to Chateau Dun to prepare for Operation Market Garden. From September 17 to 30, 1944, some 2596 gliders (697 British Horsas and 1899 US CG4A Wacos) started in Beck, Holland, with glider pilots and airborne infantry looking for an entrance over the Rhine, which would be the first Allied (combined British and American) ground penetration into Germany. Incidents during Market Garden: In the transition from Chateau dun to the Channel to Beck, Lt. Col. Joseph Black was Henry’s CO. Black got a leg shot off when an ammunition ship exploded under his plane. Henry Wolf, an American Jew who spoke German, was Henry’s passenger on his glider, Wolf was to function as an interrogator. Henry was involved in a shoot out on a German base, took surrender of 300 Germans from a bombed out train, the last of whom was an SS Major. Wolf made him dig his “grave” in order to intimidate him into providing them passports and ID. On Sept. 17-18, 1944, a British Army unit encountered four German armored Panzer divisions at Arnhem, at the fifth bridge. Henry and other troops in his unit lived in foxholes for ten days or more, they were surrounded, continuously exposed to the sound of “screaming meemies”, lived on C rations and rain water, eventually additional supplies were parachuted in. On Sept. 28, US Army trucks (with Black drivers) drove in, picked them up, and returned them to the Rhine, a distance of about 20 miles. The Remagen Bridge, the third bridge, wasn’t blown up, it formed an Allied bridgehead. On Sept. 30, Henry’s unit was back at Chateau Dun, where they stayed until Christmas. [Anecdote: they had an “upside down Christmas tree”.] On December 24, Henry had to work all night loading armor. They had not put his name on the list for duty over Bastogne, considered to be a “milk run”, so he didn’t go. Two weeks later, only one pilot had returned out of eleven. Henry’s unit was idle after the Battle of the Bulge until March 24, 1945, when he was involved with a “twin tow” (short tow + long tow on same tow plane) to Wesel as part of the final invasion sequence in Germany. Henry had become part of the 93rd TCC Group by special request of the commander. Henry was on the “long tow” with the commander’s jeep accompanying the commander’s gun on the “short tow”. Henry’s glider had come to a stop on the ground (His co-pilot was a power pilot). They smashed their way out with their guns. Henry took aim and fired into the flashes of light that firing was coming at them from, and it stopped. Later he saw a teenage boy, dead, who may likely have been their assailant. They encountered a fellow glider pilot who had been badly injured (cut open in front), whom they dusted with Sulfa powder. Henry was later awarded the Bronze Star for his actions at Wesel. In April, 1945, Henry was involved in flying C-47s in humanitarian missions, moving supplies to hospitals and displaced persons, including concentration camp internees, to Belgium and France. After V-E Day, they returned to Britain, for transportation back to the US. Henry became a First Lieutenant at this time. They were all told that they were going to be re-organized and sent to fight in the Japanese theater of operations, but then the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and all had a tremendous sense of relief. Henry flew back to the US in a B-24. During the war, Julie and Earl had stayed at La Clete Avenue in Los Angeles. When Henry returned from the war, Julie had become unhappy with him, so he walked out. Margaret Bissell (nee Encell), Julie’s friend at the time, suggested that Julie get a divorce, and Margaret served as the formal “witness to infidelity” (legal requirement at the time) for the proceedings. In 1946, the divorce became final and Julie and Earl went to live in San Fernando. Henry knew Margaret from high school and had been connected socially with both Gil and Margaret during the 1930s. As Margaret’s marriage was also on the rocks at this time, Henry began going out with Margaret.

Henry Robert Benefiel: in 1945, after leaving the service, was initially involved with a partner, Myron Seelemeyer, in a business with a traveling shop for repairing bottling equipment, based in Playa del Rey, CA. Henry’s father, Oscar P. Benefiel, who worked for Arrowhead Bottling Co., helped Henry get a job as production manager of the plant, reporting to its head, Mr. Sheroyne. In 1947, Henry married Margaret and moved into the Lake Street house. By 1950, he was working for Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Los Angeles. In 1951, he attended Coca-Cola training school in Atlanta, GA, and a major Coca-Cola convention in San Francisco, and advanced to become assistant to the production manager, Lawrence Sinz. In 1952, he returned to Arrowhead to become its general manager. Thomas Raymond Benefiel was born Sept. 22, 1953, and the family moved to a larger house at 828 N. Fairview St., Burbank, CA. [Anecdote/recollection by Michael Bissell: At this time, I remember my father grandly announcing one day that he was making the amazing salary of $100/ week (which must have been a lot at the time). Also, this was the time when he traded in the family’s 1949 Ford coupe (the first family car I have any memories of) for a brand-new, factory-ordered two-tone maroon and tan 1953 DeSoto V-8 four-door sedan with hemispherical head, a car that could travel at 100 mph (tested on desert roads). It was truly a heady time for him.] In 1955, Henry left Arrowhead on good terms in order to start his own business, Santa Cola Bottling Co., Burbank, CA. He undertook this with a silent partner, Cliff Mueller, who had been a member of the same military unit in the War, and another partner named Norcross, a mechanic from Arrowhead, who, however, was apparently murdered by his father-in-law, before the venture began. They leased the small plant from a Charlie Guth. Between 1955-1960, Henry worked extremely hard to make a go of the business, employing Margaret as bookkeeper, his two sons Mike and Bob, as well as his nephew Chuck Benefiel and Margaret’s nephew Leslie Encell, but Henry personally did most of the work, not only of production and plant maintenance, but also of distribution and marketing, bottling two days a week and driving his route the remainder of the time. Henry eventually became anemic from the overwork sold the business to a company called Valley Seltzer (the sale included a noncompete clause under which Henry agreed not to independently produce soft drinks in the Los Angeles area). In 1960, Henry saw an ad in a bottler’s magazine for a position with Gail Hummel at the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Tucson, AZ, and applied. He was accepted for the position and that year the family moved there (at first to a rented home on Florence St., then to a very modern ranch-style house with a swimming pool on Towner St. on the East side). In 1962, Norton Canning Co. of Phoenix called Henry about the possibility of his joining them as General Manager, so he left Coca-Cola Tucson to join them, and the family moved to Scottsdale, AZ. It was at Norton that Henry met and worked with Harry Phillips, who became his assistant. Business at Norton Canning, however, was bad and after a number of technical problems, Henry was fired. He returned to Tucson in 1963 to work for Hummel at Coca-Cola, and oversaw the move of the operation to a new plant. In 1968, Howard Phillips of Albuquerque, NM, bought Tucson Coca-Cola from Hummel and Henry was reassigned to Albuquerque. After trying this for a time, Henry concluded that this arrangement would not work, so he returned to Tucson Coca-Cola and was then laid off. In 1969, Henry went work at R.C. Cola of Phoenix. Later that year, Henry was sent to R.C. Cola Los Angeles, and he moved there on a temporary basis, taking son Robert with him. He managed the plant’s night crew for three months during a strike. In 1970, Henry took a job at Kalil Bottling Co., of Tucson, setting up their canning plant operations in Tucson. Henry retired from the Kalil Co., and came to Casa Grande, AZ, where he worked for the Casa Grande Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. for 10 months. In 1979, the family moved from Tucson to a small house, which they partially rebuilt, off Trekell Rd. in the desert outside Casa Grande.