Memorial

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Pfc James Bentis enlisted at Fort Devens, Massachusetts on 14 November 1942.

He was widely known in the Greek-American community of Lowell City. He was married and father of a baby boy.

He was awarded the Silver Star Medal. The citation tells about the cold, stark courage displayed in successfully carrying out the dangerous mission assigned him. It reads: "Pfc Bentis, assigned the mission of clearing a road containing road-blocks, mines and boobytraps, accompanied by a comrade moved 200 yards to the front of the leading elements, crawling the last 100 yards under direct enemy observation. In addition to the intense mortar and artillery fire falling on the road the enemy was protecting the roadblock with fire from two machine guns placed 200 yards to the rear of the obstacle. After reaching the road-block Pfc Bentis worked one and one-half hours under heavy enemy fire, inching his way from mine to mine, removing them with his trench knife. He succeeded in clearing the road of 40 anti-tank mines and a large number of booby traps."

Pfc Bentis was also awarded the Bronze Star Medal posthumously for clearing a particularly dangerous mine field in France on 13 August 1944.

The story that accompanies some of the photographs:

It's 4 September 1944. Kortrijk emerged from World War II severely damaged. The city center had been bombed repeatedly, and hundreds of civilians had died. The residents were euphoric when they suddenly spotted two American soldiers. Lt Walter Goodman and his driver, James Bentis, drove into the Grote Markt. The people of Kortrijk thought they were the first liberators and welcomed them as heroes. Goodman and Bentis were carried into the town hall on shoulders and signed the Golden Book.

Until suddenly, the realization dawned that the two had simply taken the wrong turn. They were supposed to be in Doornik (Tournai), but they confused Tournai with Courtrai (Kortrijk). At that moment, there were still quite a few German soldiers in our city. Not much later, a German convoy even drove toward the Grote Markt. Fortunately, the revelers and the Americans managed to escape in time... and a photographer captured the scene. Only two days later the British liberate Kortrijk.