By Troy Turner
Medal of Honor recipient Bennie Adkins of Opelika thought much of his Army Special Forces brotherhood, and that’s why his medal will rest with them, his family said.
Adkins, an Oklahoma native who lived much of his life in Opelika and worked in Auburn, passed away from complications with COVID-19 in 2020 at the age of 86.
He received his Medal of Honor in 2014 for heroic actions taken in a 1966 battle during the Vietnam War. His family in September provided the medal for display at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
“It was a profound honor to bestow my dad’s Medal of Honor upon the Special Forces Association Chapter 38, where it will forever inspire future generations at the 5th Special Forces Group – Airborne in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where it will proudly be enshrined,” his daughter, Mary Ann Adkins Blake, said in a Facebook post shortly after a ceremony unveiling the display.
She later shared with AlaDefense.com that placing the medal there is what her father would have wanted.
“We know that would be his and my mother’s wish and the most obvious place for it to be displayed,” she said.
“Dad was not stationed at Fort Campbell, as the 5th Group was at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, at the time,” she explained.
After attending Airborne School, Adkins volunteered for Special Forces in 1961. He served with the Special Forces for more than 13 years with the 7th, 3rd, 6th and 5th Special Forces Groups (Airborne).
While in the Special Forces, he deployed to the Republic of Vietnam for three non-consecutive tours. His first tour lasted from February-August 1963; his second tour from September 1965 to September 1966. After recovering from his combat injuries sustained in 1966, he returned for his final Vietnam tour January-December 1971.
After leaving military service, Adkins earned his bachelor’s degree from Troy State University in 1979, and then a master’s degree in education in 1982, and a second master’s degree in management in 1988, also from Troy State.
Simultaneous to pursuing his degree programs, he established the Adkins Accounting Service, Inc., in Auburn, serving as its CEO for 22 years. He also taught night classes at Southern Union Junior College for 10 years and at Auburn University for six years.
He and his late wife Mary raised five children.
The citation that recalls his acts of valor and other details about his military service can be found here.
Several Alabama landmarks pay tribute to Adkins by being named after him, including Alabama’s newest veterans’ home, and a bridge in Auburn.
Troy Turner is the editor and senior consultant for AlaDefense.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. His bio can be found here.
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