He posthumously received the Medal of Honor for "conspicuous devotion to duty, extraordinary courage, and complete disregard of his own life."

Bennion was living near Preston, Idaho when he received his acceptance to the United States Naval Academy.

[2] His younger brother Howard Bennion graduated first in his class of 1912 at the United States Military Academy.

Bennion was killed in action during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941, while in command of the battleship USS West Virginia.

Bennion's Medal of Honor citation reads: This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.