Roy Benavidez

Raul (Roy) Perez Benavidez
Place of burial	Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Rank	Master Sergeant
Unit	Military Assistance Command, Vietnam Studies and Observations Group (MACVSOG)
Battles/wars	Vietnam War
Awards	Medal of Honor Purple Heart Texas Legislative Medal of Honor (partial list)
Other work	two autobiographical works

Raul (Roy) Perez Benavidez (August 5, 1935 – November 29, 1998) was a member of the Studies and Observations Group of the United States Army. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in combat near Loc Ninh, South Vietnam on May 2, 1968.

Childhood and early life

Benavidez was born in Lindenau near Cuero, Texas in DeWitt County. His parents were of Mexican and Yaqui Indian ancestry. When he was two years old, his father died of tuberculosis and his mother remarried. Five years later, his mother died from tuberculosis. Benavidez and his younger brother, Roger, moved to El Campo, where their grandfather, uncle, and aunt raised them along with eight cousins.

Benavidez shined shoes at the local bus station, labored on farms in Texas and Colorado, and worked at a tire shop in El Campo. He attended school sporadically, and at the age 15 he dropped out to work full-time to help support the family.

Military career

In 1952, during the Korean War, Benavidez enlisted the Texas Army National Guard. In June 1955, he enlisted in the regular United States Army. He married Hilaria Coy in 1959, the year he completed his airborne training and was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg. In 1965 he was sent to South Vietnam as an advisor to an ARVN infantry regiment. He stepped on a land mine during a patrol and was evacuated to the United States, where doctors at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) thought he would never walk again. Despite serious injury to his spine, Benavidez walked out of the hospital in July 1966, his wife at his side.

Benavidez returned to Fort Bragg to begin training for the elite Studies and Observations Group (SOG). Despite continuing pain from by his wounds, he became a member of the 5th Special Forces Group and returned to South Vietnam in January 1968. On May 2, 1968, a 12-man Special Forces team was surrounded by a NVA battalion. Benavidez heard the radio appeal for help and boarded a helicopter to respond. Armed only with a knife, he jumped from the helicopter carrying a medical bags and rushed to join the trapped team. Benavidez "distinguished himself by a series of daring and extremely glorious actions... and because of his gallant choice to join voluntarily his comrades who were in critical straits, to expose himself constantly to withering enemy fire, and his refusal to be stopped despite numerous severe wounds, saved the lives of at least eight men." (see medal citation below)

Nearly dead from a total of 37 separate bayonet, bullet and shrapnel wounds received on multiple occasions over the course of the six hour fight between the 13 men and an enemy battalion[1], Benavidez was evacuated once again to Brooke Army Medical Center, where he eventually recovered. For his heroism, the Army awarded him the Distinguished Service Cross.

In 1973, after more detailed accounts became available, Special Forces Lieutenant Colonel Ralph R. Drake insisted that Benavidez receive the Medal of Honor. By then, however, the time limit on the medal had expired. An appeal to Congress resulted in an exemption for Benavidez, but the Army Decorations Board still denied him the Medal of Honor. The board required an eyewitness account from someone present during the action, but Benavidez thought that no others were alive who had been at the "Six Hours in Hell."

In 1980, however, Brian O'Connor, a radioman in the attacked Special Forces team, provided a ten-page report of the engagement. O'Connor had been severely wounded (Benavidez had believed him dead), and was evacuated to the United States before his superiors could fully debrief him. O'Connor learned that Benavidez was alive by chance. He had been living in the Fiji Islands and was on holiday in Australia when he read a newspaper account of Benavidez from an El Campo newspaper. It had been picked up by the international press and reprinted in Australia. O'Connor soon contacted his old friend and submitted his report, confirming the accounts already provided by others and providing the missing eyewitness.

On February 24, 1981, President Ronald Reagan presented Roy Benavidez the Medal of Honor. Reagan reportedly turned to the press and said: "If the story of his heroism were a movie script, you would not believe it". He then read the official award citation.

Medal of Honor citation

BENAVIDEZ, ROY P. Rank and organization: Master Sergeant. Organization: Detachment B-56, 5th Special Forces Group, Republic of Vietnam Place and date: West of Loc Ninh on May 2, 1968 Entered service at: Houston, Texas June 1955 Born: August 5, 1935, DeWitt County, Cuero, Texas. Citation:

File:Benavidez MOHceremony.jpg

Army Master Sgt. Roy P. Benavidez (center) is flanked by United States Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger (left) and President Ronald Reagan at his Medal of Honor presentation ceremony in 1981.

Master Sergeant (then Staff Sergeant) Roy P. Benavidez United States Army, who distinguished himself by a series of daring and extremely valorous actions on 2 May 1968 while assigned to Detachment B56, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, Republic of Vietnam. On the morning of 2 May 1968, a 12-man Special Forces Reconnaissance Team was inserted by helicopters in a dense jungle area west of Loc Ninh, Vietnam to gather intelligence information about confirmed large-scale enemy activity. This area was controlled and routinely patrolled by the North Vietnamese Army. After a short period of time on the ground, the team met heavy enemy resistance, and requested emergency extraction. Three helicopters attempted extraction, but were unable to land due to intense enemy small arms and anti-aircraft fire. Sergeant Benavidez was at the Forward Operating Base in Loc Ninh monitoring the operation by radio when these helicopters returned to off-load wounded crewmembers and to assess aircraft damage. Sergeant Benavidez voluntarily boarded a returning aircraft to assist in another extraction attempt. Realizing that all the team members were either dead or wounded and unable to move to the pickup zone, he directed the aircraft to a nearby clearing where he jumped from the hovering helicopter, and ran approximately 75 meters under withering small arms fire to the crippled team. Prior to reaching the team's position he was wounded in his right leg, face, and head. Despite these painful injuries, he took charge, repositioning the team members and directing their fire to facilitate the landing of an extraction aircraft, and the loading of wounded and dead team members. He then threw smoke canisters to direct the aircraft to the team's position. Despite his severe wounds and under intense enemy fire, he carried and dragged half of the wounded team members to the awaiting aircraft. He then provided protective fire by running alongside the aircraft as it moved to pick up the remaining team members. As the enemy's fire intensified, he hurried to recover the body and classified documents on the dead team leader. When he reached the leader's body, Sergeant Benavidez was severely wounded by small arms fire in the abdomen and grenade fragments in his back. At nearly the same moment, the aircraft pilot was mortally wounded, and his helicopter crashed. Although in extremely critical condition due to his multiple wounds, Sergeant Benavidez secured the classified documents and made his way back to the wreckage, where he aided the wounded out of the overturned aircraft, and gathered the stunned survivors into a defensive perimeter. Under increasing enemy automatic weapons and grenade fire, he moved around the perimeter distributing water and ammunition to his weary men, reinstilling in them a will to live and fight. Facing a buildup of enemy opposition with a beleaguered team, Sergeant Benavidez mustered his strength, began calling in tactical air strikes and directed the fire from supporting gunships to suppress the enemy's fire and so permit another extraction attempt. He was wounded again in his thigh by small arms fire while administering first aid to a wounded team member just before another extraction helicopter was able to land. His indomitable spirit kept him going as he began to ferry his comrades to the craft. On his second trip with the wounded, he was clubbed with additional wounds to his head and arms before killing his adversary. He then continued under devastating fire to carry the wounded to the helicopter. Upon reaching the aircraft, he spotted and killed two enemy soldiers who were rushing the craft from an angle that prevented the aircraft door gunner from firing upon them. With little strength remaining, he made one last trip to the perimeter to ensure that all classified material had been collected or destroyed, and to bring in the remaining wounded. Only then, in extremely serious condition from numerous wounds and loss of blood, did he allow himself to be pulled into the extraction aircraft. Sergeant Benavidez' gallant choice to join voluntarily his comrades who were in critical straits, to expose himself constantly to withering enemy fire, and his refusal to be stopped despite numerous severe wounds, saved the lives of at least eight men. His fearless personal leadership, tenacious devotion to duty, and extremely valorous actions in the face of overwhelming odds were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service, and reflect the utmost credit on him and the United States Army

Retirement

Despite the severe injuries Sergeant Benavidez sustained in Vietnam, he continued serving the Army and assigned to Fort Riley, Kansas, Fort Devens, Massachusetts, and Fort Sam Houston, Texas. In August 1976 he retired from the United States Army as a Master Sergeant. Benavidez, his wife, and their three children then returned home to El Campo, Texas.

Benavidez devoted his remaining years to the youth of America, speaking to them about the importance of staying in school and getting an education. His message was simple: "An education is the key to success. Bad habits and bad company will ruin you."

In 1983, Benavidez told the press that the Social Security Administration planned to cut off disability payments, as well as the disability payments for thousands of other veterans. He went to Capitol Hill on their behalf and pleaded with the Select Committee on Ageing to abandon their plans, which they finally did.

Benevidez was in demand as a speaker by United States armed forces, schools, military and civic groups, and private businesses. He also spoke in Greece, Panama, Korea, and Japan, where visited American military personnel and even joined them on field exercises. He received complimentary letters from students, service members, and private citizens throughout the world.

He wrote two autobiographical books about his life and military experience. In 1986, he published The Three Wars of Roy Benavidez, which described his struggles growing up as a poor Mexican-American orphan, his military training and combat in Vietnam, and the efforts by others to get recognition for his actions in Vietnam. Benavidez later wrote Medal of Honor: A Vietnam Warrior's Story in 1995.

Death

Roy Benavidez died on November 29, 1998, at the age of 63 at Brooke Army Medical Center from complications of diabetes. His body was escorted to St. Robert Belleramine's Catholic Church, where he had married, where his three children were married, where he worshipped every Sunday. He was then returned to Fort Sam Houston's Main Chapel for a public viewing. Archbishop Patrick Flores of the San Antonio Dioceses presided over a Catholic funeral mass at San Fernando Cathedral located in San Antonio.

Benavidez was buried with full military honors at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.

Awards, honors, and recognitions

Military decorations

Among Benavidez's decorations and medals were the following:

•   Medal of Honor
•   Purple Heart with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters
•   National Defense Service Medal
•   Vietnam Campaign Medal
•   Vietnam Service Medal with 4 campaign stars
•   Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm
•   Texas Legislative Medal of Honor
•   Presidential Unit Citation
•   Combat Infantryman Badge
•   Parachutist badge 2001, Studies and Observations Group
•   Army Special Forces Tab

Honors and recognitions

The Texas National Guard armory in El Campo

USNS Benavidez

• 1981 Texan of the Year
• Honorary Associate in Arts from the New Mexico Military Institute
• Presented Martha Raye with the Presidential Medal of Freedom
• Special USPS Pictorial Cancellation Stamp
• Lifetime Achievement Award from St. Mary's University Alumni Law School in San Antonio, Texas
• Congressional Medal of Honor Memorial in Indianapolis, Indiana
• The Medal of Honor Memorial at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California
• Texas Legislative Medal of Honor
• GI Joe, Roy P. Benavidez Commemorative Edition – Released August 31, 2001 (First Hispanic to be honored.)
• Memorial Bench at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery

There are a number of institutions and buildings that bear Benavidez's name. These include:

• Roy P. Benavidez American Legion Post #400 in San Antonio, Texas
• Roy P. Benavidez Army Reserve Center
• Roy P. Benavidez Artillery Training Area 67 at Fort Sill, Oklahoma
• Roy P. Benavidez City Park in Colorado Springs, Colorado
• Roy P. Benavidez Elementary School in Houston, Texas
• Roy P. Benavidez Elementary School in San Antonio, Texas
• Roy P. Benavidez Foundation, Inc.
• Roy P. Benavidez Military Range at Fort Knox, Kentucky
• Roy P. Benavidez National Guard Armory in El Campo, Texas
• Roy P. Benavidez Scholarship Fund in El Campo
• Roy P. Benavidez Special Operations Logistic Complex at Fort Bragg, North Carolina
• United States Military Academy West Point Saber
• USNS Benavidez, a Bob Hope-class roll on roll off vehicle cargo ship

The conference Room owned and operated by the Department of Military Instruction. Inside the "Benavidez Room" there are signed pictures of MSG Benavidez, the citation from his Medal of Honor, and a G.I. Joe toy created in his likeness. The room is used primarily for planning Cadet Summer Military Training and hosting visitors.

See also

• List of Medal of Honor recipients
• List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Vietnam War
• List of Hispanic Medal of Honor recipients
• Military Assistance Command, Vietnam - Studies and Observations Group

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History.

• "Profiles: Staff Sgt Roy Benavidez". Hispanic Americans in the U.S. Army. U.S. Army. Retrieved March 23, 2010.

• Gilmore, Gerry J. (September 19, 2000). "USNS Benavidez Honors Army Medal of Honor Hero". DefenseLINK News. Department of Defense. Retrieved November 18, 2006.

• Benavidez, Roy P. with John R. Craig (1995). Medal of Honor: A Vietnam Warrior's Story. Brassey's Inc. ISBN 0028810988. LCCN 94027283.

• Benavidez, Roy (1986). The three wars of Roy Benavidez. San Antonio, Texas: Corona Publishing Co. ISBN 0931722586. LCCN 86070715. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |unused_data= (help); Unknown parameter |co-author= ignored (help)

• "A Guide to the Roy P. Benavidez Papers, 1943-2007". The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin.

External links

• Biography on Psywarrior site
• Handbook of Texas Online
• Benavidez' daughter writes about his death from diabetes
• Elder, Daniel K. "Remarkable Sergeants: Ten Vignettes of Noteworthy NCOs", Center for the Advanced Studies of the US Army Noncommissioned Officer, April 30, 2003. (URL accessed on November 8, 2008).
• "Late sergeant's family donates papers to UT". The Daily Texan.
• "Texas War Hero Roy Benavidez Honored in Exhibit at Center for American History". The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin.
• "Exhibit honors Texas hero". The Daily Texan.

• "West Point honors EC's fallen hero". El Campo Leader News.