ROY P.
BENAVIDEZ
Patriot, Chapter 1919
(ARMY,
Vietnam) Undated Article
Roy Benavidez,
a Medal of Honor recipient, died November 29, 1998, at age 63. He had been a member of
Chapter 1919, Military Order of the Purple Heart for two years at the time
of his death. An extract, only a part of the wording from the citation of
his award tells this story.
The President of the United States of America,
authorized by Act of Congress, March 3, 1863, has awarded in the name of the
Congress the Medal of Honor to: MASTER SERGEANT ROY P. BENAVIDEZ, UNITED
STATES ARMY, (RETIRED), for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action
at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:
On May 2, 1968, Master
Sergeant (then Staff Sergeant) ROY P. BENAVIDEZ distinguished himself by a
series of daring and extremely valorous actions while assigned to Detachment
B-56, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special
Forces, Republic of Vietnam. A 12-man Special Forces Reconnaissance Team
was inserted by helicopters in a dense jungle area west of Loc Ninh,
Vietnam…the team met heavy enemy resistance, and requested extraction.
Three helicopters attempted extraction, but were unable to land due to
intense enemy…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 crew members…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…he was wounded in his right
leg, face, and head. Despite these painful injuries, he took charge,
repositioned the team members and directed their fire to facilitate the
landing of an extraction aircraft, and the loading of wounded and dead team
members…Despite his severe wounds and under intense enemy fire, he carried
and dragged half of the wounded team members to the waiting aircraft. He
then provided protective fire by running alongside the aircraft as it moved
to pick up classified documents on the dead team leader. When he reached
the team 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 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
automatic weapons and grenade fire, he moved around the perimeter
distributing water and ammunition to his weary men, re-instilling in them a
will to live and fight….Sergeant Benavidez…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…he
began to ferry his comrades to the craft. On his second trip with the
wounded he was clubbed from behind by an enemy soldier. In the ensuing
hand-to-hand combat, he sustained additional wounds to his head and arms
before killing his adversary. He then continued 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 door
gunner from firing upon them 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 aircraft. His 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. |
