Master Sergeant Roy Benavidez

Army Master Sgt. Roy P. Benavidez (center) is flanked by Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger (left) and President Ronald Reagan at his Medal of Honor presentation ceremony in 1981.Air Force photo by Ron HallOn August 5, 1935 in Cuero, Texas, a hero in the truest sense of the word was born. Master Sergeant Roy Benavidez (MSG Benavidez) was a man who displayed what it is to be a hero through his actions. A Green Beret for the U.S., Army his astonishing story is, as he put it, merely things that he did because he was trained to do so. But the reality of his actions were so much more than that. With no thought of danger to life or limb and with no hesitation, he put others before himself. He pushed through impossible odds in order to save the lives of his countrymen. Along with this, he did not draw attention to himself and remained incredibly humble after his heroic actions. A man who was devoted not only to his country but also to the freedom of other countries as well as to his brothers in arms, MSG Benavidez showed selflessness, courage, and sheer persistence to save his comrades as displayed through his service in the armed forces and highlighted by his actions on May 2, 1968.   

MSG Benavidez was familiar with tragedy early in his life; at a young age both of his parents died and he was adopted by his aunt and uncle. He dropped out of school, which he later stated was a mistake. Joining the U.S. Army as a way to get the education he had thrown away, he served a short time in Korea. After his time in the country he came back to the United States and became part of the special forces unit known as the Green Berets. His life leading up to his admission into the special forces would help shape not only in his training as a Green Beret but also in his heroic actions on May 2, 1968.

In 1965 American involvement in the Vietnam war was underway. MSG Benavidez was on a mission under deep cover as a Vietcong when he stepped on a land mine. The injury he suffered paralyzed him from the waist down, and he was told by the doctors that he would never walk again. However, each night MSG Benavidez crawled out of bed to the wall, where he pushed through the pain and stood up against the wall: "I wanted to walk I wanted to go back to Vietnam because of what the news media was saying" (qtd. In History). Out of sheer persistence, MSG Benavidez regained his ability to walk and was reassigned to a unit in Vietnam per his request. Although the story of MSG Benavidez's life so far is incredible, it pales in comparison to his actions on May 2, 1968, which was described in the following way: "If the story of His Heroism were a Movie script you would not believe it" (qt In Reagan). 

On that fatal day, a twelve-man patrol team had been pinned down by enemy fire from North Vietnamese forces in numbers estimated to be close to 1,000 men. An extraction force of three helicopters had been sent to rescue the twelve-man team, but they were unable to retrieve them or even land as a result of the overwhelming small arms and anti-air fire. MSG Benavidez had been listening to the radio at the forward operating base in Loch Nin when the helicopters landed to access damage and offload crew members who were either wounded or dead. As the helicopters were about to take off for a second extraction attempt, MSG Benavidez volunteered, climbing aboard one of the helicopters. He had volunteered so quickly that all he had with him was a medical bag and was armed with only a knife. "Little did I know I would spend six hours in hell" (qt In History). 

Having arrived to where the twelve-man team had been pinned down, MSG Benavidez realized all of his fellow soldiers on the ground were too wounded to make the trip to the helicopter. He instructed the pilot to a clearing a little ways from where the soldiers were on the ground. Here he jumped out of the still hovering helicopter and ran 75 meters under heavy small arms fire. He sustained a bullet to his leg and wounds on his face and head before he ever reached the troops. Despite these wounds he showed great selflessness and quickly dragged the wounded men into a defensive position and began administering first aid, putting their lives above his own. He then began to drag wounded troops to the helicopter, still under intense enemy fire. Then, providing covering fire with a weapon he had taken from a North Vietnamese soldier for one of the helicopters as it moved to a second location to pick up other wounded troops. After all the wounded had been loaded onto the helicopter, MSG Benavidez displayed intense courage and returned alone to the front line where he searched for and located the team's commanding officer. The officer who was dead had sensitive information, and by going back into the fight, MSG Benavidez was able to recover it. In doing this, however, he took a bullet to the abdomen as well as shrapnel from a grenade to his back. As Benividez was attempting to return to the helicopter containing the wounded, its pilot was fatally shot and it crashed to the ground. Although he was already severely injured himself, MSG Benavidez did not fail to rush to the crash site. With the sensitive information secured, he once again showed his selflessness as he pulled the still surviving wounded from the overturned helicopter, and once again placed them in defensive positions. Administering first aid along with distributing munitions and water, here he was shot yet again in the leg. Without faltering he called for air support to target the ever-growing enemy positions so that a second extraction attempt could be made. Once the fresh extraction helicopters had arrived, MSG Benavidez helped the crew members load all wounded onto the helicopter. While pulling one wounded soldier to the helicopter, he was clubbed by a North Vietnamese soldier. This broke his jaw and injured his arm before he was able to overcome the adversary and carry his fellow soldier to safety. After loading all the wounded onto the helicopter, he proceeded to kill two enemy soldiers who were approaching the helicopter from an angle the door gunners could not defend, preventing yet another crash. MSG Benavidez proceeded to the frontline once more to check for any sensitive information or wounded, showing once more his courage as he again went alone. Only at this point did he allow himself to be pulled onto the helicopter by its crew members.     

During the battle MSG Benavidez displayed his persistence as he had suffered severe blood loss, traumatic injuries to his legs, back, arms, face, and abdomen: "I was holding my intestine in my hand" (qt In History). However he pushed through the pain, continuing to fight till the last man had been loaded. He had been so severely wounded that by the time he got back to the forward operating base, it seemed as though he was dead; his eyes were dried shut by blood and he could not talk as a result of his broken jaw. They began to put him into a body bag before MSG Benavidez spit into the doctor's face in an attempt to convey he was still alive. This worked and the doctor is noted as to have said, "I think he'll make it" (qt In History). It was later found that MSG Benavidez had gone as far as to load three North Vietnamese soldiers who he believed had sensitive information on them into the helicopter. This showed yet again that he would go above and beyond what was asked of him. "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. Where there is a brave man, it is said, there is the thickest of the fight, there is the place of honor" (qt In Reagan). This quote could not be more true of a man then MSG Roy Benavidez. 

MSG Benavidez's story is truly incredible. Taking into account that he did not have to go and help his fellow soldiers at all, but instead volunteered, "Sergeant Benavidez's gallant choice to voluntarily join 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" (qt In Reagan). He showed true courage and selflessness that day on the highest level. He selflessly pushed through pain and devastating injuries to render care to his fellow soldiers. As well as courageously saving their lives at the risk of his own, he thinks nothing of his actions, as he has stated, "There is not enough money to print nor enough gold in Fort Knox to keep me from doing what I did, I am proud to be an American and even prouder to wear the Green Beret" (qt In History). He was wounded thirty seven times, saved the lives of at least eight soldiers, and was the last man off the battlefield. Awarded the Medal of Honor in 1981 by President Ronald Reagan, MSG Benavidez was still incredibly humble. He said he only did what he was trained to do, and that the true heroes were those who died that day. MSG Benavidez is the epitome of what a hero should be. Through his actions, he exemplified selflessness, courage, and persistence.

Reagan, Ronald. “Address on Presenting Roy Benavidez with the Congressional Medal of Honor.” Ronald Reagan - Speech on Awarding Roy Benavidez the Medal of Honor, 2001, www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/ronaldreaganroybenavidezmedalofhonor.htm. 

History, USASOC. “SSG Roy P. Benavidez.” SSG Roy P. Benavidez, Office of Command Historian , www.soc.mil/ARSOF_History/medal_of_honor/recipient_benavidez.html. 

Krivdo , Michael. “Master Sgt. Roy P. Benavidez Highway.” Www.army.mil, 28 Mar. 2019, www.army.mil/article/219410/master_sgt_roy_p_benavidez_highway. 

Balestrieri, Steve. “Roy Benavidez MOH Epitomized What A Special Operator Is.” SOFREP, SOFREP, 4 May 2017, https://sofrep.com/specialoperations/roy-benavidez-epitomized-special-operator/