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Roy Benavidez

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Roy Perez Benavidez
  
AllegianceUnited States United States of America
Service/branch United States Army
RankMaster Sergeant
UnitMilitary Assistance Command, Vietnam Studies and Observations Group (MACVSOG)
Battles/warsVietnam War
AwardsMedal of Honor
Purple Heart
Texas Legislative Medal of Honor

Roy Perez Benavidez (August 5, 1935–November 29, 1998) was a member of the highly-classified Studies and Observations Group. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in eastern Laos (although the citation stated that they occurred "west of Loc Ninh, Republic of Vietnam" on May 2, 1968.

Biography

Roy Benavidez was born in Cuero, DeWitt County, Texas on August 5, 1935.[1] He was of Mexican and Yaqui Indian ancestry.[2]

He entered the U.S. Army in June 1955, becoming a Special Forces soldier. Serving in combat during the Vietnam War, on 2 May 1968, he "distinguished himself by a series of daring and extremely glorious actions... while assigned to Detachment B-56, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces. Benavidez was originally awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, but upon hearing that he had survived the war, his former commander started the process to have the medal upgraded.

"Benavidez suffered a broken jaw and 37 bullet and bayonet puncture wounds in the fight. He was so mauled that his commanding officer thought he wouldn't live long enough to receive a Medal of Honor. He nominated Benavidez for the Distinguished Service Cross instead, because the No. 2 award would take less time and paperwork to obtain."[2]

On February 24, 1981, President Ronald Reagan presented Benavidez with the Medal of Honor. Benavidez is one of the 43 Hispanic Americans among the 3,400 recipients of the Medal of Honor since the award was created in 1861

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

Benavidez penned two autobiographical books related to his life and military experience. In 1986, The Three Wars of Roy Benavidez described his struggles growing up as a Mexican American youth, his military training and combat in Vietnam, and the efforts by others to get recognition for his actions in Vietnam.[3] Benavidez later wrote the autobiographical Medal of Honor: A Vietnam Warrior's Story (1995).[4]

Medal of Honor citation

On February 24, 1981, President Ronald Reagan presented him the Medal of Honor. During the ceremony President Reagan turned to the gathered press and said, "you are going to hear something you would not believe if it were a script." He then read Master Sergeant Benavidez's 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 2 May 1968
Entered service at: Houston, Texas June 1955
Born:5 August 1935, DeWitt County, Cuero, Texas.
Citation:
Master Sergeant, then Staff Sergeant, United States Army. Who distinguished himself by a series of daring and extremely glorious actions on 2 May 1968 while assigned to Detachment B-56, 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. 3 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 crew members 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 gun ships 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 2 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 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 8 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.[5]

Awards, honors, and recognitions

Military decorations

Among Benavidez's decorations and medals were the following:

Badges

Honors and recognitions

G.I. Joe
A GI Joe, Roy P. Benavidez Commemorative Edition – Released August 31, 2001 (First Hispanic to be honored.)
United States Military Academy
The Conference Room owned and operated by the Department of Military Instruction at the United States Military Academy is named in honor of Benevidez. Inside the "Benavidez Room" there are signed pictures of MSG Benavidez, the citation from his Medal of Honor, and a GI Joe toy created in his likeness. The room is used primarily for planning Cadet Summer Military Training and hosting visitors.
Fort Knox course
The Night Infiltration Course at Fort Knox, Kentucky is named after him.
USN ship
The United States Navy ship USNS Benavidez (T-AKR 306) was named in his honor.[2]
Elementary school
Roy P. Benavidez Elementary School in Houston, Texas was named in his honor.
Elementary school
Roy P. Benavidez Elementary School in San Antonio, Texas was named in his honor.
Additional Notable Honors

Texan of the Year - 1981

United States Military Academy West Point Saber - 1981

Roy P. Benavidez National Guard Armory - El Campo, Texas - 1983

Honorary Associate in Arts - New Mexico Military Institute

Benavidez - Patterson 82nd Airborne Chapter - El Paso, Texas

Special Pictorial Cancellation Stamp - November 11, 1994

Roy P. Benavidez Scholarship Fund - El Campo, Texas - 1995

St. Mary's University Alumni Law School Lifetime Achievement Award - San Antonio, Texas - 1997

Congressional Medal of Honor Memorial - Indianapolis, Indiana - May 25, 1999

Roy P. Benavidez Special Operations Logistic Complex at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina - August 16, 1999

The Medal of Honor Memorial at Riverside, California National Cemetery - November 5, 1999

America's Last Patrol Ranch at Benavides(z), Texas - November 11, 1999

Memorial Bench at Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery - November 28, 1999

Roy P. Benavidez Artillery Training Area 67 at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma - April 21, 2000

Roy P. Benavidez Foundation, Inc. – Fall of 2000

Texas Legislative Medal of Honor – May 2, 2001

Presidential Unit Citation, Studies and Observation Group U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – May 2, 2001

Roy P. Benavidez City Park – Colorado Springs, Colorado – June 16, 2001 (First Hispanic and Texan in this State’s history to be given this honor.)

Roy P. Benavidez Army Reserve Center – March 2, 2002

Roy P. Benavidez Papers Donated to the Center for American History at UT Austin - June 26, 2007

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "Staff Sgt Roy Benevidez", Hispanics in the U.S. Army.
  2. ^ a b c Gilmore DefenseLINK News 2000.
  3. ^ Benavidez and Griffin The Three Wars of Roy Benavidez 1986.
  4. ^ Benevidez Medal of Honor:A Vietnam Warrior's Story 1995. The book was released in paperback in 1999 by Potomac Books Inc. with the title Medal of Honor: One Man's Journey From Poverty and Prejudice (Memories of War). ISBN 1-57488-6924..
  5. ^ Medal of Honor citation

References

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

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