The FReeper Foxhole Profiles Army Master Sgt. Roy P. Benavidez - March 12th, 2005

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[snippy_about_it]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.


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Army Master Sgt. Roy P. Benavidez



Medal of Honor Recipient


Roy P. Benavidez

Rank and Organization: Master Sergeant. 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

Date and Place of Birth: 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.

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Thanks to Iris7 for suggesting this story and providing the links.

FReeper Foxhole Armed Services Links

[SAMWolf]

Morning w_over_w.

I'm running a day late and a dollar short again.

[SAMWolf]

Morning Phil Dragoo.

Thanks for adding Reagan's speech to today's thread.

[SAMWolf]

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

Edmund Burke

IMHO, too many good men always pay the price because politicians and bureaucrats wait too long before confronting evil.

[w_over_w]

Thanks for sharing this and as for not remembering names . . . well, it's your heart man! And it's in the right place.

[w_over_w]

I'm running a day late and a dollar short again.

Help is on the way. After Ms. Snip and I work out the details, I'll have purchases from the Wild Bird Center that exceed "3 figures"! Hey, that's gotta cover at least a buck!

Sam, do you know what the difference is between beer nuts and deer nuts?

Beer nuts are a $1.25 but deer nuts are always under a buck.

[Probably heard that one in a foxhole in 'Nam] ;^)

[tomball]

Hello SAMWolf - I know what "catch-up" is like. I'm on my way to today's thread.

[SAMWolf]

Beer nuts are a $1.25 but deer nuts are always under a buck.

ROTFL!! If I heard it, I don't remember it.

[archy]

I say Msgt Benavidez several more times around Fort Sam. Every where he went you could see the respect he engendered.

He was a MAN among Men.

The man known by Army Special Forces troops everywhere as "Tango Mike Mike" has not been forgotten since that afternoon.

The phoenetic initials T-M-M were a running joke among the late 1960s-early '70s Special Forces community, and stood for *That Mean Mexican*. If you had ever seen him around kids you might think it way off base, but I'm sure there are a few North Vietnamese who would heartily agree.

A decade or so back, the National Flag Day Foundation held their annual parade in my hometown, and asked several local veterans club officers which living MOH holders would be most appreciative of the honor of being the parade's grand marshall. We picked five, and three made it, one pleading a previous comittment and sending retired General William Westmoreland in his place. The Mean Mexican was my candidate, but even then, his health didn't permit his travelling that far from his home. We got Matt *The Ghost* Urban and Sammy Davis instead, and they not only performed with the dignity and class you'd expect, but had fun doing it.

A few months afterward, Captain Matt Urban was gone, too. But their example has given us new real heroes, not to replace them, but to join them.