BENAVIDEZ, ROY P.
Rank and Organization: Master Sergeant. Detachment B-56 5th Special Forces
Group, Republic of Vietnam
Place: West of Loc Ninh
Date: 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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