Master Sergeant (then Staff Sergeant) Roy P. Benavidez

Published on May 2, 2015


Video of a speech he gave to an Insurance Convention.

On this day in history, 2 May 1968, Raul (Roy) Perez Benavidez would take actions against an enemy force, armed with only a knife, that would lead to him being awarded the Medal of Honor, the DSC(Upgraded to MOH) and four Purple Hearts.
A 12-man Special Forces patrol which included nine Montagnard tribesmen, was surrounded by a NVA battalion. Benavidez heard the radio appeal for help and boarded a helicopter to respond. Armed only with a knife, he jumped from the helicopter carrying his medical bag and rushed to help the trapped patrol.
Benavidez "distinguished himself by a series of daring and extremely valorous actions... and because of his gallant choice to join voluntarily 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."
He was evacuated to the base camp, examined, and thought to be dead. As he was placed in a body bag among the other dead in body bags, he was suddenly recognized by a friend who called for help. A doctor came and examined him and he too believed Benavidez was dead. The doctor was about to zipper up the bag when Benavidez managed to spit in his face, alerting the doctor that he was still alive. Benavidez had a total of 37 separate bullet, bayonet, and shrapnel wounds from the six hour fight with the enemy battalion.


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