On May 2, 1968, in Vietnam, a 12-man Special Forces patrol was surrounded by a North Vietnamese battalion of about 1,000 men. Green Beret medic Roy Benavidez heard them calling for help. Armed only with a knife and carrying his medical bag, he jumped from a helicopter into the fight.
For six hours he dragged the wounded to safety. He took 37 separate bullet, bayonet and shrapnel wounds, and he saved the lives of at least eight men.
Afterwards he was thought to be dead. As a doctor was about to zip up the body bag, Benavidez spat in his face.
His Medal of Honor needed an eyewitness, and for years there wasn’t one. Then, in 1980, his former radioman Brian O’Connor read about him in a newspaper and came forward. On February 24, 1981, President Reagan presented the medal and said: “If the story of his heroism were a movie script, you would not believe it.”
Fact check
The facts and where they come from
- On May 2, 1968, a 12-man Special Forces patrol was surrounded by a North Vietnamese infantry battalion of about 1,000 men. 1
- Armed only with a knife and carrying his medical bag, Benavidez jumped from the helicopter. 1
- The fight lasted six hours; he suffered a total of 37 separate bullet, bayonet and shrapnel wounds. 1
- Presumed dead, he was about to be zipped into a body bag when he spat in the doctor’s face. 1
- He saved the lives of at least eight men (his Distinguished Service Cross citation). 1
- The Army required an eyewitness account; his former radioman, Brian O’Connor, read a newspaper account of him in 1980 and came forward. 1
- President Reagan presented the Medal of Honor on February 24, 1981, saying: “If the story of his heroism were a movie script, you would not believe it.” 1
Sources
- Roy Benavidez Wikipedia
Notes
The two helicopter photos show Vietnam in 1966. They show the setting, not this battle.
Photo credits
The archive photos in this story
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