XPost: alt.politics, az.politics, tx.politics   
   From: NoObedienceSkills@NoSubservienceSkills.NoComplianceSkills   
      
   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."   
      
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Benavidez   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)