The Green Beret That Other Green Berets Look Up To

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Call clickgranger.com or just stop by. Grainger, for the ones who get it done. This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories, the show where America is the star and the American people. Roy Benavidez struggled in school before dropping out in the seventh grade. He worked odd jobs to help support his family in a tire shop, on farms, even shining shoes at the local bus station. In 1952, he enlisted in the Texas Army National Guard and eventually became a member of the Army Special Forces known as the Green Berets. One day in 1965, he was sent to Vietnam where, on just a single action, he was wounded 37 times by bullets, shrapnel, a bayonet, and a rifle butt.

But his thoughts that day were on his injured brothers in arms. His actions that day saved eight other men's lives in Vietnam. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery, but it wouldn't be for 13 years. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan presented Benavidez the Medal of Honor. Reagan turned to the press and said, if the story of his heroism were a movie script, you wouldn't believe it. Let's begin this story with President Reagan speaking at that ceremony, and later we will be hearing the details from Roy Benavidez himself.

Let's take a listen. Men and women of the armed forces, ladies and gentlemen, several years ago, we brought home a group of American fighting men who had obeyed their country's call and who had fought as bravely and as well as any Americans in our history. They came home without a victory, not because they'd been defeated, but because they'd been denied permission to win.

They were greeted by no parades, no bands, no waving of the flag they had so nobly served. There's been no thank you for their sacrifice. There's been no effort to honor and thus give pride to the families of more than 57,000 young men who gave their lives in that faraway war. As the poet Lawrence Binion wrote, They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them. Pride, of course, cannot wipe out the burden of grief borne by their families, but it can make that grief easier to bear. The pain will not be quite as sharp if they know their fellow citizens share that pain. John Stuart Mill said, War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. A man who has nothing which he cares about more than his personal safety is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. Bob Hope, who visited our men there as he had in two previous wars, said of them, The number of our GIs who devote their free time, energy, and money to aid the Vietnamese would surprise you.

And then he added, But maybe it wouldn't. I guess you know what kind of guys your sons and brothers and the kids next door are. Well, yes, we do know.

I think we just let it slip our minds for a time. It's time to show our pride in them and to thank them. In his book, The Bridges at Toko-ri, novelist James Michener writes movingly of the heroes who fought in the Korean conflict. In the book's final scene, an admiral stands on the darkened bridge of his carrier waiting for pilots he knows will never return from their mission. And as he waits, he asks in the silent darkness, Where did we get such men? Almost a generation later, I asked that same question when our POWs were returned from savage captivity in Vietnam. Where did we find such men?

We find them where we've always found them, in our villages and towns, on our city streets, in our shops, and on our farms. I have one more Vietnam story, and the individual in this story was brought up on a farm outside of Kireo in DeWitt County, Texas, and he is here today. Thanks to the Secretary of Defense Cap Weinberger, I learned of his story, which had been overlooked or buried for several years. It has to do with the highest award our nation can give, the Congressional Medal of Honor given only for service above and beyond the call of duty. Ladies and gentlemen, we are honored to have with us today Master Sergeant Roy P. Benavides, U.S. Army, retired. Let me read the plain, factual, military language of the citation that was lost for too long a time. Master Sergeant Roy P. Benavides, United States Army, retired for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity and action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty.

Where there is a brave man, it is said, there is the thickest of the fight, there is the place of honor. On May 2, 1968, Master Sergeant then Staff Sergeant Roy P. Benavides distinguished himself by a series of daring and extremely valorous actions while assigned to Detachment B-56, 5th Special Forces Group, Airborne, 1st Special Forces, Republic of Vietnam. On the morning of May 2, 1968, a 12-man Special Forces Reconnaissance Team was inserted by helicopters in a dense jungle area west of Lạc Nạn, 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. Three helicopters attempted extraction but were unable to land due to intense enemy small arms and anti-aircraft fire. Sergeant Benavides was at the forward operating base in Lạc Nạn monitoring the operation by radio when these helicopters returned to offload wounded crew members and to assess aircraft damage.

Sergeant Benavides voluntarily boarded a returning aircraft to assist in another extraction attempt. And we're taking you back to 1981 and to President Ronald Reagan presenting the Medal of Honor to Master Sergeant Roy Benavides when we come back a bit more of Reagan and then Benavides himself here on Our American Stories. THEME MUSIC For each person living with myasthenia gravis, or MG, their journey with this rare neuromuscular condition is unique. That's why Untold Stories Life with myasthenia gravis, a new podcast from iHeartRadio in partnership with Argenics, is exploring the extraordinary challenges and personal triumphs of underserved communities living with MG. Host Martine Hackett will share powerful perspectives from people living with myasthenia gravis. Her powerful perspectives from people living with the debilitating muscle weakness and fatigue caused by this rare disorder. Each episode will uncover the reality of life with myasthenia gravis. From early signs and symptoms to obtaining an accurate diagnosis and finding care, every person with MG has a story to tell. And by featuring these real-life experiences, this podcast hopes to inspire the MG community, educate others about this rare condition, and let those living with it know that they are not alone. Listen to Untold Stories Life with myasthenia gravis on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Experience the power and design of the all-new, all-electric 2023 Nissan Ariya.

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Call clickgrainger.com or just stop by. Grainger. For the ones who get it done. And we return to our American stories and the story of Roy Benavidez and President Ronald Reagan, who in 1981 presented Benavidez with the Medal of Honor for his heroism in the Vietnam War. On May 2, 1968, Benavidez, a devout Catholic, was attending a prayer service when he heard that a 12-man Special Forces patrol team had inserted into a hornet's nest of NVA, and that's the enemy's troops in Vietnam, numbering between 1,000 and 1,500.

Here's President Reagan, followed by Roy Benavidez himself, to share the rest of the story. 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 the classified documents on the dead team leader. When he reached the team 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 and began calling in tactical air strikes and directing the fire from supporting gunships 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 carry his comrades to the craft. On his second trip with the wounded, he was clubbed from behind by an enemy soldier. In the ensuing hand-to-hand combat, he sustained 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 two 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 serious condition from numerous wounds and loss of blood, did he allow himself to be pulled into the extraction aircraft. Sergeant Benavidez's 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.

His fearless personal leadership, tenacious devotion to duty, and extremely valorous actions in the face of overwhelming odds were in keeping with the finest traditions of the military service and reflect the utmost credit on him and the United States Army. Sergeant Benavidez, a nation grateful to you and to all your comrades living and dead, awards you its highest symbol of gratitude for service above and beyond the call of duty, the Congressional Medal of Honor. Thank you very much. Muchas gracias, like you say in Spanish, in German, danke schön, in Japanese, arigatone, and in French, merci beaucoup.

Thank you very much. I don't speak those languages fluently, but I'll never get lost in those countries if I ever go there. I come from a little town named Cuero, Texas. I was born there in the turkey capital of the world.

After the death of my mother and father at an early age, my brother and I were adopted by an aunt and uncle. We moved to El Campo, Texas, a town southwest of Houston by nine and a half. I was raised there.

I went to school there. I worked at our jobs, shined shoes, sold papers, paid cotton. And like a fool, I dropped out of school and I ran away from home.

I'm not proud of that. I needed to learn a skill. I needed an education. My adopted father would tell me, son, an education and a diploma is the key to success.

Bad habits and bad company will ruin you. While I was too old to go back to school, I didn't want to return back, so I joined the Texas National Guard. And I liked what I saw in men in uniform. When I qualified to join the regular Army, I needed that education and learned a skill. So I was accepted into the regular Army and I heard about airborne. I heard about that extra pay that you get for jumping out of airplanes. So I qualified to go to jump school at Fort Bend, Georgia, but the during recruiters never told me what the training was like. For every mistake that you make, you do push-ups.

And I can honestly tell you, ladies and gentlemen, I'm one of the guys that helped put Georgia into South Carolina doing push-ups. Well, I finished my training. I got assigned to a well-known unit at Fort Bend, North Carolina, the 82nd Airborne Division. I like the 82nd. Thank you.

Airborne all the way. I like that. And so after a while there, I heard about the Special Forces. You know them as the Green Berets. And they were coming up, so I qualified to join the Special Forces. Of course, I'm a linguist.

We in the Special Forces are trained to operate deep behind enemy lines with little or no support at all. We are trained in five specialties. I'm trained in three, Operation Intelligence, where I learn oceanography, meteorology, and photography. I'm an interrogator, and I'm a linguist. I'm trained in light and heavy weapons and cross-trained dramatic. I've been all over the world, the Far East, Europe, the South of Central America, and two tours in Vietnam.

I was assigned to Berlin, Germany, and I was declared one time that I was the only Hispanic American that could speak German with a Southern accent. Feeling down, cut down for sure. So I came back and retrained at Fort Bragg, and Vietnam was brewing up. And you're listening to Roy Benavidez telling one heck of a story about his life. Humble roots, hustling for work when he's young, looking for structure, looking towards the future. A father just rooting for him, praying for him, encouraging him. And he ends up, well, in the National Guard and ultimately a Green Beret.

And what intelligence, what skill sets, light and heavy weapons, intelligence, a medic, master of many languages. I was the only Hispanic American who could speak German with a Southern accent. It doesn't get any better than that, folks. That is the story of America. This guy is a walking diversity experiment, and it's beautiful. And when we come back, we're going to hear more from Benavidez. This is one heck of a story, one of our best, here on Our American Story. For each person living with myasthenia gravis, or MG, their journey with this rare neuromuscular condition is unique. That's why Untold Stories Life with myasthenia gravis, a new podcast from iHeartRadio in partnership with Argenics, is exploring the extraordinary challenges and personal triumphs of underserved communities living with MG. Host Martine Hackett will share powerful perspectives from people living with the debilitating muscle weakness and fatigue caused by this rare disorder. Each episode will uncover the reality of life with myasthenia gravis, from early signs and symptoms to obtaining an accurate diagnosis and finding care, every person with MG has a story to tell. And by featuring these real-life experiences, this podcast hopes to inspire the MG community, educate others about this rare condition, and let those living with it know that they are not alone. Listen to Untold Stories Life with myasthenia gravis on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Experience the power and design of the all-new, all-electric 2023 Nissan Ariya.

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For the ones who get it done. And we continue with our American stories and the story of Roy Benavidez as told by Roy himself in front of a military audience. Let's pick up where we last left off.

Here's Roy. The doctors were initiating my medical discharge papers. But at night, I would slip out of bed and crawl to a wall using my elbows and my chin. My back would just be killing me. I'd be crying. But I'd get to the wall, and I'd set myself against the wall, and I'd back myself up against the wall, and I'd stand there like Elijah the Indian.

I'd stand there and move my toes right and left. Every single chance I got, I wanted to walk. I wanted to go back to Vietnam because of what the news media was saying about us, that our president was not needed there, to burn the flag and what.

And I saw a lot of other patients coming back, limbs missing. I wanted to go back. I was determined. Because I remember when I was taught in jump school that old Master Sergeant would tell me, Benavidez, quitters never win and winners never quit.

What are you? I said, I'm a winner. And I remember in my special forces training, one of the training majors that I was on, I remember that my leader would tell me, faith, determination, and a positive attitude. A positive attitude would carry you further than ability. You can do it, Benavidez. You can do it.

I never forgot those three words, never. So there I was at night. I'd slip out of bed. The nurses would catch me sometimes. They would chew me out, give me a pill, a sleeping pill, put me to sleep.

They would tell the doctors in the morning. I was determined to walk. Nine months later, here comes my medical discharge papers. And I told the doctor, Doctor, look what I can do. He said, Sergeant, I'm sorry.

Even if you can stand up, you'll never be able to walk. I jumped out of bed and I stood up right before him. My back was hurting, aching. I was crying. And I moved just a little bit.

The doctor said, Benavidez, if you walk out of this room, I'll tear these papers up. I walked out of that ward at Beach Pavilion. I walked out with a limp. I went back to Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

I started my therapy again, running five or ten miles a day, doing 50, 100 pushups. And I made three parachute jumps in one day. I was ready to go back to Vietnam, physically and mentally ready to go back. My orders were to go to Central America as an advisor. But being an uncommissioned officer and knowing some of the good officers in the right places, my orders were diverted. So I went back to Vietnam in 1968. The latter part of April, I was inserted, my buddy and I, to gather intelligent information behind enemy lines. After two days on the ground, my buddy was shot through the eye, the back and legs.

Our mission was completed, but I didn't want to leave my buddy behind. I called in for an extraction helicopter to come and get us out. They came in with a maguire rig. Maguire rig is nothing but a piece of rope, nylon rope, to hook. In this case, there were two ropes. We hooked on. The enemy was firing at us. We pulled up, went up through the canopy of the jungle. Our rope started to twist and rub. You know, nylon, it burns when it rubs.

As we cleared the canopy, our rope was completely twisted and rubbing. And it was a noncommissioned officer that looked out of the helicopter and was riding as a safety man. And when he saw those two ropes burning, he immediately tied himself with a piece of rope around his waist, and he pulled himself out of the helicopter and undid those two ropes, separated them. That's dedication.

That's the love of a fellow man in the country. I'll never forget that man. And the enemy was still firing at us, but they never shot us. We landed in a safe spot.

My buddy was taken to the hospital shortly thereafter he expired. I was in another staging area waiting for our next assignment. When I heard on the radio something like a popcorn machine, then I heard a voice, Get us out of here. Get us out of here. Come in and get us out quick ASAP. I asked the radio operator, Who are those? He said, I don't know.

They haven't gave us any call sign. And I saw some helicopter pilot run to the flight line, scrambling. I ran right behind him. We saw a helicopter coming in, laying, and had a door gun slumped over his weapon. When the helicopter landed, I unstrapped the door gunner, Michael Craig, 19 years old.

We had just celebrated his 19th birthday in March. I cradled him in my arms, and his last words were, My God, my mother and father. I asked the pilot, Who are the people on the ground? He said, Hey, this is that black NCO, that noncommissioned officer that saved your life the other day, remember? I said, Leroy Rides.

Leroy always got picked for top-secret assignments, him and Musso and O'Connor. So it was an instant reaction. I saw a bag of medical supplies, picked it up, went over to my helicopter, got on the helicopter. We got on with the forward air controller to guide us in. He said, You can't go in there. You can't go in.

It's too hot. Little did I know that I was going to spend six hours in hell. You heard what the president read the citation of Howard and the Medal of Honor. But he didn't tell you what I went through when I engaged in the hand-to-hand combat.

And what a story you're hearing. You're listening to Roy Benavidez share the story of his life. And my goodness, in 1965, when he's sent to Vietnam as an adviser, he steps on a mine. He's paralyzed from the waist down and he's told he'll never walk. Benavidez disagrees and he fights and struggles and pushes his way, wills his way to walk again. With some real memories of his mentors in his mind, one of his special forces leaders and trainers told him once, faith, determination and a positive attitude. I will carry you further than ability, Benavidez. That stuck with him.

I was determined to walk, he said. And in 1968, he walked straight back to Vietnam and straight into trouble. When we come back, more of the remarkable story of Roy Benavidez, his selflessness, his sacrifice. And by the way, the story of so many other Vietnam veterans that he talks about, including how Americans treated Vietnam vets stateside.

An embarrassing chapter in American history. More of Roy Benavidez's story, here on Our American Story. For each person living with myasthenia gravis, or MG, their journey with this rare neuromuscular condition is unique. That's why Untold Stories Life with myasthenia gravis, a new podcast from iHeartRadio in partnership with Argenics, is exploring the extraordinary challenges and personal triumphs of underserved communities living with MG. Host Martine Hackett will share powerful perspectives from people living with the debilitating muscle weakness and fatigue caused by this rare disorder. Each episode will uncover the reality of life with myasthenia gravis. From early signs and symptoms to obtaining an accurate diagnosis and finding care, every person with MG has a story to tell. And by featuring these real-life experiences, this podcast hopes to inspire the MG community, educate others about this rare condition, and let those living with it know that they are not alone. Listen to Untold Stories Life with myasthenia gravis on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Experience the power and design of the all-new, all-electric 2023 Nissan Ariya.

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Grainger. For the ones who get it done. And we continue with our American stories. On May 2, 1968, a 12-man Special Forces patrol was surrounded by a thousand North Vietnamese soldiers. Army Special Forces Staff Sergeant Roy Benavidez heard the radio appeal for help and boarded a helicopter voluntarily to help. Armed only with a knife, he jumped from the helicopter carrying his medical bag and ran to help the trap patrol.

Here again is Roy Benavidez. I was hitting him out from the butt of the weapon. My jaws were locked after my last return back to the helicopter. When I was boarded on, I was holding my intestines in my hand.

We lifted up. The helicopter had an over payload. Blood was flowing on both sides of the helicopter. When we landed, it locked me in the high staging area, and it started unloading.

It started identifying the bodies. They found out I loaded three dead enemy soldiers in that helicopter. I didn't want to leave anybody behind. My mission was to recover the classified material, so if anybody had it, he was on the helicopter.

So they left the three enemy soldiers on the side. And because I sort of looked oriental, they thought I was one of them, so they let me lay right next to them. And they were putting us in body bags. I remember my feet had been lifted, and I was inserted into the body bag, and I could hear that zipper coming up. And I thought, oh my God, no, no. My eyes were shut because I had blood all over my face.

My blood had dried up in my eyelids. And I couldn't talk because my jaws were locked, and I could hear that zipper coming up, coming up. And one of my buddies was doing a Mexican hat dance, and he was yelling at the doctor, oh, that's Roy Benavide, the doctor said, sorry, there's nothing I can do for him.

Oh my God, and the zipper just coming up. I was trying to wiggle in my own blood. And finally, I found out later, Jerry Cottonham made that doctor at least to feel my heartbeat. When I felt that hand on my chest, I made the luckiest shot I ever made in my life. Spitting the doctor's face.

So the doctor said, I think he'll make it. So I was cleaned up, put in a helicopter, alongside with my buddy, one of the guys that I had saved. We got airborne, and I just said to myself, hold on, buddy, just hold on, we're going to get some medical attention. And his grip tightened up on me.

And then he let go. I said, oh God, why do you put me through this test? Why? You helped me get these men out, save them, save this material, and now you take them away from me.

Why? And I was crying, I was moving so much. That's a copilot. He happened to look back, and he thought that I was gasping for air, so he gets out of his seat, get his bayonet out, and he's going to do a track on me, and I'm about to kick him out of the helicopter.

Not just too much for one day. So we landed in the hospital at Long Bend, and I was flown to the operating room. And as I was being lifted to my operating table, I saw this nurse on her hands and knees, just crying, yelling, asking God, why do you do this to these men?

Why? Just crying. And as I turned a little bit to my left, I saw on the other operating table a man that had both legs and both arms missing. I passed out. I woke up in the ward. One of my buddies was laying next to me. We were so bandaged up, we couldn't talk. We used to wiggle our toes to make sure that we were still alive. After a short while, my buddy was transferred from there, and I thought he had died.

I was transferred to Japan, Tachikawa, and that airplane that I was flying in, Matabak, we lost two men. And I remember this nurse kept yelling at me. She said, you're not going to die on me. I'm going to pinch you every time you close your eyes. I'm going to pinch you.

I'm going to pinch you. Boy, she kept pinching me. When I got to Tachikawa, when I got to Japan, and they flew me into the operating room, they just rode me again. I remember the doctor, I heard him say, what in the world happened to you?

I had blue spots, red spots all over me, and I said, that lady kept pinching me up there. So after, I went back to Fort Sam Houston, the Beach Pavilion, and I stayed in that hospital almost a year. I continued with my career, and then I was awarded with a medal.

I was dedicated myself to come and speak to schools, to civic groups, to help anyone that I can help. My life was spared for a reason, and I hope there's a good reason. A lot of people call me a hero. I appreciate the title, but the real heroes are the ones that gave the life of this country.

Applause. The real heroes are our wives, our mothers. Above all, the heroes are the ones that are laying in those hospital, disabled for life, in those hospital beds. But the real heroes are the future leaders of our country, the students that are staying in school and learning to say no to drugs. Those are our real heroes. Applause. You know, there's a saying among us veterans, for those that have fought for it, life has a special flavor, the protected will never know. You have never lived till you almost died.

And it is us veterans that pray for peace most of all, especially the wounded, because we have to suffer the wounds of war. I'm asked hundreds of times, would you do it over again? In my 25 years in the military, I feel like I've been overpaid for the service to my country.

There'll never be enough paper to print the money, nor enough gold in Fort Knox for me to have to keep from doing what I did. I'm proud of being American, and even prouder, and I'm even prouder that I've earned the privilege to wear the Green Beret. Applause.

I live by the motto of duty, honor, country. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much. Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America. And a terrific job on the editing and the storytelling and production by our own Greg Hengler.

And a special thanks to Medal of Honor recipient Roy Benavidez. What a story he told. It was an instant reaction, he said, to board that helicopter and head straight, as he put it, into hell. And to do one thing, save his brothers. And my goodness, that scene where he's back at the hospital and that nurse sees all these boys blown to bits.

And she says, crying to God, why do you do this to these men? My goodness, the humor and the jokes, too. What a wit this man has and how hopeful he is after he's seen what he's seen. He's in the hospital almost a year after having experienced what he experienced, earning that Medal of Honor. A lot of people call me a hero. I appreciate the title, but the real heroes are the ones who gave their lives to the country. And I love this when he said, for those who have fought for it, life has a special flavor. The protected will never know.

You've never lived until you've almost died. I'm proud to be an American and even prouder that I earned the privilege to wear the green beret. His mission, by the way, to speak to schoolchildren. Ronald Reagan challenged him to do that. Always the good soldier.

He followed the orders or the recommendations at this point of the commander in chief. The story of Roy Benavidez here on Our American Stories. Music There are some things in life you just can't trust, like a free couch on the side of the road. You never know. Or the sushi rolls from your local gas station. You never know.

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