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Who distinguished himself by a series of daring and extremely valorous actions
on 2 May 1968 while assigned to Detachment B56, 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. Three 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 crewmembers 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 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 ferry his comrades to the craft. On his second trip with
the wounded, he was clubbed from 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 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 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 highest traditions of the
military service, and reflect the utmost credit on him and the United States Army.
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