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Medal of Honor recipient Army Master Sergeant Roy Benavidez
Episode 2810 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Army Master Sergeant Roy Benavidez and his Congressional Medal of Honor award. The featured story appeared on the Grunge website and was titled: The Incredible True Story Of Master Sergeant Roy Benavidez. The story was submitted by Sarah January, a writer for Grunge.
In her story January reported that serving one’s country through military service is one of the bravest things a person can do, but it is also potentially one of the most dangerous. The risk of danger obviously increases when a country is at war. This was especially true once America entered the Vietnam War in 1954. According to History, following an attack on U.S. forces in the Gulf of Tonkin in 1964, U.S. military presence increased, despite having been at war for a decade already. Increased military presence means more soldiers, and Raul “Roy” Benavidez answered the call.
While the name of Roy Benavidez is probably one you haven’t heard of, it is most definitely a name you should know. His story is one that makes all those war films look extremely pale in comparison and is almost too incredible to be true. Read on to find out more about one of the most unbelievable soldiers to ever serve the United States.
In less than a decade, Benavidez had risen through the ranks and become an elite among soldiers. One can assume he was extremely good at his job because in 1965, he was sent to Vietnam for the first time as an adviser to their army. It was during this deployment that something happened that changed his life forever.
General William C. Westmoreland nominated him for an upgrade to the Medal of Honor in 1973.
Listen to episode 2810 and discover more about Army Master Sergeant Roy Benavidez and his Congressional Medal of Honor award.
