He was already wounded when he jumped into the battle—and over the next six hours, Roy Benavidez was wounded again and again but refused to leave his men behind. On May 2, 1968, west of Loc Ninh, Vietnam, a 12-man Special Forces reconnaissance team became trapped under intense enemy fire. Three helicopters tried to extract them but could not land. Then Staff Sergeant Roy P. Benavidez volunteered to go in. He jumped from a hovering helicopter and ran roughly 75 meters through heavy fire toward the stranded team. He was wounded in his leg, face and head before even reaching them. But he kept moving. Benavidez reorganized the wounded soldiers, directed their defense, carried and dragged casualties toward extraction, provided first aid, called in supporting fire and repeatedly returned to the perimeter. He suffered numerous additional wounds, including gunfire and grenade-fragment injuries. At one point, he was attacked at close range and continued fighting. He eventually made one final trip back into the perimeter to recover the remaining wounded and ensure sensitive materials were secured. By the end of the six-hour ordeal, Benavidez had suffered 37 bullet and bayonet puncture wounds along with other injuries. He was initially awarded the Distinguished Service Cross because his commander feared he would not survive long enough for the Medal of Honor process. Years later, additional eyewitness testimony helped establish the full extent of what he had done. On February 24, 1981, President Ronald Reagan presented Roy Benavidez with the Medal of Honor. Benavidez d*ed on November 29, 1998, at age 63. He had survived the battlefield. What remained was the memory of the men he refused to abandon.for educational purposes only #fyp #supportourvetrans #supportourtroops #foryourpage - @charlesswanson05