HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
1-1 WHEREAS, The Texas Legislative Medal of Honor was established
1-2 by the 58th Texas Legislature to honor gallant and intrepid service
1-3 by a member of the State Military Forces of Texas, and through his
1-4 courageous actions during battle in the Vietnam War, Master
1-5 Sergeant Roy P. Benavidez distinguished himself as a worthy
1-6 recipient of this prestigious honor; and
1-7 WHEREAS, A native Texan, Sergeant Benavidez was born on
1-8 August 5, 1935, in DeWitt County, the son of a sharecropper;
1-9 orphaned at an early age and raised by relatives, he dropped out
1-10 of school at the age of 14 to work in the fields before enlisting
1-11 in the U.S. Army in June 1955; and
1-12 WHEREAS, While on his first tour of duty in Vietnam, this
1-13 admirable soldier was injured by a land mine and though doctors
1-14 feared he might never walk again, Sergeant Benavidez recovered
1-15 fully and returned to Vietnam with the Green Berets, an elite
1-16 Special Forces unit; and
1-17 WHEREAS, On the morning of May 2, 1968, while assigned to
1-18 the Loc Ninh base in South Vietnam, Sergeant Benavidez learned that
1-19 12 members of a Special Forces reconnaissance team were surrounded
1-20 by enemy troops inside Cambodia and under heavy fire; this heroic
1-21 Texan courageously volunteered for the evacuation mission to aid in
1-22 the rescue of his fellow soldiers; and
1-23 WHEREAS, Though intense small-arms and anti-aircraft fire
1-24 made the rescue operation tremendously dangerous, Sergeant
2-1 Benavidez jumped from the helicopter into enemy gunsights; even
2-2 before he reached the stranded team's position he had been wounded
2-3 in his right leg, face, and head, yet despite his painful injuries,
2-4 Sergeant Benavidez carried the wounded men to the waiting
2-5 helicopter and provided protective fire to cover the remaining
2-6 crew; and
2-7 WHEREAS, The mission grew more complicated as Sergeant
2-8 Benavidez retrieved classified documents from dead and wounded team
2-9 members, and he worked quickly to secure them despite sustaining
2-10 more severe wounds from gunshots to his abdomen and grenade
2-11 fragments in his back; while attempting takeoff, the pilot was
2-12 mortally wounded and the helicopter crashed; despite the chaos
2-13 around him, Sergeant Benavidez freed those aboard from the
2-14 wreckage and established a defensive perimeter under increasing
2-15 enemy gunfire and grenade attacks; and
2-16 WHEREAS, Acting as medic, directing by radio the fire from
2-17 gunships overhead, and even engaging in hand-to-hand combat with
2-18 the enemy, Sergeant Benavidez bravely weathered a harrowing six
2-19 hours in the field and saved the lives of eight men through his
2-20 leadership and action; he had been clubbed, shot, and bayoneted,
2-21 yet Sergeant Benavidez prevailed, and when his actions were praised
2-22 as awesome and extraordinary, he defined them only as duty; and
2-23 WHEREAS, For his exceptional valor, Sergeant Benavidez was
2-24 awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and in 1981 he was
2-25 presented with the Congressional Medal of Honor by President Ronald
2-26 Reagan; even after his retirement from the military he continued to
2-27 serve his country by devoting his time and energy to veterans
3-1 groups and by visiting schools to speak to youths on critical
3-2 issues such as education, drug use, and gangs; and
3-3 WHEREAS, Though this brave soldier died on November 29, 1998,
3-4 the extremely valorous actions displayed by Master Sergeant Roy P.
3-5 Benavidez in the face of overwhelming odds continue to serve as an
3-6 inspiration; the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor is the highest
3-7 commendation Texans can bestow on members of our state military
3-8 forces, and it is truly fitting that it be awarded to Sergeant
3-9 Benavidez; now, therefore, be it
3-10 RESOLVED, That the 77th Legislature of the State of Texas
3-11 hereby posthumously confer the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor on
3-12 Master Sergeant Roy P. Benavidez in recognition of his heroic
3-13 service and express to his family our deepest appreciation on
3-14 behalf of all his fellow Texans; and, be it further
3-15 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
3-16 prepared for the family of Sergeant Benavidez as an expression of
3-17 highest regard by the Texas Legislature.
Wise
Cook
Noriega
Olivo
Dukes
Berman
Farrar
Garcia
Hawley
Martinez Fischer
Menendez
Najera
Seaman
Uresti
_______________________________ _______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I certify that H.C.R. No. 11 was adopted by the House on
April 5, 2001, by a non-record vote.
_______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
I certify that H.C.R. No. 11 was adopted by the Senate on
April 26, 2001, by a viva-voce vote.
_______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
APPROVED: __________________________
Date
__________________________
Governor