SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 143

In Memory

of

Roy Benavidez

WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas joins the citizens of Texas in remembering the life and legacy of Medal of Honor recipient Master Sergeant Roy P. Benavidez and the loaning of his Medal of Honor to the new National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington; and

WHEREAS, A native Texan, Master Sergeant Benavidez was born on August 5, 1935, in Lindenau, the son of a sharecropper; orphaned at an early age and raised by relatives, he dropped out of school at the age of 14 to work in the fields before enlisting in the U.S. Army in June 1955; and

WHEREAS, While on his first tour of duty in Vietnam, this admirable soldier was injured by a land mine, and though doctors feared he might never walk again, Master Sergeant Benavidez recovered fully and returned to Vietnam with the Green Berets, an elite Special Forces unit; and

WHEREAS, On the morning of May 2, 1968, while assigned to the Loc Ninh base in South Vietnam, then-Sergeant Benavidez learned that 12 members of a Special Forces reconnaissance team were surrounded by enemy troops inside Cambodia and under heavy fire; this heroic Texan courageously volunteered for the evacuation mission to aid in the rescue of his fellow soldiers; and

WHEREAS, Though intense small-arms and antiaircraft fire made the rescue operation tremendously dangerous, Sergeant Benavidez jumped from the helicopter into enemy gunsights; even before he reached the stranded team's position, he had been wounded in his right leg, face, and head, yet despite his painful injuries, Sergeant Benavidez carried the wounded men to the waiting helicopter and provided protective fire to cover the remaining crew; and

WHEREAS, The mission grew more complicated as Sergeant Benavidez retrieved classified documents from dead and wounded team members, and he worked quickly to secure them despite sustaining more severe wounds from gunshots to his abdomen and grenade fragments in his back; while attempting takeoff, the pilot was mortally wounded, and the helicopter crashed; despite the chaos around him, Sergeant Benavidez freed those aboard from the wreckage and established a defensive perimeter under increasing enemy gunfire and grenade attacks; and

WHEREAS, Acting as a medic, directing by radio the fire from gunships overhead, and even engaging in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy, Sergeant Benavidez bravely weathered a harrowing six hours in hell and saved the lives of eight men through his leadership and action; he had been clubbed, shot, and bayoneted, yet Sergeant Benavidez prevailed, and when his actions were praised as awesome and extraordinary, he defined them only as duty; and

WHEREAS, For his exceptional valor, Sergeant Benavidez was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross; then on February 24, 1981, 44 years ago, Master Sergeant (Ret.) Roy P. Benavidez was presented with the Congressional Medal of Honor by President Ronald Reagan; and

WHEREAS, Even after his retirement from the military, he continued to serve his country by devoting his time and energy to veterans groups and by visiting schools to speak to youths on critical issues such as courage, commitment, education, faith, patriotism, and staying away from drug use and gangs; and

WHEREAS, Though this brave soldier died on November 29, 1998, his widow Hilaria "Lala" Coy Benavidez and their three children, son Noel and daughters Yvette and Denise, have carried on Master Sergeant Benavidez's legacy by remaining active in their community with various civic organizations and volunteering their time with the Boy Scouts of America, which paved the way for six of Master Sergeant Benavidez's grandsons to earn the rank of Eagle Scout; and

WHEREAS, On February 6, 2011, the late Hilaria "Lala" Coy Benavidez generously loaned her husband's Medal of Honor to the Ronald Regan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, where it was on display for tens of thousands of museum visitors to see and learn about the life and legacy of Master Sergeant Roy P. Benavidez; and

WHEREAS, On January 3, 2025, the children of Master Sergeant Roy P. Benavidez traveled to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library to take part in a handoff ceremony, which consisted of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library handing over Master Sergeant Roy P. Benavidez's Medal of Honor to his three children so that it can return home to Texas; and

WHEREAS, The children of Master Sergeant Roy P. Benavidez have generously loaned their father's Medal of Honor to the new National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, where it will be one of several Medals of Honor from living and deceased recipients that have been either donated or loaned to the new museum and will be on display for the public to see; and

WHEREAS, A deserving recipient of the highest and most prestigious military decoration of valor, Roy Benavidez demonstrated extraordinary courage in the line of duty, and he will forever be remembered with great admiration; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 89th Legislature, hereby pay tribute to the life and legacy of Master Sergeant Roy P. Benavidez and extend to his family sincere appreciation for their generosity in sharing his inspiring story with others; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That an official copy of this Resolution be prepared for his family as an expression of deepest gratitude from the Texas Senate and that when the Senate adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Master Sergeant Roy P. Benavidez and his wife Lala.

Huffman

________________________________

President of the Senate

I hereby certify that the above Resolution was adopted by the Senate on February 26, 2025, by a rising vote.

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Secretary of the Senate

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Member, Texas Senate