C005005

Round shaped coin, antique brass in color, 1 3/4 inches in diameter.

MSG Roy P. Benavidez, Medal of Honor

On February 24, 1981, President Ronald Reagan presented Roy P. Benavidez with the Medal of Honor. Reagan turned to the press and said, "If the story of his heroism were a movie script, you would not believe it". A 12-man Special Forces Reconnaissance Team was operating in a dense jungle area west of Loc Ninh, Vietnam when they came under intense fire and had to request emergency extraction. An initial attempt by helicopters from the 240th Assault Helicopter Company was not successful and returned to Loc Ninh along with their own wounded crew members. 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. Despite multiple severe wounds in the right leg, head and abdomen during the extraction, he managed to save 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.