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I ran across this article not too long ago and I was amazed.
This shows that despite the ribbing we Marines give and take
from the Army, the bottom line is that weare all American fighting
men and women. Some are are outright heroes no matter which
bootcamp they went to. My cover is off to you Roy Benavidez
and may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- Roy Benavidez, a Vietnam veteran who
in 1981 received the Medal of Honor for
saving eight fellow Green Berets, died Sunday. He was 63.
The cause of death was not released. Benavidez had been
hospitalized for treatment of a long illness complicated by
diabetes and anemia.
On the morning of May 2, 1968, three months into his second
tour of the Vietnam War, Benavidez defied the enemy and the
odds.
A North Vietnamese regiment surrounded a dozen soldiers
from his unit during a secret mission in Cambodia that had been
authorized by President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Three helicopters trying to save the men came under heavy
fire and were unable to land. Benavidez bulled his way onto
a helicopter to save his friends.
Benavidez repositioned team members so they could give cover
fire for the helicopters. He then carried half the wounded troops
to nearby aircraft.
Benavidez then recovered classified documents from a dead
team leader, guided wounded troops from a downed aircraft and
set up a defense line.
As the enemy gained strength, he called in airstrikes, directed
fire from helicopter gunships and provided first aid to a wounded
soldier.
He suffered more than three
dozen injuries from gunshot wounds, grenades and
hand-to-hand fighting.
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