Date Posted:1/1/00 12:00amSubject:
How had I never heard of this man?
Nearly dead from a total of 37 separate bayonet, bullet and shrapnel wounds received on multiple occasions over the course of the six hour fight between the 13 men and an enemy battalion,[1] Benavidez was evacuated once again to Brooke Army Medical Center, where he eventually recovered. For his heroism, the Army awarded him the Distinguished Service Cross.
He was believed dead after finally being evacuated and was being zipped up in a body bag when he mustered the last of his strength and spit in the face of a medic, thereby alerting nearby medical personnel that he was still alive. (see medal citation below)
Broken back, shot with a howiter, then fought the NVA and then swam a river to rescue three injured americans, then came back to the firebase with the wounded and continued to fight till morning.
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