The soldier who went on a one man rampage, 1968

The soldier who went on a one man rampage, 1968

Roy P Benavidez was born in Texas in 1935. His father was Mexican and his mother was Yaqui native Mexican. They both died of tuberculosis when Benavidez was young. He was bullied for his Mexican accent and heritage in school and worked hard labour to support his family, but dreamed of joining the US Army. At the age of 15, he dropped out of school to work on a farm. However, as soon as he was ready, Roy enlisted in the US armed forces. He also got married around this time and had 3 children.

In 1965, Roy qualified for the special forces and was deployed to Vietnam. Roy was on a secret surveillance mission dressed as a Vietcong fighter when he stepped on a landmine. He was sent back to America and in hospital, he was told that he would never walk again. Secretly at night and filled with determination, Roy crawled out of his bed across the floor with his elbows and kept trying to move his feet. Doctors told him to stop as the pain was excruciating, but Roy kept this up for months. Roy, against all odds, holding his wife's hand, walked out of the hospital and astonishingly, Roy went back to Vietnam.

On May 2nd 1968 Roy took part in a fight that was so vicious and brutal it has been named "6 hours in hell". Roy heard soldiers calling for backup on his radio at his base, and filled with determination, jumped onto the helicopter with just his hunting knife as he had no time to prepare.

Roy would get off the helicopter to help his soldiers, who were surrounded by 1,000 North Vietnamese soldiers. During the fight, Roy saved the lives of 8 men while spraying gunfire at the enemy. Roy at one point was even stabbed by an enemy soldier with his bayonet, in which he pulled out his hunting knife and stabbed the man to death. Roy helped his friends onto the helicopter and got back to base. It was discovered that Roy had 37 separate bullet, bayonet, and shrapnel wounds. Doctors zipped him up in a body bag assuming he was dead, but Roy spat in one of their faces to show he was still alive. Roy survived his injuries and received the Medal of Honour for his outstanding bravery and courage.

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