SR143 - In memory of Roy P. Benavidez.

        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.                 ________________________________          Secretary of the Senate                 ________________________________           Member, Texas Senate