[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 53 (Wednesday, March 27, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E362-E363]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING ROY BENAVIDEZ

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MICHAEL CLOUD

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 27, 2019

  Mr. CLOUD. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and recognize Master 
Sergeant Roy Benavidez.
  My district is proud to claim as one of our own Master Sergeant Roy 
Benavidez, a Medal of Honor recipient who is among the most 
distinguished heroes in American history. On the occasion of the Roy P. 
Benavidez Memorial Highway Dedication, I would like to recognize once 
more a man who exemplified courage, sacrifice, and unbreakable 
determination.
  Sergeant Benavidez, of El Campo, Texas, was orphaned at a young age 
and dropped

[[Page E363]]

out of middle school to support his family before answering the call to 
service in Vietnam. He recovered from a land mine injury to become a 
Green Beret, and when a call for help came in, he voluntarily boarded a 
rescue helicopter and put his own life on the line to save his fellow 
soldiers.
  Sergeant Benavidez was shot in the head and the leg but continued 
working to load the wounded onto the helicopter. As the helicopter took 
off, the pilot was killed, and the helicopter crashed. Sergeant 
Benavidez heroically carried his wounded comrades off the helicopter 
and spent what he described as ``six hours in hell'' returning fire, 
calling in airstrikes, caring for the wounded, and even recovering 
classified documents. He was shot multiple times, bayoneted, clubbed, 
and hit by fragments from a grenade, before finally dragging the 
soldiers he came to rescue onto a second evacuation helicopter. He 
saved the lives of at least eight men.
  In 1981, Sergeant Benavidez received the Medal of Honor from 
President Reagan, who noted that ``if the story of his heroism were a 
movie script, you would not believe it.'' His Medal of Honor citation 
declared that 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.''
  But his challenges were not over. Two years later, he received notice 
that his disability benefits were to be cut off, despite shrapnel in 
his heart and constant pain. So he went before Congress on behalf of 
his fellow veterans, asking ``if they can do this to me, what will they 
do to all the others?'' Thanks to the efforts of Sergeant Benavidez, 
the President became personally involved in the situation, and the 
Department of Health and Human Services announced reforms to the review 
process.
  He devoted the rest of his life to service, speaking to students 
about the importance of education and inspiring American troops around 
the world.
  Sergeant Benavidez was a model of bravery and selfless sacrifice, and 
it is right and fitting to recognize his heroism by dedicating the Roy 
P. Benavidez Memorial Highway in his honor. May this highway serve not 
only as a memorial to a great man but as an inspiration to his fellow 
Texans to live with the same spirit of courage and service.

                          ____________________