Master Sergeant Roy Benavidez and President Reagan, February 24, 1981

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1 Master Sergeant Roy Benavidez and President Reagan, February 24, 1981 Strengthened by their courage, heartened by their valor, and borne by their memory, let us continue to stand for the ideals for which they lived and died. ~Ronald Reagan, June 1984 President Ronald Reagan and the Medal of Honor To all who served America, President Reagan extended his most profound gratitude while making every effort to honor their sacrifices. He was known for recognizing heroes, for saluting their valor and wasted no time as President to present a Medal of Honor, the highest military award bestowed by the U.S. government, to a distinguished Vietnam veteran on February 24, How many Medals did he present as president? After all, the Cold War was raging and the United States was not at war during the Reagan administration. We thought you might like to learn the intricate history behind the Congressional Medal of Honor recipients from To discover more, click here: 1

2 A nation grateful to you, and to all your comrades living and dead, awards you its highest symbol of gratitude for service above and beyond the call of duty. Ronald Reagan, February 24, 1981 The Congressional Medal of Honor To date, there have been 3,463 recipients of the Medal of Honor with 76 of these distinguished souls living today. Who was the first to receive this honor? The answer is somewhat complicated. On February 13, 1861 before the Civil War had even begun - Dr. Bernard J. D. Irwin, an Assistant Surgeon in the Army, voluntarily led a command of troops to relieve a surrounded detachment in the 7 th infantry. His Medal was not presented until January 24, 1894, over 30 years after he had performed his deed. But on March 25, 1863, Pvt. Jacob Parrott was the first of a group of 6 men awarded the Medal for their actions in The Great Locomotive Chase in April They were the first ever to wear the Medal of Honor. And has a woman received the award? Yes, Mary Walker was the only woman presented with the Medal of Honor at Bull Run on July 21, During the Civil War, she served as an assistant surgeon and at one point, was a prisoner of war. Now, how many Medals did President Reagan present? Two. Let s start with the first. "If the story of his heroism were a movie script, you would not believe it". ~Ronald Reagan, February 24, 1981 Master Sergeant Roy P. Benavidez 2

3 Like all Presidents-elect, Ronald Reagan received a list of unfinished business. One glaring item that quickly caught his attention was an outstanding Medal of Honor that had not been presented to its extraordinary recipient. This omission had not gone unnoticed. In My American Journey, General Colin Powell shared his observations about the Carter administration delays, The case of Master Sergeant Roy P. Benavidez epitomized to me an insensitivity toward the military during this time. Benavidez had earned the Army s second-highest decoration, the Distinguished Service Cross, for valor in Vietnam, where in 1968 he had saved the lives of eight trapped Special Forces troops in the course of which he was wounded nine times. Years later, after additional evidence of his bravery was reviewed, Benavidez s award was upgraded to the Medal of Honor. This highest military decoration was traditionally presented by the President, which would have given a boost to the battered ego for the armed forces at the time. But President Carter never got around to pinning the medal on Benavidez. Just 34 days after assuming the office of the Presidency, Ronald Reagan brought Master Sergeant Benavidez to the White House for a long overdue ceremony. Several years ago, the President began, we brought home a group of American fighting men who had obeyed their country's call and who had fought as bravely and as well as any Americans in our history. They came home without a victory not because they'd been defeated, but because they'd been denied permission to win. He continued, carefully attempting to right the wrongs our country created. They were greeted by no parades, no bands, no waving of the flag they had so nobly served. There's been no thank you for their sacrifice. There's been no effort to honor and, thus, give pride to the families of more than 57,000 young men who gave their lives in that faraway war. Drawing from words of writers and poets to find the appropriate thoughts, the President expressed grief for those who served in Vietnam and received neither recognition nor gratitude upon returning home. Nor have recent movies about that war shown examples of American heroism that would document the 1253 schools and 597 hospitals and dispensaries built, the classrooms, the churches, the temples and pagodas that were created by our military. The orphanages, the medical facilities, all tragically ignored. "They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them." ~Lawrence Binyon And then he introduced the hero of this story who was brought up on a farm outside of Cuero in De Witt County, Texas. The President called him to the podium for the presentation of the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions on May 2, 1968 when Sergeant Roy Benavidez of the Military Assistance Command Vietnam Studies and Observations Group, U.S. Army, reached a reconnaissance team under enemy fire. Severely wounded, he carried other soldiers to helicopters, saving the lives of at least eight comrades. After enduring six hours of hell, the army medics thought Sgt. Benavidez had succumbed and just as the body bag was being zipped up, Sgt. Benavidez responded: 3

4 I spat in his face, Benavidez recalled, because I couldn t speak. And I knew I wasn t dead. That was the only way I could communicate to let the medic know I was alive. To read the President s complete remarks and the text of the Medal of Honor, click here: To visit the CMOH website, click here: benavidez-roy-p.php After continuing to serve in the military, Roy P. Benavidez passed away on November 29, 1998 at the age of 63. Today, the Benavidez family has been kind enough to allow the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library to display his Medal and celebrate his story. 4

5 In July 1944 a grateful nation bestowed the Medal of Honor on a soldier, a private for extraordinary heroism.... The soldier could not accept the award that day. He was a prisoner of war. Ronald Reagan, awarding the Medal of Honor to William Crawford, May 30, 1984 Credit: Nick Del Calzo Private William Crawford How the Medal was presented to this recipient is a complicated tale with a proud ending. During WWII, Private William Crawford was stationed near Altavilla, Italy on September 13, 1943 when his company attacked a German position. He was the scout for his platoon, pinned down by intense machine-gun fire, when he spotted enemy machine guns dug into a terrace. On his own initiative and under heavy enemy fire, he managed to take it out including the three Germans manning it. His courageous acts allowed his platoon to advance. A few days later, after another battle, Crawford was captured and was thought to be dead. At that time, the Medal of Honor was presented posthumously to his father by General Thomas Allen on February 26, Two months later, his family found out he was alive. So in the spring of 1945, Crawford and his fellow prisoners were liberated and he returned home, reenlisting in the Army in 1947 and retiring in At that time, he took a job as a janitor at the Air Force Academy in The humble William Crawford never told the students of his accomplishments until one of them came across his name in a book about WWII. When questioned, 5

6 he acknowledged his brave acts but was disappointed that his Medal had never been presented by the president. Until When Ronald Reagan learned about this oversight, he flew to the Air Force Academy. After delivering a commencement address, he re-presented Crawford with his medal and extolled his heroism in front of the cheering cadets. To read the President s complete remarks and the text of the Medal of Honor, click here: To visit the CMOH website, click here: crawford-william-j.php We re graced with the company of a man, President Reagan began, who believed so much in the values of our nation that he went above and beyond the call of duty in defending them. Slowly, the citation was read, the presentation was made, and everyone agreed, it s time to do it right. President Reagan knew that Master Sergeant Benavidez and Private William Crawford will forever be in the select company where the heroes of our country stand. 6