Then-Staff Sgt. Roy Benavidez distinguished himself by a series of daring and extremely valorous actions while assigned to Detachment B-56, @5thForces, 1st Special Forces, Republic of Vietnam.
On May 2, 1968, #Benavidez was at the Forward Operating Base in Loc Ninh, Vietnam, when word arrived of a 12-man Special Forces intelligence-gathering team that was pinned down by the North Vietnamese Army.
Realizing that all the team members were either dead or wounded, he directed the aircraft to a nearby clearing and jumped from the hovering helicopter.
Armed only with a knife and his medical bag, #Benavidez ran under withering small-arms fire to the crippled team.
Prior to reaching the team's position, he was wounded in his right leg, face and head.
Despite these injuries, he took charge, repositioning the team and directing their fire to facilitate the landing of the aircraft and the loading of the wounded and dead team members.
He threw smoke to direct the aircraft to the team's position and then dragged half of the wounded team members to the safety of the extraction helicopter.
He then provided protective fire by running alongside the aircraft as it moved to pick up the remaining team members.
As the enemy's fire intensified, he hurried to recover the body and classified documents on the fallen team leader. When he reached the leader's body, Benavidez was severely wounded by small-arms fire in the abdomen and grenade fragments in his back.
At nearly the same moment, the aircraft pilot was mortally wounded, and his helicopter crashed.
Although in critical condition, he fought his way back to the wreckage, where he aided the wounded out of the aircraft and gathered the survivors into a defensive perimeter.
Under increasing enemy automatic-weapons and grenade fire, he moved around the perimeter distributing water and ammunition to his weary men, reinstilling in them a will to live and fight.
Facing a buildup of enemy opposition, #Benavidez called in tactical air strikes and directed the fire from supporting gunships to suppress the enemy's fire and allow another extraction attempt.
On his second trip with the wounded, he was clubbed, injuring his head and arms before killing his adversary.
He continued under fire to carry the wounded to the helicopter. Upon reaching the aircraft, he spotted and killed two enemy soldiers who were rushing the craft.
With little strength remaining, he made one last trip to the perimeter to ensure that all classified material had been collected or destroyed and to bring in the remaining wounded.
Only then, in extremely serious condition did he allow himself to be pulled into the aircraft.#MoH
#Benavidez's gallant choice to join his comrades who were in critical straits, to expose himself constantly to withering enemy fire and his refusal to be stopped despite numerous severe wounds, saved the lives of at least eight men.
He said of his actions, “The real heroes are the ones who gave their lives for their country, I don't like to be called a hero. I just did what I was trained to do.”
Even today, when Special Forces are involved in a firefight, and things are going badly, or courage needs to be summoned, they call out, “Tango! Mike! Mike!”
Sgt. Maj. Mike Vining: The Man. The Meme. The Army Legend.
An EOD technician and founding member of multiple elite units, Vining made his mark on Army history early in his career when he helped destroy a weapons cache with over 7 million rounds of ammunition.
He gained fame online as the subject of Army memes, thanks to his unassuming demeanor and stack of medals.
In honor of his birthday, here’s a small part of his incredible story.
Inspired by WWII movies, Vining wanted to defuse bombs from a young age.
He joined the Army in 1968 at just 17 years old, graduating from EOD training two years later.
Soon after, he volunteered to deploy to Vietnam with the 99th Ordnance Detachment.
Pictured: Sgt. Maj. Vining in the bottom left corner.
In May 1970, Vining deployed with the @1stCavalryDiv to a site that would become known as Rock Island East, the largest enemy weapons cache discovered by U.S. forces during the war.
The cache included:
▶️ 932 individual weapons
▶️ 85 crew-served weapons
▶️ 7,079,694 small arms and machine gun rounds
▶️ Nearly 1,000 rounds of 85 mm artillery shells for D-44 howitzers and T-34 tanks
We're rolling deep with Army vehicles and aircraft for our 250th Birthday Parade!
Here's a sneak peek at what we're bringing for this once-in-a-lifetime event! 🧵
#Army250
We've used the M1A2 Abrams tank since 1980; it was known for shooting accurately while on the move. It's first combat operation was Operation Desert Storm in 1991. Soldiers found it reliable, lethal, and tough, despite its limited range.
This might look and sound like a tank, but it's technically a Self-Propelled Howitzer.
First introduced in the 1960s, the Paladin has been upgraded and adapted to perform in various battlefields from the jungles to the desert.
Armed with a pistol and a cane, Brig. Gen. Theodore Roosevelt Jr. landed with the first wave at Utah Beach on D-Day.
This is the epic story of the first General to land on D-Day, who was also the son of a U.S. President. 🧵
Roosevelt was the son of the legendary Rough Rider.
He volunteered to fight in WWI, earning a Distinguished Service Cross and the French Chevalier Légion d’Honneur.
Roosevelt was shot in the leg and was later forced to use a cane, but that didn’t stop him from joining the fight.
@CMOH_Society When WWII broke out, once again Roosevelt volunteered.
He led troops in North Africa and Sicily before being reassigned to help plan the D-Day invasion.
But he wanted to do more than plan, he wanted to be with his troops.
The Sentinels of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier stand guard day and night, rain or shine, at @ArlingtonNatl. Here are five facts about this elite position within the @USArmyOldGuard, a role few can claim. 🧵
#MemorialDay
📸 Elizabeth Fraser, Arlington National Cemetery
@ArlingtonNatl @USArmyOldGuard Elite Status: Tomb Guards are among the most elite soldiers in the U.S. Army. They must pass a rigorous selection process, undergo intensive training, and demonstrate exceptional attention to detail.
📸 Elizabeth Fraser, Arlington National Cemetery
@ArlingtonNatl @USArmyOldGuard Becoming a Sentinel: After members of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) become ceremonially qualified, they may volunteer to serve as Sentinels. If selected, they are assigned to Company E.