THE BALLAD OF ROY BENAVIDEZ

The life and times of a Mexican American Special Forces soldier from the 1950s to the end of the Vietnam War.

On the surface, this book appears to be a straightforward biography of Master Sgt. Roy Benavidez (1935-1998), who served in the Army from 1952 to 1968. However, Sturkey, a history professor and author of Hattiesburg, also provides a broader cultural narrative about the Hispanic and Latino experience (“those are the terms Roy himself used most often to describe his racial and ethnic identity”) in the war era. Before enlisting in the military, Benavidez physically and figuratively fought his way through school, and he shined shoes and worked in cotton and beet fields to make money. With few options for employment, he signed up for the Army and was eventually sent to South Vietnam. In 1968, three years after he stepped on a landmine and recovered, Benavidez jumped again into the line of fire, saving multiple lives and bringing home the dead. He suffered 37 puncture wounds, lacerated arms, a broken jaw, and exposed intestines, and shrapnel littered his body. For his sacrifices, he received the Distinguished Service Cross, “the second-highest medal for combat valor available.” When further information became available about Benavidez’s extraordinary sacrifice and remarkable survival story, he was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1981. In the second half of the book, the author writes powerfully about the ardent racism in the military, as well as the problematic bureaucracy that held back Benavidez’s honors. Later in his life, Benavidez became a writer (The Three Wars of Roy Benavidez, etc.) and a public speaker and was an advocate for the American military until his death. Sturkey delivers a solid true story about a man who loved his country and all those he protected.

A robust account of a true American hero and his ability to overcome many different obstacles.