Legend: The Incredible Story of Green Beret Sergeant Roy Benavidez's Heroic Mission to Rescue a Special Forces Team Caught Behind Enemy Lines

I enjoyed reading 'Legend:...' by Eric Blehm and was especially riveted during battle when Roy Benavidez was involved. Technically, I have to admit that this book is not entirely about Roy and his achievements, and is written in four parts. The first is about Roy's adolescent years and difficulties he encountered while growing up with his uncle and aunt in a small Texas town. There was a strong bond between Roy and his family as well as with his boss when he worked at the Firestone Tire Store. Part 2 tells about Roy's experience in the Army and the training he completed prior to earning his Green Beret and going to Vietnam early in the war for his 1st tour. Part 3 is pretty much dedicated to introducing all the other people that had a role in the actual battle (I was somewhat confused here and had trouble remembering all the other names of pilots and ground personnel). The story continues with the insertion of two SF teams - 9 miles inside of the border of Cambodia. Their mission was to observe the Ho Chi Minh trail and ideally hijack a Russian built truck and some prisoners. However, shortly after their insertion, they are compromised and requested immediate pick-up; usually, the chopper returns to withdraw the team but a major in the overhead C&C denied their request and ordered the team leader to continue with the mission. What they soon discovered is that they were inserted onto the fringes of a Regimental or Division sized headquarters with thousands of NVA soldiers. Under fire, the team splits into two groups and locates two probable locations to the side of the original LZ in which to defend themselves. By the time higher up approve the evacuation, both teams are in dire straits - some team members were already severely wounded or dead. The firing is so intense, choppers are unable to land and sustain severe damage. The O-2 Bird dog FA announced a special code over the radio that signals an emergency with a high probability of units on the ground being overrun. It didn't take long before jets and gunships responded and immediately targeted the never ending supply of NVA regulars. Part 4 then continues with the battle and Roy Benavidez's involvement. Choppers are crashing and crews dying in the many attempt to reach the beleaguered troops. The action Roy takes is beyond belief and readers will be awed by his calmness and determination to get everybody back to safety. The story continues to describe the rest of the battle and their eventual evacuation from the LZ. Only a few survived. Benavidez was tagged in triage and left with the other dead bodies stacked outside of the hospital because of so much damage to his body. Miraculously, he garnered enough strength and fortitude to spit at the orderly who almost finished zippering him up in a black body bag. When discovering that Roy was alive, they rushed to save his life. He spent over a year convalescing from his injuries, and remained in San Antonio to be close to his family. Afterward, he continued in active service in the Army until his eventual retirement. Roy deserved the Medal of Honor for his actions that day, however, his involvement in Cambodia was top secret, and instead, the Dept. of the Army awarded him the Distinguished Service Cross - a step below the MOH. SF soldiers were sworn to secrecy and agreed not to expose anything about their missions or locations for thirty years. The penalty for doing so is a dishonorable discharge, large fine and imprisonment. Ten years later, those who survived the battle wrote reports that detailed Roy's actions during that fateful day in hopes of reversing the decision regarding Roy's MOH, yet the Army refused to upgrade it. Others continued the effort and when an eye witness came forward - one who Roy thought perished and vice-versa, and his testimony tipped the scales. The MOH was awarded for his actions in a battle west of a town in South Vietnam and Cambodia was not inferred. This is a great read with a lot of detail of the actual events. Roy was quoted in the book, "that day was filled with heroes, all trying very hard to save this team, unfortunately, many of them did not survive the battle." The last third of the book will keep you reading until the end! RIP Roy Benavidez! Thank you Eric Blehm for a great story! John Podlaski, author 'Cherries - A Vietnam War Novel' and 'When Can I Stop Running?' .

Fantastic writing. This is (sadly), the first book ive read for fun) since I was 18 (im 35 now), and the writer did a great job keeping me interested and wanting to read more.

A great story about true American heroes. Very well told and it was very believable, to include the detailed descriptions of what is commonly referred to as the "fog of war." No doubt, all the planning and training in the world can't change the fact that most military plans go out the window upon contact with the enemy. Always been that way, and it always will. This story is a little unique in the need for the operation to be done covertly, which results in really no official documentation or after-action reports to rely on. In some respects having to rely on first-hand accounts only is likely why the author has some very good detail about the engagement. I gave the book only 4 stars because the book is half about SSgt Benavidez and half about the operation and the other brave men he fought with that day. Anytime you combine two things, you tend to get just a little less than the whole of either one - thus 4 and not 5 stars. I highly recommend this book. Easy to read and a great story for anyone of almost any age. War is hell. Post war life is hell for our combat veterans. This book is about both.

I'm not usually a reader of military action books, but having had the privilege of meeting several of the men depicted in this book, including the Legend himself, Roy Benavidez, I'll admit I was anxious for this book release. Since I'm not in the military, I really appreciated Eric Blehm's definitions/explanations of many of the oft-used military acronyms throughout the book. I was also impressed with the many photographs and the maps shown. I had heard parts of the story of this mission many times from the mouths of those involved, but I had never heard many of the details that Eric Blehm was able to uncover & piece together. I now have a much greater understanding of the events overall. The first part of the book covers Roy's hardscrabble childhood in Texas. It tells about his family and the morals and patriotism which were instilled in him throughout his younger years. I feel this part of the book was important as it tells how the man was formed. The second section transitions into his military career and then focuses on his actions as a Green Beret during the May 2, 1968 mission for which he was eventually awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor - the USA's highest military honor. I was completely riveted while reading about this mission. It's gripping, terrifying, thrilling, frustrating, tragic and more. Eric Blehm did an outstanding job in clarifying what occurred and thoroughly compiling all of the historic records/current interviews/previous books into a highly readable, edge-of-your-seat story. This novel should be made into a MOVIE! The final section of the book outlines the years-long struggle many people went through to ensure Roy was appropriately thanked and honored for his actions and hints at why it took so long for Roy to finally receive the MoH. It also serves as a sort of epilogue telling what happened to many of the individuals in the years following the mission. I'm so glad that was included. This story needed to be told. It still needs to be told. READ IT, TELL THE STORY to your children (at an age-appropriate level, of course), tell your friends and family. Let's re-ignite patriotism like Roy was always able to do. One last thing. Thank you to all who have served our country.

Very stirring and difficult to believe that any humans survived.

Gripping and thrilling. An account of bravery beyond the call of duty.

Almost unbelievable!!!

Tells a story that needs to be told, of the sacrifice that so many made. The way the veterans were treated is appalling.

After setting a new years resolution to read more this is the second title by Eric Blehm I have read in the past month. His work seems to be incredibly well researched and dedicated to telling the story accurately. Was truly captivated by this book and couldn't recommend it enough. The story will inspire all and if ur into tales of modern warfare this is a MUST READ.