What a bad-ass! U.S. Soldier WWII

[TheGLOV]

Thought YOU might like to see THIS. Not many like this today in OUR Military. Just Saying.US paratrooper Joseph Beyrle served with the 101st Airborne Division during
World War II. Prior to the start of the Normandy invasions, Beyrle jumped
twice into occupied France to coordinate, provide arms, and money to several
French resistance units. He then jumped into France on D-Day, destroyed a
enemy gun emplacement, was captured, escaped, and was recaptured. He was
beaten nearly to death, his uniform and dog tags were taken from him. A
German soldier attempted to infiltrate US lines dressed in Beyrle's uniform
and was killed. The US War Department believed Beyrle had been killed in
combat and notified his parents. His mother refused to believe her son was
dead and continued to ignore requests by other family members to accept his
death.

Beyrle was held captive in a German controlled POW camp. He again attempted
to escape and was shot and wounded. He survived on minimum food and medical
attention. Beyrle would be held in seven different POW camps and eventually


Thought YOU might like to see THIS. Not many like this today in OUR Military. Just Saying.US paratrooper Joseph Beyrle served with the 101st Airborne Division during
World War II. Prior to the start of the Normandy invasions, Beyrle jumped
twice into occupied France to coordinate, provide arms, and money to several
French resistance units. He then jumped into France on D-Day, destroyed a
enemy gun emplacement, was captured, escaped, and was recaptured. He was
beaten nearly to death, his uniform and dog tags were taken from him. A
German soldier attempted to infiltrate US lines dressed in Beyrle's uniform
and was killed. The US War Department believed Beyrle had been killed in
combat and notified his parents. His mother refused to believe her son was
dead and continued to ignore requests by other family members to accept his
death.

Beyrle was held captive in a German controlled POW camp. He again attempted
to escape and was shot and wounded. He survived on minimum food and medical
attention. Beyrle would be held in seven different POW camps and eventually

escaped again, this time the Gestapo were preparing to shoot him, claiming
he was a spy. He escaped yet again and found his way to a Soviet armor
brigade which was near the POW camp he escaped from. Beyrle, having
knowledge of engines and mechanical background, assisted the Soviet tank


unit which was also equipped with American made M4 Sherman tanks. He served
with the armor unit commanded by a Soviet female officer and acted as a
scout for the Russians against German positions. He was wounded again when
German dive bombers attacked the Russian armor column.

He was taken to a Soviet hospital where he met Soviet Marshall Zhukov who
was curious on how this American paratrooper ended up in a Soviet hospital.
Zhukov was so impressed with Beryle's story he provided him safe passage
back to the US Embassy in Moscow.

Because the US War Department believed Beyrle had been killed in June 1944,
the US government kept him under guard for several days until his dental
records arrived and confirmed he was indeed Beyrle. As it turned out, Beyrle
served more combat time with the Soviets than the Americans and received a
slew of both US and Soviet citations.

Beyrle returned home and was married to his sweetheart by the same priest
who two years earlier presided over his memorial when his family believed he
was dead.

Here is SGT Joseph Beyrle's Prisoner of War photo which was taken one of the
times he was captured by the Germans. Take note of his expression in the
photo, as he seems to be scowling, and portraying something like "screw you"
to his German captors.

 

[Thomas1945]

Great story, I see a movie here with Brad Pitt as Beyrle and a Midnighter poll winner that we choose as the Soviet tank commander.

 

[McCloudersportLion]

He ain't spendin his life here,
He ain't livin alone,
Ain't breaking the rocks for the chain gang
He's breaking out and headed home

 

[Ranger Dan]

When I think of badass, Roy P Benavidez comes first to mind.


US Army[edit]
Benavidez enlisted in the Texas Army National Guard in 1952 during the Korean War. In June 1955, he switched from the Army National Guard to Army active duty. In 1959, he married Hilaria Coy Benavidez, completed Airborne training, and was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Army Special Forces[edit]
Benavidez returned to Fort Bragg and began training for the elite Army Special Forces. Once qualified and accepted, he became a member of the 5th Special Forces Group; and the Studies and Observations Group (SOG).

Vietnam[edit]
In 1965 he was sent to South Vietnam as an advisor to an Army of the Republic of Vietnam infantry regiment. He stepped on a land mine [1]during a patrol and was evacuated to the United States, where doctors at Fort Sam Houston concluded he would never walk again and began preparing his medical discharge papers. As Benavidez noted in his 1981 MOH acceptance speech, stung by the diagnosis, as well as flag burnings and media criticism of the US military presence in Vietnam he saw on TV, he began an unsanctioned nightly training ritual in an attempt to redevelop his ability to walk. Getting out of bed at night (against doctors' orders), Benavidez would crawl using his elbows and chin to a wall near his bedside and (with the encouragement of his fellow patients, many of whom were permanently paralyzed and/or missing limbs), he would prop himself against the wall and attempt to lift himself unaided, starting by wiggling his toes, then his feet, and then eventually (after several months of excruciating practice that by his own admission often left him in tears) pushing himself up the wall with his ankles and legs.[2] After over a year of hospitalization, Benavidez walked out of the hospital in July 1966, with his wife at his side, determined to return to combat in Vietnam. Despite continuing pain from his wounds, he returned to South Vietnam in January 1968.

6 Hours in hell[edit]
On May 2, 1968, a 12-man Special Forces patrol, which included nine Montagnard tribesmen, was surrounded by a NVA infantry battalion of about 1,000 men. Benavidez heard the radio appeal for help and boarded a helicopter to respond. Armed only with a knife, he jumped from the helicopter carrying his medical bag and ran to help the trapped patrol. Benavidez "distinguished himself by a series of daring and extremely valorous actions... and because of his gallant choice to join voluntarily 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." At one point in the battle an NVA soldier accosted him and stabbed him with his bayonet. Benavidez pulled it out, yanked out his own knife, killed him and kept going, leaving his knife in the NVA soldier's body. After the battle, he was evacuated to the base camp, examined, and thought to be dead. As he was placed in a body bag among the other dead in body bags, he was suddenly recognized by a friend who called for help. A doctor came and examined him but believed Benavidez was dead. The doctor was about to zip up the body bag when Benavidez managed to spit in his face, alerting the doctor that he was alive.[3](see medal citation below) Benavidez had a total of 37 separate bullet, bayonet, and shrapnel wounds from the six-hour fight with the enemy battalion.[4]

Benavidez was evacuated once again to Fort Sam Houston's Brooke Army Medical Center, where he eventually recovered. He received the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism and four Purple Hearts. In 1969, he was assigned to Fort Riley, Kansas. In 1972, he was assigned to Fort Sam Houston, Texas where he remained until retirement.

Medal of Honor[edit
In 1973, after more detailed accounts became available, Special Forces Lieutenant Colonel Ralph R. Drake insisted that Benavidez receive the Medal of Honor. By then, however, the time limit on the medal had expired. An appeal to Congress resulted in an exemption for Benavidez, but the Army Decorations Board denied him an upgrade of his Distinguished Service Cross to the Medal of Honor. The Army board required an eyewitness account from someone present during the action; however, Benavidez believed that there were no living witnesses of the "Six Hours in Hell."

Unbeknownst to Benavidez, there was a living witness, who would later provide the eyewitness account necessary: Brian O'Connor, the former radioman of Benavidez's Special Forces team in Vietnam. O'Connor had been severely wounded (Benavidez had believed him dead), and he was evacuated to the United States before his superiors could fully debrief him.

O'Connor had been living in the Fiji Islands when, in 1980, he was on holiday in Australia. During his holiday O'Connor read a newspaper account of Benavidez from an El Campo newspaper, which had been picked up by the international press and reprinted in Australia. O'Connor immediately contacted Benavidez and submitted a ten-page report of the encounter, confirming the accounts provided by others, and serving as the necessary eyewitness; Benavidez's Distinguished Service Cross accordingly was upgraded to the Medal of Honor.

On February 24, 1981, President Ronald Reagan presented Roy P. Benavidez with the Medal of Honor. Reagan turned to the press and said, "If the story of his heroism were a movie script, you would not believe it". He then read the official award citation.

 

[tlbakernc]

Great story! Love that photo.

 

[OhioLion]

Thanks for sharing @TheGLOV and @Ranger Dan .
I received the book In Harm's Way for Christmas and will start reading it next week. Was told by a friend that after I read it, I will never complain again.

This all reminds me of a photo once sent me. Shows a soldier (WWII my guess) being carried by another soldier. The carried soldier is shooting his hand gun while being carried.
The caption is..."and before you laugh at that old fart wobbling around with this VFW hat on, just remember, he was likely more of a bad ass then you'll ever dream of being."

OL

 

[bobroars]

He looks like Cael Sanderson

 

[Cosmos]

When I think of badass, Roy P Benavidez comes first to mind.


US Army[edit]
Benavidez enlisted in the Texas Army National Guard in 1952 during the Korean War. In June 1955, he switched from the Army National Guard to Army active duty. In 1959, he married Hilaria Coy Benavidez, completed Airborne training, and was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Army Special Forces[edit]
Benavidez returned to Fort Bragg and began training for the elite Army Special Forces. Once qualified and accepted, he became a member of the 5th Special Forces Group; and the Studies and Observations Group (SOG).

Vietnam[edit]
In 1965 he was sent to South Vietnam as an advisor to an Army of the Republic of Vietnam infantry regiment. He stepped on a land mine [1]during a patrol and was evacuated to the United States, where doctors at Fort Sam Houston concluded he would never walk again and began preparing his medical discharge papers. As Benavidez noted in his 1981 MOH acceptance speech, stung by the diagnosis, as well as flag burnings and media criticism of the US military presence in Vietnam he saw on TV, he began an unsanctioned nightly training ritual in an attempt to redevelop his ability to walk. Getting out of bed at night (against doctors' orders), Benavidez would crawl using his elbows and chin to a wall near his bedside and (with the encouragement of his fellow patients, many of whom were permanently paralyzed and/or missing limbs), he would prop himself against the wall and attempt to lift himself unaided, starting by wiggling his toes, then his feet, and then eventually (after several months of excruciating practice that by his own admission often left him in tears) pushing himself up the wall with his ankles and legs.[2] After over a year of hospitalization, Benavidez walked out of the hospital in July 1966, with his wife at his side, determined to return to combat in Vietnam. Despite continuing pain from his wounds, he returned to South Vietnam in January 1968.

6 Hours in hell[edit]
On May 2, 1968, a 12-man Special Forces patrol, which included nine Montagnard tribesmen, was surrounded by a NVA infantry battalion of about 1,000 men. Benavidez heard the radio appeal for help and boarded a helicopter to respond. Armed only with a knife, he jumped from the helicopter carrying his medical bag and ran to help the trapped patrol. Benavidez "distinguished himself by a series of daring and extremely valorous actions... and because of his gallant choice to join voluntarily 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." At one point in the battle an NVA soldier accosted him and stabbed him with his bayonet. Benavidez pulled it out, yanked out his own knife, killed him and kept going, leaving his knife in the NVA soldier's body. After the battle, he was evacuated to the base camp, examined, and thought to be dead. As he was placed in a body bag among the other dead in body bags, he was suddenly recognized by a friend who called for help. A doctor came and examined him but believed Benavidez was dead. The doctor was about to zip up the body bag when Benavidez managed to spit in his face, alerting the doctor that he was alive.[3](see medal citation below) Benavidez had a total of 37 separate bullet, bayonet, and shrapnel wounds from the six-hour fight with the enemy battalion.[4]

Benavidez was evacuated once again to Fort Sam Houston's Brooke Army Medical Center, where he eventually recovered. He received the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism and four Purple Hearts. In 1969, he was assigned to Fort Riley, Kansas. In 1972, he was assigned to Fort Sam Houston, Texas where he remained until retirement.

Medal of Honor[edit
In 1973, after more detailed accounts became available, Special Forces Lieutenant Colonel Ralph R. Drake insisted that Benavidez receive the Medal of Honor. By then, however, the time limit on the medal had expired. An appeal to Congress resulted in an exemption for Benavidez, but the Army Decorations Board denied him an upgrade of his Distinguished Service Cross to the Medal of Honor. The Army board required an eyewitness account from someone present during the action; however, Benavidez believed that there were no living witnesses of the "Six Hours in Hell."

Unbeknownst to Benavidez, there was a living witness, who would later provide the eyewitness account necessary: Brian O'Connor, the former radioman of Benavidez's Special Forces team in Vietnam. O'Connor had been severely wounded (Benavidez had believed him dead), and he was evacuated to the United States before his superiors could fully debrief him.

O'Connor had been living in the Fiji Islands when, in 1980, he was on holiday in Australia. During his holiday O'Connor read a newspaper account of Benavidez from an El Campo newspaper, which had been picked up by the international press and reprinted in Australia. O'Connor immediately contacted Benavidez and submitted a ten-page report of the encounter, confirming the accounts provided by others, and serving as the necessary eyewitness; Benavidez's Distinguished Service Cross accordingly was upgraded to the Medal of Honor.

On February 24, 1981, President Ronald Reagan presented Roy P. Benavidez with the Medal of Honor. Reagan turned to the press and said, "If the story of his heroism were a movie script, you would not believe it". He then read the official award citation.

One thing you learn in the service, especially when you're in 'the $hit'. It's all about the guy next to you. Benavidez and O'Connor attest to it. Thanks for posting.

 

[Cosmos]

Thanks for posting. Reminds me of my FIL although his is not as glamorous. He lied about his age so he could serve in WWII. Jumped into Normandy at 17. Partially deaf due to German flack. Helped clear mine fields with his brother using bayonets in advance of the American assault. Went onto serve in Korea and pulled two tours in Vietnam. When he died the Dallas Morning News took note of his obituary serving in three wars and did a story on him. He never bragged about it. It was a different generation.

It reminds me of today's protests, too. A soldier doesn't get to choose where and when to fight. The bully does. Who will answer the call?

Thank you.

 

[interrobang]

For all the crap coming out of Hollywood this one would be a good one

 

[Cosmos]

For all the crap coming out of Hollywood this one would be a good one

Yep. IMO it would play as well as any of these films...

https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/6-great-pow-films-based-on-true-stories.html/

 

[brupsu]

Thought YOU might like to see THIS. Not many like this today in OUR Military. Just Saying.US paratrooper Joseph Beyrle served with the 101st Airborne Division during
World War II. Prior to the start of the Normandy invasions, Beyrle jumped
twice into occupied France to coordinate, provide arms, and money to several
French resistance units. He then jumped into France on D-Day, destroyed a
enemy gun emplacement, was captured, escaped, and was recaptured. He was
beaten nearly to death, his uniform and dog tags were taken from him. A
German soldier attempted to infiltrate US lines dressed in Beyrle's uniform
and was killed. The US War Department believed Beyrle had been killed in
combat and notified his parents. His mother refused to believe her son was
dead and continued to ignore requests by other family members to accept his
death.

Beyrle was held captive in a German controlled POW camp. He again attempted
to escape and was shot and wounded. He survived on minimum food and medical
attention. Beyrle would be held in seven different POW camps and eventually


Thought YOU might like to see THIS. Not many like this today in OUR Military. Just Saying.US paratrooper Joseph Beyrle served with the 101st Airborne Division during
World War II. Prior to the start of the Normandy invasions, Beyrle jumped
twice into occupied France to coordinate, provide arms, and money to several
French resistance units. He then jumped into France on D-Day, destroyed a
enemy gun emplacement, was captured, escaped, and was recaptured. He was
beaten nearly to death, his uniform and dog tags were taken from him. A
German soldier attempted to infiltrate US lines dressed in Beyrle's uniform
and was killed. The US War Department believed Beyrle had been killed in
combat and notified his parents. His mother refused to believe her son was
dead and continued to ignore requests by other family members to accept his
death.

Beyrle was held captive in a German controlled POW camp. He again attempted
to escape and was shot and wounded. He survived on minimum food and medical
attention. Beyrle would be held in seven different POW camps and eventually

escaped again, this time the Gestapo were preparing to shoot him, claiming
he was a spy. He escaped yet again and found his way to a Soviet armor
brigade which was near the POW camp he escaped from. Beyrle, having
knowledge of engines and mechanical background, assisted the Soviet tank


unit which was also equipped with American made M4 Sherman tanks. He served
with the armor unit commanded by a Soviet female officer and acted as a
scout for the Russians against German positions. He was wounded again when
German dive bombers attacked the Russian armor column.

He was taken to a Soviet hospital where he met Soviet Marshall Zhukov who
was curious on how this American paratrooper ended up in a Soviet hospital.
Zhukov was so impressed with Beryle's story he provided him safe passage
back to the US Embassy in Moscow.

Because the US War Department believed Beyrle had been killed in June 1944,
the US government kept him under guard for several days until his dental
records arrived and confirmed he was indeed Beyrle. As it turned out, Beyrle
served more combat time with the Soviets than the Americans and received a
slew of both US and Soviet citations.

Beyrle returned home and was married to his sweetheart by the same priest
who two years earlier presided over his memorial when his family believed he
was dead.

Here is SGT Joseph Beyrle's Prisoner of War photo which was taken one of the
times he was captured by the Germans. Take note of his expression in the
photo, as he seems to be scowling, and portraying something like "screw you"
to his German captors.

Must of really impressed Zhukov.Amazing story and one tough nut for sure.
Thanks for sharing.

 

[TheGLOV]

Thought YOU might like to see THIS. Not many like this today in OUR Military. Just Saying.US paratrooper Joseph Beyrle served with the 101st Airborne Division during
World War II. Prior to the start of the Normandy invasions, Beyrle jumped
twice into occupied France to coordinate, provide arms, and money to several
French resistance units. He then jumped into France on D-Day, destroyed a
enemy gun emplacement, was captured, escaped, and was recaptured. He was
beaten nearly to death, his uniform and dog tags were taken from him. A
German soldier attempted to infiltrate US lines dressed in Beyrle's uniform
and was killed. The US War Department believed Beyrle had been killed in
combat and notified his parents. His mother refused to believe her son was
dead and continued to ignore requests by other family members to accept his
death.

Beyrle was held captive in a German controlled POW camp. He again attempted
to escape and was shot and wounded. He survived on minimum food and medical
attention. Beyrle would be held in seven different POW camps and eventually


Thought YOU might like to see THIS. Not many like this today in OUR Military. Just Saying.US paratrooper Joseph Beyrle served with the 101st Airborne Division during
World War II. Prior to the start of the Normandy invasions, Beyrle jumped
twice into occupied France to coordinate, provide arms, and money to several
French resistance units. He then jumped into France on D-Day, destroyed a
enemy gun emplacement, was captured, escaped, and was recaptured. He was
beaten nearly to death, his uniform and dog tags were taken from him. A
German soldier attempted to infiltrate US lines dressed in Beyrle's uniform
and was killed. The US War Department believed Beyrle had been killed in
combat and notified his parents. His mother refused to believe her son was
dead and continued to ignore requests by other family members to accept his
death.

Beyrle was held captive in a German controlled POW camp. He again attempted
to escape and was shot and wounded. He survived on minimum food and medical
attention. Beyrle would be held in seven different POW camps and eventually

escaped again, this time the Gestapo were preparing to shoot him, claiming
he was a spy. He escaped yet again and found his way to a Soviet armor
brigade which was near the POW camp he escaped from. Beyrle, having
knowledge of engines and mechanical background, assisted the Soviet tank


unit which was also equipped with American made M4 Sherman tanks. He served
with the armor unit commanded by a Soviet female officer and acted as a
scout for the Russians against German positions. He was wounded again when
German dive bombers attacked the Russian armor column.

He was taken to a Soviet hospital where he met Soviet Marshall Zhukov who
was curious on how this American paratrooper ended up in a Soviet hospital.
Zhukov was so impressed with Beryle's story he provided him safe passage
back to the US Embassy in Moscow.

Because the US War Department believed Beyrle had been killed in June 1944,
the US government kept him under guard for several days until his dental
records arrived and confirmed he was indeed Beyrle. As it turned out, Beyrle
served more combat time with the Soviets than the Americans and received a
slew of both US and Soviet citations.

Beyrle returned home and was married to his sweetheart by the same priest
who two years earlier presided over his memorial when his family believed he
was dead.

Here is SGT Joseph Beyrle's Prisoner of War photo which was taken one of the
times he was captured by the Germans. Take note of his expression in the
photo, as he seems to be scowling, and portraying something like "screw you"
to his German captors.

bttt.

 

[paws1957]

Thought YOU might like to see THIS. Not many like this today in OUR Military. Just Saying.US paratrooper Joseph Beyrle served with the 101st Airborne Division during
World War II. Prior to the start of the Normandy invasions, Beyrle jumped
twice into occupied France to coordinate, provide arms, and money to several
French resistance units. He then jumped into France on D-Day, destroyed a
enemy gun emplacement, was captured, escaped, and was recaptured. He was
beaten nearly to death, his uniform and dog tags were taken from him. A
German soldier attempted to infiltrate US lines dressed in Beyrle's uniform
and was killed. The US War Department believed Beyrle had been killed in
combat and notified his parents. His mother refused to believe her son was
dead and continued to ignore requests by other family members to accept his
death.

Beyrle was held captive in a German controlled POW camp. He again attempted
to escape and was shot and wounded. He survived on minimum food and medical
attention. Beyrle would be held in seven different POW camps and eventually


Thought YOU might like to see THIS. Not many like this today in OUR Military. Just Saying.US paratrooper Joseph Beyrle served with the 101st Airborne Division during
World War II. Prior to the start of the Normandy invasions, Beyrle jumped
twice into occupied France to coordinate, provide arms, and money to several
French resistance units. He then jumped into France on D-Day, destroyed a
enemy gun emplacement, was captured, escaped, and was recaptured. He was
beaten nearly to death, his uniform and dog tags were taken from him. A
German soldier attempted to infiltrate US lines dressed in Beyrle's uniform
and was killed. The US War Department believed Beyrle had been killed in
combat and notified his parents. His mother refused to believe her son was
dead and continued to ignore requests by other family members to accept his
death.

Beyrle was held captive in a German controlled POW camp. He again attempted
to escape and was shot and wounded. He survived on minimum food and medical
attention. Beyrle would be held in seven different POW camps and eventually

escaped again, this time the Gestapo were preparing to shoot him, claiming
he was a spy. He escaped yet again and found his way to a Soviet armor
brigade which was near the POW camp he escaped from. Beyrle, having
knowledge of engines and mechanical background, assisted the Soviet tank


unit which was also equipped with American made M4 Sherman tanks. He served
with the armor unit commanded by a Soviet female officer and acted as a
scout for the Russians against German positions. He was wounded again when
German dive bombers attacked the Russian armor column.

He was taken to a Soviet hospital where he met Soviet Marshall Zhukov who
was curious on how this American paratrooper ended up in a Soviet hospital.
Zhukov was so impressed with Beryle's story he provided him safe passage
back to the US Embassy in Moscow.

Because the US War Department believed Beyrle had been killed in June 1944,
the US government kept him under guard for several days until his dental
records arrived and confirmed he was indeed Beyrle. As it turned out, Beyrle
served more combat time with the Soviets than the Americans and received a
slew of both US and Soviet citations.

Beyrle returned home and was married to his sweetheart by the same priest
who two years earlier presided over his memorial when his family believed he
was dead.

Here is SGT Joseph Beyrle's Prisoner of War photo which was taken one of the
times he was captured by the Germans. Take note of his expression in the
photo, as he seems to be scowling, and portraying something like "screw you"
to his German captors.

Now this story would make a good movie!