Legend

In May 1968, a 12-man US Special Forces team entered the jungles of Cambodia on a covert mission to uncover evidence that communists were using the area as a major conduit for supplying the North Vietnamese Army. Little did they know they had infiltrated a section of jungle that concealed numerous enemy bases. They soon found themselves surrounded by enemy, low on ammunition, and using the bodies of their dead comrades as cover. Roy Benavidez, a Green Beret who had returned to the war after being grievously injured during his first tour of duty in 1965, heard the distress call and climbed onboard the next helicopter bound for the combat zone. What followed was one of the most daring one-man rescue missions in military history, in which Benevidez, aided by the 240th Assault Helicopter Company, rescued eight soldiers, while fending off heavy enemy fire and sustaining extensive injuries himself. Despite his wounds, he refused to stop his rescue efforts until the last of the team was out of harms way. Only then did Benevidez, near death after being shot and stabbed more than 30 times, allow himself to be hauled aboard among the wounded and dead. With extensive access to family members, former comrades, surviving members of the 240th Assault Helicopter Company, documents, and reports, bestselling author Eric Blehm has recreated the incredible story of Benavidez's life, and of the inspiring events of that day, beginning with Roy's poverty-stricken upbringing in Texas (orphaned at age seven, he was a migrant worker and a school drop-out). Legend is a fascinating lens through which to revisit the Vietnam War, through the incredible narrative of one of the military's unsung heroes whose exploits and service resulted in the military's highest honor.