@@OriginalHuman I'm a truck driver thru graveyard shift and watching his videos, And your reactions to them honestly help me get through the night so please, do all of the long form videos as well 🫡
I had the honor of meeting Sgt. Benavidez when I was a kid in ROTC in high school. My Asst. SAI served with him in Vietnam with the 5th Special Forces. He was the guest speaker at our military ball. He was a humble and soft spoken man. It made me proud that a man of Hispanic heritage was featured so prominately. RIP MSgt. Benavidez.
Toughness is a mindset. My dad wrecked a 4 wheeler, breaking his back, but didn’t realize it. He missed one day of work and returned the next day. It was years later when he found out he had 4 fractured vertebrae in his back. He found out because he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. The Doc gave him a couple months to live. He lived 12 years, dying peacefully in his sleep.
@@Metal_Auditor shit youre right.......i always forget that 🤣 maybe if they had taught me about ol roy i would have paid more attention to the korean/viet nam era, too much politics involved during those times and i hate politics, but thank you for correcting me
I work for the Department of Veterans Affairs and this past Veterans day they sent out emails highlighting some of the greatest Veterans throughout US history and Roy's story was one that was shared. After reading his story for about 30 min I had tears in my eyes and made me really appreciate the work I do for our nation's veterans.
A serous thanks to all of you in the VA that help vets navigate the system to get the benefits and assistance they need, I know from experience with my dad that it can be a very, shall we say government bureaucratic nightmare without help from those who know it well.
Growing up in Southeast Texas and with a father that served alongside SF in Vietnam, I was definitely taught about Roy Benavidez (and Audie Murphy.) I have absolute, undying respect for both of those men.
@OriginalHuman If you ever want to read about what SOG was up to, look up the books by John Stryker Myer (former SOG.) The stuff these men did and survived will blow your mind.
I’ve never understood why nobody ever made a story about Roy Benavides or Carlos Hathcock. Their real life stories are better than any fictional book or movie I’ve ever read/seen.
Audie Murphy will forever be known as a legend among the airboard community. For how bad a** and fearless this man was. He literally fought an entire German battalion by himself off the back of a flaming m10 tank destroyer and won.
Ive seens a lot of videos of Roy Benavidez but fat electricians video is 100% the best out of all them, not going to lie I cried at the end never seen someone so proud to be an American and makes me proud as well
Roy Benavides is the definition of baddest badass on EARTH. He was basically a Berserker. He is an example to all humanity. I just ordered the book, too!!!
Regarding Audie Murphy, something that TFE didn't mention was that he's almost singlehandedly responsible for PTSD being taken seriously as an actual disease. After the war, he was open about his struggles with the disease and it's not exactly easy to call the most decorated soldier in US history somebody who is just weak and couldn't handle the realities of war which was the prevailing thought at the time.
Didn’t he have 16 military metals including the Texas medal of honor in 2016 given to his only surviving sister or cousin? (I can’t remember which one it was.)
I met Roy Benavides when I was young boy. My mon picked him up from the airport in Kansas City. He was giving a speech at a Latinos Unidos event. She brought him to our house and we had dinner together. I cooked. He was the greatest person I ever met. Even as a child, I knew this was the greatest honor in my life. He was a kind and wonderful man. El Gordo Tio. My grandfather died in Vietnam. He was also a boxer. Golden Gloves. He sang jazz at clubs and on the radio 📻 His parents came to Kansas City from Mexico, because my great-grandfather killed a man he wasn't supposed to. He used to ride with Pancho Villa, but Pancho put a hit on him. Anyway. He was kind and wonderful. I read his book back then, and he was everything I imagined.
Audie Murphy was something else. He was rejected from the marines because of his height and weight (which was also used as a reference to the captain America comics). Saw you did a bit of Sabaton reactions back then, you should give "To Hell and back" a listen on their history channel it gives a brief story on Audie's life. Audie is also one of my role models and is one of the people that inspired me join, currently in the enlistment process. The other person was my Grandfather's brother who died in the Defense of Philippines and was a member of the Philippine Scouts.
You never heard of Audie L Murphy? He's only the most decorated American soldier in World War 2. He was rejected by the Corp for being too short. He was one hell of a soldier, may he Rest in Peace.
He wasnt just short, he weighed 110 soaking wet lol if i memeber correctly with full gear he topped at 150lbs haha he was so little, but gods damn he was a beast of a soldier, much respect
i was the first person in my family to join the military since they came to america 4-5 generations prior. my little brother went in 2 years behind me (just retired at 20yr), and my oldest son has now also joined, into the army guard, as a driver/convoy. very proud of him! i did satellite communications engineering, and helped lockheed martin in the design phases of the current missile defense system, and then went into combat weather deployments with a system that could give front line troops to-the-minute weather conditions in combat zones. very rewarding work that is making a difference today. so im proud that he's also serving in an important role, because the military is nothing without mobility!
I had the honor of meeting Benavidez about 6 months before he passed. He did a LOT of motivational speech touring in his later years, and he happened to come down to Panama for the final rotation of the Jungle Ops course before we gave the land back to the Panamanians, and my unit was the last unit to go through. He was the most charismatic man I think I've ever met. And yeah, a solid handful of US military bases that had previously been named after people in the Confederacy in the US Civil War were renamed a couple of years ago. No more Ft. Bragg and Ft. Benning.
How in the F have they not renamed Ft. Bragg, to Ft. Benavidez? It boggles the mind. Great reaction to one of the greatest YTubers out there. TFE is the best at military storytelling.
A new book just came out either last month or this month called The Ballad of Roy Benavidez: The Life and Times of America’s Most Famous Hispanic War Hero by William Sturkey, too. We just bought it for my library.
Audie is from north Texas and is the most decorated soldier in US history. Our families knew each other, being sharecroppers from Hunt County. My uncle, who served in the ETO commanding a tank as a SSgt, said Audie was ‘short & scrawny.’ The one thing they (& my brother and I) did was grow up hunting, to put food on the table. I KNOW that’s where Audie learned to be so deadly with a rifle. That said, did he have special dungarees made to hold his GIANT BALLS? He was a great patriot who sadly suffered from PTSD, after the war which led to him becoming an alcoholic. 🇺🇸 I am proud that Benavides and Murphy are Texans!!
I am from the small town of Wharton, TX. Just about a 20 minute drive north of El Campo, TX. In high school I was in the Air Force Junior ROTC, and had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Benavidez. He was such I nice man and always helped anyone he could.
There's actually a movement to rename a base after him; it hasn't happened yet but it seems likely that he'll get one in the future. He already has a Navy ship and several schools named after him.
If you are interested in MacVSog there is great podcast that is hosted by the veteran of MacVSog from Vietnam war he is called John Stryker Meyer he has a podcast called Sogcast where he interviews his MacVSog buddies and other SF badasses
Ive heard a british dude say "grab a cuppa tea or coffee" i can die happy. Also, these longer videos are perfect me to listen ti at work, however, you do whatever works for yoy broski!
Love the long form content...u still have so many legendary stories of his to react to. Arthur Wermuth and The Ghost of Bataan are to other super heroes that keep fighting after they probably should have been dead from their injuries...legends
You sir made the best reaction video. Your emotions are real. The Fat Electrician created the best Roy Benavides video ever. Awesome story teller. Thank you for your genuine reaction and most of all, thank you for your service. 🇬🇧🇺🇸
I really love to see The Fat Electrician supporting the people who react to his content. And I really love how Original Human really reacts and give credit where it’s due. Y’all are 2 great channels that are pros at your content.
I'm proud to say that I was 101st ABN INF. for 3 years, and a Green Beret for the remained of my career (17 1/2 years) till I was so injured that I couldn't continue. On discharge they found out I had broken my back and neck, but still kept going. It was a shattered Tib/Fib that put me out medically.
First of all, your reaction videos are the best ones I’ve ever seen. Secondly, The Fat Electrician is a legend for allowing you to do this, and like you’ve said in other videos, his storytelling is untouchable.
Honestly i love videos with this format. Like the "historian reacts to oversimplified" you and the historian guy both add to it too. Its not just you staring at the screen for the entire hour.
If you haven’t seen it already I suggest watching one of his older vids about Joe Medicine Crow: The Last War Chief. Another legend that’s relatively unknown for those who aren’t true Natives to NA.
Great video. I agree, the Fat Electrician tells a story like no other. You can tell that he is emotionally invested and that just draws you in even more.
“For those of us who have fought for it, life has a special flavor” This speaks to me on an existential level. You will never appreciate the gift of life greater than when it is almost taken from you. The same rule applies to freedom, you will never appreciate freedom enough until it is taken from you. People yearning for the old days, when things were better, when we all had more freedom. We didn’t know back then to appreciate what we had, and now here we are wishing we had it back. I wonder how many soldiers thought the same thing before they lost their lives in battle.
His speech that he showed at the end was great. More people should watch it. I think I watched it, but it's possible that I watched a different one that too was great. Like the full thing, and not just a few minute clip from it.
I love the fact that the period from when Roy stepped on the landmine to when he snapped out of his state, the video was on grey tones to really accent how it muat have felt for him, everything is fuzzy, and empty until he can pull himself out of it. Really justshows how good of a story teller TFE is
Roy was one exceptional solder and one hell of a fighter. In my neck of the woods we have Spc. Daniel D Fernandez, a young kid who didn't get to see too much in Vietnam, saved his patrol by diving on a live frag that popped off from a booby trap. Oh yeah Arizona has anger issues, Texas wants security, and New Mexico is so god damnd poor we just borrow or steal from one another.
Mad love for the royal marines, yall are secret nuts like us marines 😅. Cross trained with royal marines in Bridgeport California in 2009. And my favorite experience with yall was partying in the laundry room 🤘 next level lmao. Love your channel brother 🤘
I wanna see you react to his McNasty video. That being said, I've never been big on react videos. But you and 1 other British guy I've been watching are really pretty good. I enjoy your banter bouncing off of others banter. Keep it up Marine Oh and it'd be cool to see you react to the video Wendigoon did on Garbo the Spy
Thank you for your reaction! This is the second time I have seen TFE’s video about this amazing American hero, and each time I become so emotional. ( I am an 80 year old widow, living in the southmost tip of Texas.) My nephews all served in the armed forces, and I am very proud of their service. And even today, I thank every active and veteran service person I meet. Very proud to be an American. Again thank you for your reaction. Interesting to get the perspective of someone who really understands the significance of what Master Sergeant Benavidez accomplished during his active duty. Look up Audie Murphy. Again, an outstanding military man.
It is such a good book. I bought it right after Nic dropped the video originally and could not put it down. I finished it in a week reading it in every free second I had.
Nick has a video on Audie Murphy and if you want to see crazy stories basically any MoH recipient is a good place to start Col. Bob Howard, LT Mike Thornton and LT Tom Norris are just a few examples from vietnam. PS not sure if you caught it or not the way he described it in this video but Audie Murphy played himself in his own autobiography movie To Hell and Back because he was just that much of a badass.
It's in the DNA..I was 4th generation Military, I broke the mold though, my Father, Grandfather, Great Grandfather were all Marines. I joined the Army and became a Cavalry Scout (19D30C6).
Even the best neurologists can't explain some of the things that go on with the brain. A singular smell can bring back a childhood memory long forgotten. A particular song can pull an elderly person from the depths of dementia for a short while. There was a woman who suffered a stroke that made her almost a vegetable mentally. Over years of therapy she recovered to be almost entirely normal and even wrote about the things she felt and how she perceived the world during that time. The brain is an incredibly resilient organ in some respects, but just as fragile in others.
When I was in high school my mother used to work for the VA and helped run the conference/convention for GI Forum, a Hispanic/Latino organization focused on Veterans. This was like in 79 or 80. Benavidez had not yet been awarded his Medal of Honor. The rejection of being awarded was a sore point. I had the opportunity to meet him. He was still a fighter, but also a very kind man.
Pertaining to the land mine. My guess would be that the steel plate wasn't heat treated properly. Making it just a little more maleable instead of brittle enough to fragment.
Proly the best and most accurate telling of Roy Benavidez. And a good reaction to TFE. FYI The booby trap ammo project was "eldest son." AK and mortar (that I knew of) cases were dropped in places, supposedly likely for someone to have dropped or misplaced it. Rifle ammo propellant was replace with a high explosive like PETN. When it detonated, its faster and more powerful shock would rupture the chamber of the AK. Mortar rounds normally have two explosives. The first pushes the round out of the mortar tube. The second on impact or proximity to the target. The modified rounds had the two explosives connected, so they both exploded inside the mortar tube.
The quote at the end is a paraphrase of General Mac Arthur’s speech to West Point in 1961, “The Soldier above all other people prays for peace, for they must bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
Fun fact: Mr. Ballen ALSO did a video on Roy Benavides. It would be interesting to see you watch his version of the story. There’s a lot less background info so it’s a much shorter video.
I've heard stories that one of the things they used to track movements is they'd let bicycles get "stolen" that were rigged so if the bike was ridden for a while, and then left on its side for a few hours, such as when they get to a transfer point, it would start transmitting a signal that could be triangulated.
~ 26:00 it sounds like the impact caused two things, when he was coming in and out of consciousness his brain probably already detected the damage and once it realized he was "safe" it put him into a comatose state to prioritize healing his brain injury. The impact had likely partially damaged connections (the tendrils that branch out from neuron's aka dendrites) in or around the hippocampus or frontal lobe without outright severing the connections completely or otherwise killing a large number of cells and after time the neurons were able to heal and eventually reform the weakened or damaged connections and link back up. Essentially as an example it would be like damaging a prong inside a USB port on an external drive the memory is intact the series of connections just needs strengthened and repaired. Since he didn't suffer permanent memory loss or any other real symptoms afterward that would be my best guess.
I can kind of relate to the rehab part. Years ago I was bed ridden do to a spinal injury, but I couldn't afford physical therapy. So lil by lil I crawled around on my stomach , I got myself to the point where I could walk, (that was embarrassing due to the tension it pulled my head to the right side, and pushed my shoulder up so my head and shoulder were stuck like that). Despite all that I kept walking around, I didn't care if I looked disabled mentally. 2 month later I was able to walk around. I beat the odds. After suffering a severe Cyasciatic (that's one of the top 5 disks in your back. Nolin that case you would be in a wheelchair for the rest of your life) nerve I can walk up straight and run short distances. I still have issues sometimes I either shake uncontrollably or a limb stops working, but I still beet the odds
For context, the general that gave Benavidez the airborne packet after ghosting him, Westmoreland, was the overarching commander during the Vietnam War. Westmoreland was to Vietnam how Eisenhower was for WW2
Yeah, a few bases were renamed in due to being named for Confederate soldiers. They really screwed the pooch on Bragg because there was a list of 70+ Special Forces Operators and Paratroopers they were going to pick the new name from. MSG Benavidez was in both the 82nd ABN DIV and 5th SFG but apparently that wasn’t good enough to rename Ft Bragg after him. Sorry for being long winded but still a sore spot for me!
Look up : Gary Dockery. He was a cop in Tennessee who was shot in the head. He was in a coma for 7 1/2 years and then suddenly woke up. He was completely lucid. He recognized his family and remembered past events. Unfortunately, his recovery only lasted a few days.
The NVA were able to move large amounts of troops and supplies through Laos on the “Ho Chi Minh trail” undetected on foot, truck, and bicycle paths, NVA engineers would climb the trees adjacent to the paths and weave the tree canopy’s together to camouflage trails and a multitude of other ways to hide troop and supply movements
I suffered a traumatic brain injury almost as bad as Roy's. I didn't even recognize my parents and siblings for a few weeks. They visited me every day and one morning I woke up and realized I was in a hospital room, didn't know why, and just started asking questions.
This was a great react. Thank you
You’re a legend. Keep up the great work brother! 💪🫡
@@OriginalHumani wanna see ur reaction to all my longer hero videos. But i think youll really like the percy hobart one
@@the_fat_electrician I’ll get it done!
@@OriginalHuman I'm a truck driver thru graveyard shift and watching his videos, And your reactions to them honestly help me get through the night so please, do all of the long form videos as well 🫡
@@the_fat_electricianMY FAVOURITE ONE
"Fort Benavidez" definitely something that should happen! Excellent reaction!
Affirmative!
Pretty sure it has happened.
There was some talk about renaming Fort Hood to Fort Benevidez but I don’t think anything came of it.
@@HeiryuuWell dang. That’s about the only change I’d have actually liked.
I still think they shouldn't have changed the name of Fort Bragg to Fort Liberty but Fort Benavidez would have been a more suitable replacement.
I had the honor of meeting Sgt. Benavidez when I was a kid in ROTC in high school. My Asst. SAI served with him in Vietnam with the 5th Special Forces. He was the guest speaker at our military ball. He was a humble and soft spoken man. It made me proud that a man of Hispanic heritage was featured so prominately. RIP MSgt. Benavidez.
Toughness is a mindset. My dad wrecked a 4 wheeler, breaking his back, but didn’t realize it. He missed one day of work and returned the next day. It was years later when he found out he had 4 fractured vertebrae in his back. He found out because he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. The Doc gave him a couple months to live. He lived 12 years, dying peacefully in his sleep.
I am proud to say that Roy Benavidez pinned my jump wings on me when I graduated Jump School.
That is ridiculously cool
Beyond legendary.
Fellow paratrooper, I’m insanely jealous.
@@peterwatkins671 He's one of the reasons I became a Green Beret and I graduated jump school in 1984
That is very cool! I can't imagine the honor that must have been...
"They brought an army to a Roy Benavidez fight"
Roy wasnt trapped in the jungle with the viet cong, the viet cong were trapped in a jungle with roy
@@omishimuzuit wasn’t even the VC. It was the NVA.
@@Metal_Auditor shit youre right.......i always forget that 🤣 maybe if they had taught me about ol roy i would have paid more attention to the korean/viet nam era, too much politics involved during those times and i hate politics, but thank you for correcting me
I work for the Department of Veterans Affairs and this past Veterans day they sent out emails highlighting some of the greatest Veterans throughout US history and Roy's story was one that was shared. After reading his story for about 30 min I had tears in my eyes and made me really appreciate the work I do for our nation's veterans.
A serous thanks to all of you in the VA that help vets navigate the system to get the benefits and assistance they need, I know from experience with my dad that it can be a very, shall we say government bureaucratic nightmare without help from those who know it well.
@tenofprime yes absolutely. Always "fun" to deal with the Federal government but I am truly blessed to make a small difference for our nation's Vets.
Growing up in Southeast Texas and with a father that served alongside SF in Vietnam, I was definitely taught about Roy Benavidez (and Audie Murphy.)
I have absolute, undying respect for both of those men.
@OriginalHuman If you ever want to read about what SOG was up to, look up the books by John Stryker Myer (former SOG.) The stuff these men did and survived will blow your mind.
Ronald Regan presented him with the Medal of Honor and said that if the events of Roy's life were made into a movie, nobody would believe it.
Just like Murphy 😂
Had to nerd the story to make the movie believable
I’ve never understood why nobody ever made a story about Roy Benavides or Carlos Hathcock. Their real life stories are better than any fictional book or movie I’ve ever read/seen.
@@CivilizedWarrior 100%
Roy Benavidez had a rough childhood and proceeded to make it the Viet Cong's problem.
@@CivilizedWarriorNo shit!
Audie Murphy will forever be known as a legend among the airboard community. For how bad a** and fearless this man was. He literally fought an entire German battalion by himself off the back of a flaming m10 tank destroyer and won.
Airborne
@@hunterweaver7736 Audie Murphy wasn't airborne, he was straight leg infantry. 3rd ID.
Ive seens a lot of videos of Roy Benavidez but fat electricians video is 100% the best out of all them, not going to lie I cried at the end never seen someone so proud to be an American and makes me proud as well
Wartime stories has a good dramatization of the story as well.
Roy Benavides is the definition of baddest badass on EARTH. He was basically a Berserker. He is an example to all humanity. I just ordered the book, too!!!
He is like the definition of that "the indomitable human spirit" meme online
One of the greatest war heros and badasses I have ever heard of! Fort Benavides sounds like perfect liberty for me!!! Love from germany! 💪
Cheers from Texas!
Love from Oklahoma! ❤️
I second that
Roy Benavidez, the one true Captain America. Kudos to Nick for a great video, And to you, great reaction as usual.
Regarding Audie Murphy, something that TFE didn't mention was that he's almost singlehandedly responsible for PTSD being taken seriously as an actual disease. After the war, he was open about his struggles with the disease and it's not exactly easy to call the most decorated soldier in US history somebody who is just weak and couldn't handle the realities of war which was the prevailing thought at the time.
That is amazing!!
COL (Ret) Bob L. Howard is actually the most decorated US Soldier in history. Audie Murphy was the most highly decorated Soldier of WWII.
Didn’t he have 16 military metals including the Texas medal of honor in 2016 given to his only surviving sister or cousin? (I can’t remember which one it was.)
I personal prefer the longer form videos sir! Cheers brother!
I met Roy Benavides when I was young boy. My mon picked him up from the airport in Kansas City. He was giving a speech at a Latinos Unidos event. She brought him to our house and we had dinner together. I cooked. He was the greatest person I ever met. Even as a child, I knew this was the greatest honor in my life. He was a kind and wonderful man. El Gordo Tio. My grandfather died in Vietnam. He was also a boxer. Golden Gloves. He sang jazz at clubs and on the radio 📻 His parents came to Kansas City from Mexico, because my great-grandfather killed a man he wasn't supposed to. He used to ride with Pancho Villa, but Pancho put a hit on him. Anyway. He was kind and wonderful. I read his book back then, and he was everything I imagined.
The speech at the end sends a chill down my spine. God bless the warriors who guve it their all
Audie Murphy was something else. He was rejected from the marines because of his height and weight (which was also used as a reference to the captain America comics). Saw you did a bit of Sabaton reactions back then, you should give "To Hell and back" a listen on their history channel it gives a brief story on Audie's life. Audie is also one of my role models and is one of the people that inspired me join, currently in the enlistment process. The other person was my Grandfather's brother who died in the Defense of Philippines and was a member of the Philippine Scouts.
You never heard of Audie L Murphy? He's only the most decorated American soldier in World War 2. He was rejected by the Corp for being too short. He was one hell of a soldier, may he Rest in Peace.
He wasnt just short, he weighed 110 soaking wet lol if i memeber correctly with full gear he topped at 150lbs haha he was so little, but gods damn he was a beast of a soldier, much respect
@@omishimuzu They show his picture, he looked like a 12-year-old dressed up as a Lieutenant. He was an amazing human, just tiny.
It’s ok to be baffled by Americans that haven’t heard of him, but there’s really not much reason for some random British guy to know about him.
And he played himself in the movie about him.
@@marine5480 Umm... I guess you dont know OriginalHuman spent like a decade in the US and became an American citizen.
I was honored to meet Tango Mike Mike in 1990 after being injured in Panama. He is a true legend and was a genuine and humble man.
I’ve watched that video 3 times now and I get choked up every time.
i was the first person in my family to join the military since they came to america 4-5 generations prior. my little brother went in 2 years behind me (just retired at 20yr), and my oldest son has now also joined, into the army guard, as a driver/convoy. very proud of him! i did satellite communications engineering, and helped lockheed martin in the design phases of the current missile defense system, and then went into combat weather deployments with a system that could give front line troops to-the-minute weather conditions in combat zones. very rewarding work that is making a difference today. so im proud that he's also serving in an important role, because the military is nothing without mobility!
What an absolute LEGEND! Roy "I AIN'T HEAR NO BELL" Benavidez
I had the honor of meeting Benavidez about 6 months before he passed. He did a LOT of motivational speech touring in his later years, and he happened to come down to Panama for the final rotation of the Jungle Ops course before we gave the land back to the Panamanians, and my unit was the last unit to go through. He was the most charismatic man I think I've ever met. And yeah, a solid handful of US military bases that had previously been named after people in the Confederacy in the US Civil War were renamed a couple of years ago. No more Ft. Bragg and Ft. Benning.
Tango Mike Mike. That Mean Mexican, might be the greatest callsign of all time.
How in the F have they not renamed Ft. Bragg, to Ft. Benavidez? It boggles the mind. Great reaction to one of the greatest YTubers out there. TFE is the best at military storytelling.
Libralism
@@Sir_Engel_038yuuup. It's a damn shame too.
It's a crime
A new book just came out either last month or this month called The Ballad of Roy Benavidez: The Life and Times of America’s Most Famous Hispanic War Hero by William Sturkey, too. We just bought it for my library.
I'm happy you said Mr. Ballen, He was the other one I thought of as well. I love his content and story telling.
Exactly the kind of man we desperately need more of.
There is a real pleasure watching someone being amazed by this story for the first time ;)
More than Legendary! Absolutely Awesome! there aren't enough words to convey the amount of respect for Master Sgt. Benavidez!!
Audie is from north Texas and is the most decorated soldier in US history. Our families knew each other, being sharecroppers from Hunt County. My uncle, who served in the ETO commanding a tank as a SSgt, said Audie was ‘short & scrawny.’ The one thing they (& my brother and I) did was grow up hunting, to put food on the table. I KNOW that’s where Audie learned to be so deadly with a rifle. That said, did he have special dungarees made to hold his GIANT BALLS? He was a great patriot who sadly suffered from PTSD, after the war which led to him becoming an alcoholic. 🇺🇸 I am proud that Benavides and Murphy are Texans!!
Roy Benavidez was simply built different
I am from the small town of Wharton, TX. Just about a 20 minute drive north of El Campo, TX. In high school I was in the Air Force Junior ROTC, and had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Benavidez. He was such I nice man and always helped anyone he could.
Roy Benavidez is also known as the Lazarus soldier because of how unkillable he was.
As a veteran myself this brings tears to my eyes. What an incredible individual. The protected really will never understand.
At the end you said you feel like youre getting emotional. Haha yeah this story got me hella emotional. This man is a fucking legend big time!
He was a different type of man than the Rambo character. He was a highly disciplined soldier.
Absolute hero. It's amazing that he doesn't have a base named after him, it's absolutely ridiculous
There's actually a movement to rename a base after him; it hasn't happened yet but it seems likely that he'll get one in the future. He already has a Navy ship and several schools named after him.
Roy Benavides is one of my favorite war heros
If you are interested in MacVSog there is great podcast that is hosted by the veteran of MacVSog from Vietnam war he is called John Stryker Meyer he has a podcast called Sogcast where he interviews his MacVSog buddies and other SF badasses
Yeah John Stryker is a legend.
Ive heard a british dude say "grab a cuppa tea or coffee" i can die happy.
Also, these longer videos are perfect me to listen ti at work, however, you do whatever works for yoy broski!
Love the long form content...u still have so many legendary stories of his to react to. Arthur Wermuth and The Ghost of Bataan are to other super heroes that keep fighting after they probably should have been dead from their injuries...legends
You sir made the best reaction video. Your emotions are real.
The Fat Electrician created the best Roy Benavides video ever. Awesome story teller.
Thank you for your genuine reaction and most of all, thank you for your service. 🇬🇧🇺🇸
I really love to see The Fat Electrician supporting the people who react to his content. And I really love how Original Human really reacts and give credit where it’s due. Y’all are 2 great channels that are pros at your content.
I'm proud to say that I was 101st ABN INF. for 3 years, and a Green Beret for the remained of my career (17 1/2 years) till I was so injured that I couldn't continue. On discharge they found out I had broken my back and neck, but still kept going. It was a shattered Tib/Fib that put me out medically.
Thank you for your service. 👊
First of all, your reaction videos are the best ones I’ve ever seen.
Secondly, The Fat Electrician is a legend for allowing you to do this, and like you’ve said in other videos, his storytelling is untouchable.
Honestly i love videos with this format. Like the "historian reacts to oversimplified" you and the historian guy both add to it too. Its not just you staring at the screen for the entire hour.
If you haven’t seen it already I suggest watching one of his older vids about Joe Medicine Crow: The Last War Chief. Another legend that’s relatively unknown for those who aren’t true Natives to NA.
Great video. I agree, the Fat Electrician tells a story like no other. You can tell that he is emotionally invested and that just draws you in even more.
Roy's full speech is on RUclips. It's fantastic 👍 TFE did a fantastic job with this!! Don't be put off by his long videos. Those are some of his best!
“For those of us who have fought for it, life has a special flavor”
This speaks to me on an existential level. You will never appreciate the gift of life greater than when it is almost taken from you. The same rule applies to freedom, you will never appreciate freedom enough until it is taken from you. People yearning for the old days, when things were better, when we all had more freedom. We didn’t know back then to appreciate what we had, and now here we are wishing we had it back.
I wonder how many soldiers thought the same thing before they lost their lives in battle.
His speech that he showed at the end was great. More people should watch it.
I think I watched it, but it's possible that I watched a different one that too was great. Like the full thing, and not just a few minute clip from it.
I've seen this presentation several times, but between the Fat Electrician and you, it was really outstanding.
High respect I was dif too Im 70 now seen it deal with it enough said a Vet is a man in Gods Eye
I 100% agree with you on the best two story tellers nick an ballen are both awesome story tellers for sure give those guys a raise lmaoo
Thank you for exposing this story. He is an American hero
I love the fact that the period from when Roy stepped on the landmine to when he snapped out of his state, the video was on grey tones to really accent how it muat have felt for him, everything is fuzzy, and empty until he can pull himself out of it.
Really justshows how good of a story teller TFE is
This needs to be a movie, I will do it myself... Roy deserves it.
So happy this war hero is getting the recognition he deserves. Even if he was a humble man.
Roy was one exceptional solder and one hell of a fighter. In my neck of the woods we have Spc. Daniel D Fernandez, a young kid who didn't get to see too much in Vietnam, saved his patrol by diving on a live frag that popped off from a booby trap.
Oh yeah Arizona has anger issues, Texas wants security, and New Mexico is so god damnd poor we just borrow or steal from one another.
hey it's not our fault we're angry, we live on the surface of the sun over here and it makes us a bit grumpy
We only steal from Arizonans. Texas knows how to shoot back. We may be poor but we ain’t stupid!
Imagine having him as one of the members of your company. That would be so intimidating and comforting.
U named my top 2 story tellers! Totally agree man!
Mad love for the royal marines, yall are secret nuts like us marines 😅. Cross trained with royal marines in Bridgeport California in 2009. And my favorite experience with yall was partying in the laundry room 🤘 next level lmao. Love your channel brother 🤘
I have met a lot of Generals and they were all great people. They were about their word and honored things 100%
I wanna see you react to his McNasty video.
That being said, I've never been big on react videos. But you and 1 other British guy I've been watching are really pretty good. I enjoy your banter bouncing off of others banter. Keep it up Marine
Oh and it'd be cool to see you react to the video Wendigoon did on Garbo the Spy
He already did the McNasty video, actually. It was good.
@AtomicZn yeah I found it the next day 🤣🤣
Thank you for your reaction! This is the second time I have seen TFE’s video about this amazing American hero, and each time I become so emotional. ( I am an 80 year old widow, living in the southmost tip of Texas.) My nephews all served in the armed forces, and I am very proud of their service. And even today, I thank every active and veteran service person I meet. Very proud to be an American. Again thank you for your reaction. Interesting to get the perspective of someone who really understands the significance of what Master Sergeant Benavidez accomplished during his active duty. Look up Audie Murphy. Again, an outstanding military man.
Mr Benavides is a hero down south here in Texas. Even more so from army vets. His story is legend too hard to beleive.
It is such a good book. I bought it right after Nic dropped the video originally and could not put it down. I finished it in a week reading it in every free second I had.
Longest reaction I have ever watched, by far. Worth every second.
Roy Benavidez is still talked about on Bragg to this day. He is an absolute legend, especially on Bragg.
Nick has a video on Audie Murphy and if you want to see crazy stories basically any MoH recipient is a good place to start Col. Bob Howard, LT Mike Thornton and LT Tom Norris are just a few examples from vietnam. PS not sure if you caught it or not the way he described it in this video but Audie Murphy played himself in his own autobiography movie To Hell and Back because he was just that much of a badass.
It's in the DNA..I was 4th generation Military, I broke the mold though, my Father, Grandfather, Great Grandfather were all Marines. I joined the Army and became a Cavalry Scout (19D30C6).
I met Roy P Benavidez in 1994 in high school, I never heard my school so quiet in awe when this man told his story, Legend.
Even the best neurologists can't explain some of the things that go on with the brain. A singular smell can bring back a childhood memory long forgotten. A particular song can pull an elderly person from the depths of dementia for a short while. There was a woman who suffered a stroke that made her almost a vegetable mentally. Over years of therapy she recovered to be almost entirely normal and even wrote about the things she felt and how she perceived the world during that time.
The brain is an incredibly resilient organ in some respects, but just as fragile in others.
When I was in high school my mother used to work for the VA and helped run the conference/convention for GI Forum, a Hispanic/Latino organization focused on Veterans. This was like in 79 or 80. Benavidez had not yet been awarded his Medal of Honor. The rejection of being awarded was a sore point. I had the opportunity to meet him. He was still a fighter, but also a very kind man.
Pertaining to the land mine. My guess would be that the steel plate wasn't heat treated properly. Making it just a little more maleable instead of brittle enough to fragment.
Proly the best and most accurate telling of Roy Benavidez. And a good reaction to TFE.
FYI The booby trap ammo project was "eldest son." AK and mortar (that I knew of) cases were dropped in places, supposedly likely for someone to have dropped or misplaced it. Rifle ammo propellant was replace with a high explosive like PETN. When it detonated, its faster and more powerful shock would rupture the chamber of the AK. Mortar rounds normally have two explosives. The first pushes the round out of the mortar tube. The second on impact or proximity to the target. The modified rounds had the two explosives connected, so they both exploded inside the mortar tube.
Having been to the Audie Murphy Board in the Army I cannot wait until you watch that video.
He was a legend at Bragg when I was there
It's funny since Mr. Ballen and The Fat Electrician both were in the Military
The quote at the end is a paraphrase of General Mac Arthur’s speech to West Point in 1961, “The Soldier above all other people prays for peace, for they must bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
Fun fact: Mr. Ballen ALSO did a video on Roy Benavides. It would be interesting to see you watch his version of the story. There’s a lot less background info so it’s a much shorter video.
I've heard stories that one of the things they used to track movements is they'd let bicycles get "stolen" that were rigged so if the bike was ridden for a while, and then left on its side for a few hours, such as when they get to a transfer point, it would start transmitting a signal that could be triangulated.
~ 26:00 it sounds like the impact caused two things, when he was coming in and out of consciousness his brain probably already detected the damage and once it realized he was "safe" it put him into a comatose state to prioritize healing his brain injury. The impact had likely partially damaged connections (the tendrils that branch out from neuron's aka dendrites) in or around the hippocampus or frontal lobe without outright severing the connections completely or otherwise killing a large number of cells and after time the neurons were able to heal and eventually reform the weakened or damaged connections and link back up. Essentially as an example it would be like damaging a prong inside a USB port on an external drive the memory is intact the series of connections just needs strengthened and repaired. Since he didn't suffer permanent memory loss or any other real symptoms afterward that would be my best guess.
I can kind of relate to the rehab part. Years ago I was bed ridden do to a spinal injury, but I couldn't afford physical therapy. So lil by lil I crawled around on my stomach , I got myself to the point where I could walk, (that was embarrassing due to the tension it pulled my head to the right side, and pushed my shoulder up so my head and shoulder were stuck like that). Despite all that I kept walking around, I didn't care if I looked disabled mentally. 2 month later I was able to walk around. I beat the odds. After suffering a severe Cyasciatic (that's one of the top 5 disks in your back. Nolin that case you would be in a wheelchair for the rest of your life) nerve I can walk up straight and run short distances. I still have issues sometimes I either shake uncontrollably or a limb stops working, but I still beet the odds
Wait til he discovers wendigoon
Wendigoon and The Fat Electrician were on the "Unsubscribe Podcast" together.
Nic's nephew? That's gonna be fun
@@Flash_Flood44am aware
Brandon’s little brother
@@chugachuga9242 son
45 min of OriginalHuman? Def worth it.
For context, the general that gave Benavidez the airborne packet after ghosting him, Westmoreland, was the overarching commander during the Vietnam War. Westmoreland was to Vietnam how Eisenhower was for WW2
So glad you are reacting to this
I was wondering if you would play the video to the end and catch Roy's speech. As Nic says, someone's been cutting onions.
Audi Murphy was in the CAV it’s one of the most prestigious awards you can get as 1st Cav Hooh
He spoke at my Q course graduation. It was the honor of a lifetime to sake his hand. A true OGB!
I'm 40 I still have that grit bro love your content keep it up!
This the best react to the best TFE video. Well done sir, I really enjoyed it.
Yeah, a few bases were renamed in due to being named for Confederate soldiers. They really screwed the pooch on Bragg because there was a list of 70+ Special Forces Operators and Paratroopers they were going to pick the new name from. MSG Benavidez was in both the 82nd ABN DIV and 5th SFG but apparently that wasn’t good enough to rename Ft Bragg after him. Sorry for being long winded but still a sore spot for me!
Look up : Gary Dockery. He was a cop in Tennessee who was shot in the head. He was in a coma for 7 1/2 years and then suddenly woke up. He was completely lucid. He recognized his family and remembered past events. Unfortunately, his recovery only lasted a few days.
The NVA were able to move large amounts of troops and supplies through Laos on the “Ho Chi Minh trail” undetected on foot, truck, and bicycle paths, NVA engineers would climb the trees adjacent to the paths and weave the tree canopy’s together to camouflage trails and a multitude of other ways to hide troop and supply movements
I suffered a traumatic brain injury almost as bad as Roy's. I didn't even recognize my parents and siblings for a few weeks. They visited me every day and one morning I woke up and realized I was in a hospital room, didn't know why, and just started asking questions.