DeWitt County commissioners last week joined a growing group of county officials across the region supporting naming the new Veterans Affairs clinic in nearby Victoria after a De-Witt County native, a man who went on to become one of the most highly decorated soldiers of the Vietnam War. Their resolution passed unanimously Monday to endorse naming the area's VA clinic after the late Master Sgt. Roy P. Benavidez, a Medal of Honor recipient who was born Aug. 5, 1935, in the community of Lindenau in western DeWitt County.
His family would later call El Campo home after moving there when his father passed away during his boyhood.
The VA medical facility currently operates under the name Victoria VA Clinic and was built to serve the needs of some 20,000 veterans living in the Golden Crescent area.
By signing off on the measure, DeWitt County joins officials in Victoria, Jackson, Lavaca and several other counties in supporting the name change. Those county resolutions are being collected by Republican Congressman Michael Cloud's office, which will then take them to Washington, D.C., where he will introduce a similar measure on the floor of the House of Representatives to initiate the name change.
The resolution would then require congressional approval and, ultimately, the president's signature.
Cloud's office is where Benavidez's grandson, Matthew Benavidez, is about to take a position as a district field representative.
Matthew had previously worked as chief of staff for District 85 state Rep. Stan Kitzman, R-Pattison, but Kitzman was defeated by former Flatonia Mayor Dennis 'Goose' Geesaman during the GOP primary election.
Benavidez said he found the vote to be 'inspirational.'
'It has been almost 60 years since my grandfather's actions that day in Vietnam, 45 years since he was awarded the Medal of Honor, and almost 30 years since his passing, and he is still remembered and memorialized,' he said. 'I look at this as the actions of the community, and the veterans. They look at the name Roy P. Benavidez and see a beacon of hope, courage, sacrifice and commitment to his brothers in arms.'
Benavidez served in the U.S. Army from 1955 to 1976, returning to his El Campo home upon retirement. His family still lives in the community where Matthew Benavidez, his siblings and immediate cousins graduated from high school.
His grandfather's Medal of Honor stems from what the soldier dubbed 'Six Hours in Hell,' the title of a book about his time in the service.
Benavidez rescued eight men and recovered classified military documents on May 2, 1968, after volunteering for a rescue mission behind enemy lines.
He suffered a broken jaw, 37 bullet wounds and bayonet puncture wounds, returning to the forward operating base in dire condition. Assessing medics attempted to place him inside a body bag, but Benavidez mustered enough strength to spit a mouthful of blood into the face of a doctor looming over him, proving he was still alive.
'He did not do what he did to become a hero in the eyes of the nation, he did what he did to be a brother to his fellow man,' Matthew Benavidez said. 'He did not think about what would happen after the fact, he only thought in the moment.
'For the people of Texas to still remember the name, and remember the story, and carry on the legacy is truly inspiring,' he added. 'His story is what keeps me going in my pursuit to be a better person, and a better public servant.'
Benavidez was presented the Medal of Honor by President Ronald Reagan in 1981 after corroborating witnesses could be located. Benavidez died in 1998.
Veterans Affairs facilities are often named after military heroes, with the bestknown in Texas being Audie Murphy in San Antonio.
World War II-era soldier and fellow Texan Lt. Audie Murphy, featured in the movie To Hell and Back, is the most decorated soldier in U.S. history and a Medal of Honor recipient.
To the veterans for whom the hospital provides care, a trip there is not to the Audie Murphy Veterans Affairs Hospital, but simply 'Audie Murphy,' a man still revered by those who once wore the nation's uniform.
'I hope that this renaming will bring some sort of comfort to the veterans who visit the hospital, and instill a sense of purpose into everyone who reads his story. It is truly inspiring,' Matthew Benavidez said.
Shannon Crabtree, longtime editor of the Wharton County Leader-News in El Campo, also contributed to this report.
