# The Ballad of Roy Benavidez: The Life and Times of America's Most Famous Hispanic War Hero - Hardcover

by **William Sturkey** (Author)

**The dramatic life of Vietnam War hero Roy Benavidez, revealing how Hispanic Americans have long shaped US history, from "a major new voice \[with\] lyrical powers as a biographer" (David W. Blight, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of _Frederick Douglass_)**

In May 1968, while serving in Vietnam, Master Sergeant Roy Benavidez led the rescue of a reconnaissance team surrounded by hundreds of enemy soldiers. He saved the lives of at least eight of his comrades that day in a remarkable act of valor that left him permanently disabled. Awarded the Medal of Honor after a yearslong campaign, Benavidez became a highly sought-after public speaker, a living symbol of military heroism, and one of the country's most prominent Latinos.  

Now, historian William Sturkey tells Benavidez's life story in full for the first time. Growing up in Jim Crow-era Texas, Benavidez was scorned as "Mexican" despite his family's deep roots in the state. He escaped poverty by enlisting in a desegregating military and was first deployed amid the global upheavals of the 1950s. Even after receiving the Medal of Honor, Benavidez was forced to fight for disability benefits amid Reagan-era cutbacks.

An unwavering patriot alternately celebrated and snubbed by the country he loved, Benavidez embodied many of the contradictions inherent in twentieth-century Latino life. _The Ballad of Roy Benavidez_ places that experience firmly at the heart of the American story. 

### Author Biography

**William Sturkey** is an associate professor of history at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of _Hattiesburg_, a finalist for the Benjamin L. Hooks National Book Award and winner of the 2020 Zócalo Book Prize, and the coeditor of _To Write in the Light of Freedom_. He lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

**Number of Pages:** 464

**Dimensions:** 1.49 x 9.5 x 6.28 IN

**Publication Date:** June 11, 2024

## Details

- **Price:** 35.0 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 35.00 USD | In stock |

## Images

- The Ballad of Roy Benavidez: The Life and Times of America's Most Famous Hispanic War Hero - Hardcover

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