Master Sergeant Benavidez was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1981 by President Reagan for his bravery under enemy fire. As a Staff Sergeant with the 5th Special Forces Group, U.S. Army, he courageously saved his team from enemy attack and acquired valuable secret enemy documents. His fearless leadership, tenacious devotion to duty, and extremely valorous actions in the face of overwhelming odds were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service. Now, Hasbro honors Roy P. Benavidez with a commemorative G.I. JOE figure that represents his personal valor selfless life-saving efforts.

"When we heard Roy P. Benavidez's story, we were incredibly moved and compelled to make a figure that paid tribute to his unselfish heroism. His story will be an inspiration to many," said Derryl DePriest, Director of Marketing for Hasbro's G.I. JOE brand. "Roy's courage was unparalleled and we are deeply honored and humbled to be able to create a figure in his likeness."

This special figure is outfitted in army fatigues with Airborne Special Forces markings, boots, M1 helmet with cover, web belt with survival knife and sheath, and dog tags, and features a machine gun, medic bag and field radio. The figure will be available in stores nationwide in August.

"I was honored to hear Hasbro wanted to include my late husband in the G.I. JOE Collector's Series," said Mrs. Hilaria Benavidez, Master Sergeant Benavidez' widow. "I am very pleased to see the final product - a great tribute to my husband and his selfless efforts to save his comrades in arms."

Last year, the Navy honored Master Sergeant Benavidez by naming a ship after him. The USNS Benavidez is the seventh in the Bob Hope class of large, medium speed, roll-on/roll-off sealift ships. It is a non-combatant vessel run by civilian mariners and operated by the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command, Washington, D.C. The ship was launched/christened in a ceremony in July.

The late Master Sergeant Benavidez was also honored by the Texas legislature with the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor on May 2nd in a ceremony presided over by Texas Governor Rick Perry. As the state's highest honor, it had only been awarded twice before since the state's founding.

BACKGROUND

On the morning of May 2, 1968, a 12-man Special Forces Reconnaissance Team gathering intelligence information became trapped in the jungles of Loc Ninh, Vietnam, an area controlled by the North Vietnamese Army. Three helicopters attempted extraction, but failed. Sergeant Benavidez, Army Detachment B56, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), who was monitoring the operation by radio, voluntarily boarded a helicopter for one more rescue attempt. Under heavy and persistent enemy fire, he was severely wounded in his right leg, face, and head, abdomen and back - he nevertheless made numerous heroic trips, ferrying the wounded soldiers to safety. When the first helicopter was shot down, Sergeant Benavidez pulled the wounded from the wreckage and continued to fight for six long hours until a second helicopter arrived.

With little strength remaining, he made one last trip to ensure that all classified material had been collected or destroyed, barely alive after having suffered 40 serious and life-threatening wounds. Only then did he allow himself to be pulled into the extraction aircraft. Sergeant Benavidez's 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.

Roy P. Benavidez is the latest in a series of historically significant G.I. JOE figures, including George Washington, Dwight D. Eisenhower, General Colin Powell, and John F. Kennedy. Introduced in 1964, G.I. JOE was America's first action figure, and remains synonymous with American heroism.

For more information about G.I. JOE, visit www.gijoe.com.

Hasbro (NYSE:HAS) is a worldwide leader in children's and family leisure time entertainment products and services, including the design, manufacture and marketing of games and toys ranging from traditional to high-tech. Both internationally and in the U.S., its PLAYSKOOL, TONKA, MILTON BRADLEY, PARKER BROTHERS, TIGER and WIZARDS OF THE COAST brands and products provide the highest quality and most recognizable play experiences in the world.