Davis’ case resurfaced – and the award was approved – in January 2021 after acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller ordered a review of his nomination. Image: Department of Defense
Retired Army Col. Paris Davis will finally receive the Medal of Honor – the nation’s highest award for valor in combat – for heroism he displayed during the Vietnam War. Davis was notified by President Biden during a Feb. 13 telephone call.
“The call today from President Biden prompted a wave of memories of the men and women I served with in Vietnam – from members of the 5th Special Forces Group and other U.S. military units to the doctors and nurses who cared for our wounded,” Davis said in a statement he prepared after receiving notification of the honor. “I am so very grateful for my family and friends within the military and elsewhere who kept alive the story of A-team, A-321 at Camp Bong Son. I think often of those fateful 19 hours on June 18, 1965 and what our team did to make sure we left no man behind on that battlefield.”
An article published by the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) described Davis’ actions that day, as reported by the New York Times. A 26-year-old captain at the time, he was the last living American among a cadre of 90 South Vietnamese volunteers who were pinned down by an enemy that vastly outnumbered them.
Convinced that he would not survive, Davis made several forays over open ground to rescue comrades – armed only with an M16 assault rifle. Even though he sustained several bullet wounds, he refused to leave the area of conflict.
Even though Davis was nominated for the Medal of Honor immediately afterward, nothing came of it. Resubmissions for the award by his commander also were fruitless. In time, his comrades came to believe Davis was ignored because he was one of the first Black officers to wear the Green Beret of the Army Special Forces, the Times reported.
Davis’ case resurfaced – and the award was approved – in January 2021 after acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller ordered a review of his nomination.
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