Sammy L. Davis

Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Sammy Lee Davis (born November 1, 1946) is an American soldier who served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War and was awarded the nation's highest military medal for valor, the Medal of Honor.

Early years

Born in Dayton, Ohio, on November 1, 1946, Davis was raised in French Camp, California.^[1]^[2] His family had a long tradition of military service; his grandfather served in the Spanish–American War, his father Robert Davis was in World War II, and his brothers Hubert ("Buddy") and Darrell Davis served in Korea and Vietnam, respectively.^[1] Davis attended Manteca High School in Manteca, California, where he was a member of the football and diving teams. He also participated in Sea Scouting in Stockton.^[1] After his junior year of high school, Davis' family moved to Indiana.^[1]^[3] He graduated from Mooresville High School in 1966.^[4]

Military career

Davis enlisted in the United States Army from Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1965.

In March 1967, Davis was sent to South Vietnam as a private first class, and was assigned to Battery C, 2nd Battalion, 4th Artillery Regiment, 9th Infantry Division.^[3]^[2] On November 18, 1967, his unit at Firebase Cudgel (Script error: No such module "Coordinates".)^[5] west of Cai Lay, fell under machine gun fire and heavy mortar attack by an estimated three companies of Viet Cong from the 261st Viet Cong Main Force Battalion,^[5] which swarmed the area from the south and then west.^[3]^[5] Upon detecting an enemy position, Davis manned a machine gun to give his comrades covering fire so they could fire artillery in response. Davis was wounded, but ignored warnings to take cover, taking over the unit's burning howitzer and firing several shells himself. He also disregarded his inability to swim due to a broken back, and crossed a river there on an air mattress to help rescue three wounded American soldiers. He ultimately found his way to another howitzer site to continue fighting the NVA attack until they fled. The battle lasted two hours.^[5]

Davis was subsequently promoted to sergeant and received the Medal of Honor the following year from President Lyndon B. Johnson.^[6] After he was presented the medal at the White House ceremony, Davis played "Oh Shenandoah" on his harmonica in memory of the men he served with in Vietnam.^[3]^[7]

Davis retired in 1984 due to his war-time injuries.^[8]

Later years

In 1994, footage of his Medal of Honor award ceremony was used in the film Forrest Gump, with actor Tom Hanks's head superimposed over that of Davis.^[9]

Davis tells his story in the 2002 documentary A Time For Honor.

In July 2005, while in Indianapolis, Davis' medal was stolen out of the trunk of his car. It was recovered a few days later in the neighboring White River.^[10]

On July 4, 2010, Davis helped celebrate the 100th birthday of the Boy Scouts of America at Arlington Park. Davis entered scouting at the age of 9.^[11] He has also been honored by the Joe Foss Institute for his dedication to serving America.

Davis is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In October 2024, Davis joined 15 other Medal of Honor recipients in publicly endorsing Donald Trump for president.^[12]

Military awards

File:Lyndon Johnson with 5 MOH recipients 29-2620M.JPG

Davis (third from left) receiving the Medal of Honor from President Lyndon B. Johnson on November 19, 1968, along with four fellow recipients: Gary Wetzel, Dwight H. Johnson, James Allen Taylor, and Angelo Liteky.

Davis's military decorations and awards include:

Template:Ribbon devices/alt
Template:Ribbon devices/alt	Bronze oak leaf cluster Template:Ribbon devices/alt	Template:Ribbon devices/alt
Template:Ribbon devices/alt	Template:Ribbon devices/altFile:Bronze-service-star-3d-vector.svgFile:Bronze-service-star-3d-vector.svg	Template:Ribbon devices/alt

Template:Ribbon devices/altFile:Gallantry Cross Unit Citation.png

1st row	Medal of Honor
2nd row	Silver Star	Purple Heart with 1 bronze Oak Leaf Cluster (2 awards)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".		Good Conduct Medal
3rd row	National Defense Service Medal	Vietnam Service Medal with 2 Campaign starsScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".		Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal with "60–" claspScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
Unit Citations	Presidential Unit Citation		Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation with palm and frameScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".