Name Sammy Davis Years of service 1965–1984 | Rank Sergeant First Class | |
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Spouse(s) DixiePeggy Jo (nee Martin) (m. 1968; died 2004) Allegiance United States of America Unit 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 9th Infantry Division | ||
Sammy l davis
Sammy Lee Davis (born November 1, 1946) is an American 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.
Contents
- Sammy l davis
- Buzzed into american hero sgt sammy l davis at heritage hill
- Early years
- US Army
- Vietnam
- Medal of Honor
- Retirement
- Later years
- Military awards
- Medal of Honor citation
- References

Buzzed into american hero sgt sammy l davis at heritage hill
Early years

Born in Dayton, Ohio, on November 1, 1946, Davis was raised in French Camp, California. 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. 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. After his junior year of high school, Davis' family moved to Indiana. He graduated from Mooresville High School in 1966.
U.S. Army

Davis enlisted in the U.S. Army from Indianapolis, Indiana, during the Vietnam War, in 1965.
Vietnam

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. On November 18, 1967, his unit at "Fire Support Base Cudgel" west of Cai Lay, fell under machine gun fire and heavy mortar attack by an estimated three companies of Vietcong from the 261st Viet Cong Main Force Battalion who swarmed the area from the south and then west. 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.
Medal of Honor

Davis was subsequently promoted to sergeant and received the Medal of Honor the following year from President Lyndon B. Johnson. 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.
Retirement

Davis retired in 1984 due to his war-time injuries.
Later years
In 1994, footage of his Medal of Honor award ceremony was used in the film Forrest Gump, with actor Tom Hanks' head superimposed over that of Davis.
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 neighboring White River.
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.
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.
Military awards
Davis's military decorations and awards include:
Medal of Honor citation
Rank and organization: Sergeant (then Private First Class), U.S. Army, Battery C, 2nd Battalion, 4th Artillery, 9th Infantry Division
Place and date: West of Cai Lay, Republic of Vietnam, 18 November 1967
Entered service at: Indianapolis, Indiana
Born: 1 November, 1946, Dayton, Ohio