Sammy L. Davis November 18, 1967, Sammy L. Davis was serving as a private first class with Battery C, 2nd Battalion, 4th Artillery Regiment, 9th Infantry Division, in the Republic of Vietnam. November 18, 1967 on that day, Sammy L. Davis’s unit was west of Cai Lay when they fell under heavy mortar attack by the North Vietnamese Army as around 1,500 NVA swarmed the area. (Referred to as Vietcong but actually was the NVA according to an interview with Davis) 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 units burning howitzer and firing several shells himself. He also disregarded his inability to swim (due to injuries; Davis knew how to swim), crossing a river 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. He was subsequently promoted to sergeant and received the Medal of Honor the following year. Davis was forced to retire in 1984 due to his injuries. Footage of his Medal of Honor award ceremony was used in the 1994 film Forrest Gump, with actor Tom Hanks head superimposed over that of Davis. youtu.be/aOWBw7muH9M
Posted on: Tue, 18 Nov 2014 21:25:07 +0000
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