On June 18, 1965 Capt. Paris Davis was leading a small SF team deep into the jungles of Vietnam in order to attack an enemy camp.
After successfully taking out the majority of the enemy within the objective, the team was in the process of exfil when a counter attack ensued.
Completely out numbered and with every team member seriously wounded, Davis decided to make a last stand on top of a small hill.
In the 10 hour battle, Davis risked his life to rescue all of his wounded brothers who were scattered across the kill zone despite being shot 5 separate times. When a grenade blasted out his teeth and trigger finger, he began firing his M16 with his pinkie. When the enemy got close enough, he used the butt of his rifle to ensure the safety of his men.
When a rescue team finally reached Davis, he was covered in blood. When he realized that one of his men was unaccounted for, he refused orders to evacuate and ran under fire one more time to rescue his medic.
Davis managed to rescue his entire team and was immediately reccomended for the MOH.
But the Army somehow lost the nomination. His frustrated commander resubmitted it, and inexplicably the nomination disappeared again.
His teammates pushed several more times over the years for the medal, only to be met with silence and indifference. One of the wounded team members was the legendary Billy Waugh who stated "I only have to close my eyes to vividly recall the gallantry.”
They eventually came to believe the Army’s inaction had nothing to do with what the captain had done in 1965, and everything to do with who he was: One of the first Black officers in the Special Forces.
After 55 years of trying, Actin SECDEF Christopher Miller personally ordered an expedited review of the lost nomination to be completed by March 2021. The resulting report will then go up the chain to the Secretary of the Army, the SecDef and finally President Biden. If they all sign off, Mr. Davis, now 81, may finally be recognized. #hero