 Vietnam-era Army officer will get Medal of Honor after nearly 6 decades of waiting.
WASHINGTON — One of the first Black officers to lead a Special Forces team in combat will receive the nation's highest award for bravery in battle nearly 60 years after his commanding officer first recommended him for the prestigious Medal of Honor. President Joe Biden called retired U.S. Army Col. Paris Davis on Monday “to inform him that he will receive the Medal of Honor for his remarkable heroism during the Vietnam War.”
In a statement issued afterward, Davis, 83, said the telephone call had “prompted a wave of memories of the men and women I served with in Vietnam.” He thanked his family, friends in the military and volunteers for keeping the story alive, along with Biden and military leaders. “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,” said Davis, who is originally from Cleveland and currently lives in Alexandria, Virginia. Davis, then a captain, was recommended for the Medal of Honor by his commanding officer for distinguishing himself on that June morning during a pre-dawn raid on a North Vietnamese army camp in Bong Son. Every American there was wounded during a major enemy counterattack. Davis repeatedly sprinted into an open rice paddy to rescue each member of his team, using his pinkie finger to fire his rifle after his hand was shattered by an enemy grenade, according to the ArmyTimes. His entire team survived. The paperwork recommending Davis for the Medal of Honor disappeared at least twice. He eventually was awarded a Silver Star Medal, the third-highest military combat medal, but members of Davis' team have long argued that race was a factor in his treatment. Davis retired in 1985, having attained the rank of colonel. In early 2021, Christopher Miller, then the acting defense secretary, ordered an expedited review of the case. He argued in an opinion column in June 2021 that awarding Davis the Medal of Honor would address an injustice “Some issues in our nation rise above partisanship," Miller wrote. “The Davis case meets that standard.” The White House did not immediately announce a date for Davis' medal ceremony. https://www.krem.com/article/news/nation-world/biden-medal-of-honor-vietnam-era-army-officer/507-05885e12-2e22-4130-81c2-a0cac97d0660
Sad News! Last week the legendary Billy Waugh had two strokes. He still can’t walk. Please, keep Billy in your prayers. Please consider sending Billy a card or note at:
Billy Waugh
19914 Jodi Drive
Lutz, FL 33558
For those of you who aren’t familiar with Billy, here’s a brief from the USSOCOM PAO:
Sergeant Major William "Billy" Waugh, a Special Forces sergeant major and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Paramilitary Operations Officer who served more than 50 years!
Waugh was in a commando raid on a North Vietnamese Army encampment near Bong Son in 1965 where his unit found itself engaged with a much larger than anticipated enemy force. Waugh received numerous severe wounds to his head and legs.
Unconscious, he was taken for dead by NVA soldiers and left alone. Waugh was safely evacuated from the combat zone and received a Silver Star and a Purple Heart (His 6th) for the battle of Bong Son.
After his recovery, Waugh joined the Military Assistance Command-Vietnam Studies and Observations Group. While working for SOG, Waugh helped train Vietnamese and Cambodian forces in unconventional warfare tactics operating along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
Waugh conducted the first combat High Altitude-Low Opening jump in Vietnam in October 1970. Then, at the age of 71 and as a member of a CIA team, went into Afghanistan to work with the Northern Alliance to topple the Taliban and Al Qaeda at the Battle of Tora Bora.
Waugh was inducted into the USSOCOM Commando Hall of Honor in 2011. |