Sammy L Davis
Sammy was born on the 1st of November 1946, in Dayton, Ohio, but was raised in California. His family has a long history of military service and his father was an artilleryman during World War 2, so it naturally made sense for him to enlist when it was time to make that decision. Sammy recalls seeing Roger Donlon receive the Medal of Honor on television while he was working at a restaurant at a bowling alley. He graduated from Mooresville High School in Indiana in 1965 and enlisted in the Army as an artilleryman shortly after graduation. After basic and job training, Sammy requested to deploy to the Republic of Vietnam and he was assigned to Battery C, 2nd Battalion, 4th Artillery Regiment, 9th Infantry Division. It was his actions on the 18th of November 1967, that would later earn him the Medal of Honor. The citation reads:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sgt. Davis (then Pfc.) distinguished himself during the early morning hours while serving as a cannoneer with Battery C, at a remote fire support base. At approximately 0200 hours the fire support base was under heavy enemy mortar attack. Simultaneously, an estimated reinforced Viet Cong battalion launched a fierce ground assault upon the fire support base. The attacking enemy drove to within 25 meters of the friendly positions. Only a river separated the Viet Cong from the fire support base. Detecting a nearby enemy position, Sgt. Davis seized a machine gun and provided covering fire for his gun crew, as they attempted to bring direct artillery fire on the enemy. Despite his efforts, an enemy recoilless-rifle round scored a direct hit upon the artillery piece. The resultant blast hurled the gun crew from their weapon and blew Sgt. Davis into a foxhole. He struggled to his feet and returned to the howitzer, which was burning furiously. Ignoring repeated warnings to seek cover, Sgt. Davis rammed a shell into the gun. Disregarding a withering hail of enemy fire directed against his position, he aimed and fired the howitzer which rolled backward, knocking Sgt. Davis violently to the ground. Undaunted, he returned to the weapon to fire again when an enemy mortar round exploded within 20 meters of his position, injuring him painfully. Nevertheless, Sgt. Davis loaded the artillery piece, aimed, and fired. Again he was knocked down by the recoil. In complete disregard for his safety, Sgt. Davis loaded and fired three more shells into the enemy. Disregarding his extensive injuries and his inability to swim, Sgt. Davis picked up an air mattress and struck out across the deep river to rescue three wounded comrades on the far side. Upon reaching the three wounded men, he stood upright and fired into the dense vegetation to prevent the Viet Cong from advancing. While the most seriously wounded soldier was helped across the river, Sgt. Davis protected the two remaining casualties until he could pull them across the river to the fire support base. Though suffering from painful wounds, he refused medical attention, joining another howitzer crew which fired at the large Viet Cong force until it broke contact and fled. Sgt. Davis' extraordinary heroism, at the risk of his life, is in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S. Army.
Sammy recalls being able to hear the enemy mortars sliding down the enemy mortar tubes just before the first explosion. After the two hour fight, he was brought to a hospital for treatment and while there, heard that he was to be sent home to the States. Sammy petitioned to General Westmoreland to stay with his unit and due to his wounds, was granted permission but was taken off the line and made a cook.
Three hundred and sixty-six days after the battle, Sammy received the Medal of Honor from President Johnson in a ceremony at the White House. He remained in the Army until 1984, when he medically retired after nineteen years of service. Ten years later, the movie Forrest Gump was released and in it, the character, played by Tom Hanks, has a story that was loosely based around Sammy, to include receiving the Medal of Honor. The video footage of Sammy receiving the Medal was used with Tom Hank’s head superimposed over Sammy’s: this has earned Sammy the nickname of “The Real Forrest Gump”.
Sammy has been married twice, first to Peggy Jo (with whom he had three children) who later died from cancer, and second to Dixie Marie. The couple have traveled the country when invited to speak to schoolchildren and he has been at every Presidential inauguration since President Nixon’s in 1969, regardless if he voted for the candidate. Sammy was able to travel back to Vietnam in 2016 and was able to meet with five former Viet Cong, who asked him if he still played the harmonica, to which the answer was yes. They claimed that they could hear him play “Oh Shenandoah”, which Sammy also played after his Medal of Honor ceremony in memory of the men he served with in Vietnam. Sammy Lee Davis is 76 years old at the time of this recording.
