A Special Forces soldier who served in Vietnam received the Medal of Honor at the White House on March 3, 2023. Colonel (Ret.) Paris Davis, at the time a captain, was in a fiece battle for more than 19 hours. The combat action took place in June 1965 against a larger Viet Cong force. His small unit of South Vietnamese and American troops was pinned down by the enemy and suffered numerous casualties.
Davis made several successful rescues of his troops on the battlefield – removing them under fire to safety and later onto evacuation helicopters. He did this even though he himself had been wounded. He ignored orders to evacuate himself until all of his teammates were extracted.
Davis served in the Army for many years after his tour in Vietnam. His last assignment was as commander of the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Devens, Massachusetts.
A detailed account of the battle and the heroic actions of Davis is provided by the U.S. Army at this link:
https://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/davis/
A video of the award ceremony at the White House is provided at this link:
Medal of Honor to Ret. U.S. Army Colonel Paris Davis, The White House, March 3, 2023.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lH3FoQxQEw&t=1534s
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References:
March 3, 2023, “Biden Presents Medal of Honor to Special Forces Soldier”, DoD News.
March 3, 2023, “No man left behind”, Army News Service.
