ARLINGTON, Va. — President Joe Biden will award the Medal of Honor to an 83-year-old soldier from Arlington, Virginia who was first nominated to receive the award in 1965.
Col. Paris Davis was one of the first Black officers to join the Army’s Special Forces. He will receive the Medal of Honor for his acts of bravery as a commander during the Vietnam War, specifically during operations in the vicinity of Bon Son, Vietnam on June 17-18, 1965.
Wounded in the initial assault, then-Capt. Davis kept moving forward, engaging the North Vietnamese in hand to hand combat. Even after he was hit by grenade shrapnel and shot again, Davis disobeyed an order to move out and leave behind Americans Billy Waugh and Robert Brown, who were both gravely injured.
"Capt. Davis refused and said ‘No, I’m not leaving while I have men out on the field,'" remembered Ron Deis, one of the survivors, breaking down in tears even all these years.
Davis’s commanding officer, Billy Cole, nominated him for the nation’s highest military honor right after the battle, but the papers vanished. Twice.
In 1981, Waugh, who Davis carried to safety on his shoulders, wrote, “I only have to close my eyes to vividly recall the gallantry of this individual.”
Davis’s teammates have lobbied Congress for years, but until now, the process has stalled.
"I don’t think, I know race was a factor," Davis told CBS's Catherine Herridge two years ago.
Two weeks ago, President Biden called Davis and told him he'd finally be getting the medal.
"America can heal you, if you allow America and give it the time to do so, it will do it in spades," said Davis after the president's call.
Davis also received a Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart. After retiring from service in 1985 with the rank of Colonel, he went on to publish a small newspaper in Virginia. A resident of Arlington County, Virginia, Colonel Davis was inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame in 2019.
The ceremony is scheduled to take place on March 3, 2023 at 11:20 a.m. A live stream of the event will be available here.
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