African American Green Beret Finally Receives the Highest Honor

Paris Davis, 85, was one of the first Black soldiers in the Special Forces

As told to

A.J. Baime,

AARP

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Published October 17, 2024

paris davis, in military dress uniform, stands in front of news microphones

Courtesy U.S. Department of Defense

There are few clubs more esteemed or exclusive than the living Medal of Honor recipients.

What has life been like after that day of courage amid death and terror in Vietnam, Iraq or Afghanistan? Every recipient has a different story. In this series we examine what came after that moment of extraordinary courage.

Paris Davis, 85: Awarded the Medal of Honor in 2023.

The Special Forces was fairly new at the time. It was a small group, formed to be the eyes and ears of America in battle, and to help keep us safe. When I started my training, I had already gone through Army Ranger and Airborne school. Earning my way into the Special Forces was no bowl of cherries.

We did a lot of classroom work, we jumped out of airplanes, and we did all kinds of things with weapons. A lot of people did not like the idea of me joining the Special Forces, and they were hoping I wouldn’t make it. But I wouldn’t back away. The more I did to prove that I could make it as a Green Beret, the stronger I became, the more friends I made and the easier it became. According to an article I saw in The New York Times, I was one of the first Black soldiers in the Special Forces.

A brutal two-day battle

In the spring of 1965, I was 26 years old and stationed in South Vietnam. We found out that there were a couple of places where the Viet Cong were sending troops down to about 25 kilometers from where we were located. We were going to have a showdown. The big battle at Bong Son was the result. It lasted a little over two days—mainly June 17 and 18, 1965.

young paris davis in his military uniform

Paris Davis was one of the first Black soldiers in the Special Forces.

Courtesy Paris Davis

I was with the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, and the commander of a small operation called Team A-321. There were four Americans in that operation—myself and three others. We were there training a force of local volunteers from Vietnam. The battle was on. According to my official citation, “Captain Davis’s advice and leadership allowed the company to gain the tactical advantage, allowing it to surprise the unsuspecting enemy force and kill approximately 100 enemy soldiers.”

Following an ambush, I had a situation where I went out to get three of my fellow Special Forces soldiers who got spread out and bring them back to safety. [Also from the official Medal of Honor citation: “Captain Davis constantly exposed himself to hostile small arms fire to rally the inexperienced and disorganized company. He expertly directed both artillery and small arms fire.... Although wounded in the leg, he aided in the evacuation of other wounded men of his unit, but refused medical evacuation himself. Then, with complete disregard for his own life, he braved intense enemy fire to cross an open field to rescue his seriously wounded and immobilized team sergeant.”]

We fought hard for two days before we could put this behind us. I was shot up pretty bad, and I was in the hospital for a long time. I never asked any questions; I just let them take care of me.

Meanwhile, my fellow soldiers and others were concerned about what had happened at Bong Son, and they took it upon themselves to come together. While I was in the hospital, I didn’t know “s--- from Shinola,” as the saying goes. But people on my team made a big to-do about it, and I was nominated to receive the Medal of Honor.

Recognition, long overdue

What happened next will surprise you. It certainly surprised me. I don’t want it to sound like braggadocio, so please don’t take my words that way. I was awarded two Purple Hearts, the Silver Star and any number of other medals. But the government lost my Medal of Honor paperwork — not once but twice. How did it happen? That’s a question I have been asked many times. I don’t know! Don’t ask me, ask the government. When you find out, we’ll both know. But there was a lot of hulla-baloo, and people on my team went to Congress. They wrote letters and did whatever they could to let people know.

The Medal of Honor gave people a chance to understand what happened at Bong Son, Davis says.

Courtesy Paris Davis

When I received the Medal of Honor in the White House on March 3, 2023, it changed my life in many ways. But number one is, it changed the [perception] of people that I knew. Because so many people I knew did not understand what had happened at Bong Son. When they had a chance to read and hear the whole narrative as it is stated in my Medal of Honor citation, then they could understand — not just my story but the story of the people that were there with me. They knew that we had done something that was extraordinary.

Second, I invited people to be there that day. People who had trained with me, and families of soldiers. That day in the White House, the “I” became “we,” and the “we” became “us.” And it continues.

I will tell you, from my point of view at this time in my life, we have some great guys and gals in the military today. Just top-drawer. I think America should pay homage to the people in our military, who are willing to go out there and stick their thumb in the air to see which way the wind is blowing, to make sure that America remains free.

Paris Davis’ book Every Weapon I Had will be published by St. Martin’s Press next June.

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A.J. Baime is a regular contributor to The Wall Street Journal and AARP publications, and is the author of several books on American history and the auto industry.

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