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2023 SESSION

23106822D
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 388
Offered February 20, 2023
Commending Colonel Paris Davis, USA, Ret.
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Patrons-- Ebbin, Barker and Saslaw; Delegate: Bennett-Parker
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WHEREAS, Colonel Paris Davis, USA, Ret., of Arlington, an honorable veteran who bravely served the country as a member of the United States Army Special Forces during the Vietnam War, will receive the Medal of Honor in February 2023 for his extraordinary display of gallantry on June 18, 1965; and

WHEREAS, after studying political science on a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps scholarship at Southern University, Paris Davis joined the United States Army and eventually earned a spot with the elite United States Army Special Forces, or the Green Berets; and

WHEREAS, Paris Davis arrived in Vietnam in 1965 at the rank of captain with the task of leading a 12-man team that was part of the distinguished 5th Special Forces Group; and

WHEREAS, as one of the first Black officers to serve with the Green Berets, Paris Davis overcame racial prejudice and discrimination to earn the respect of his men and effectively lead them in battle; and

WHEREAS, Paris Davis and his team were one of the first groups airdropped into the remote farming district of Binh Dinh Province, where they had a mission to train a force of local South Vietnamese volunteers; and

WHEREAS, in the early morning of June 18, 1965, Paris Davis and a few of his fellow Green Berets executed a raid of a Viet Cong regimental headquarters, which was quickly met with a massive counteroffensive; and

WHEREAS, Paris Davis and the volunteers took refuge on a small hill, and they fought off enemy attackers for the next 10 hours, waiting for the opportunity to rescue their fellow servicemen; and

WHEREAS, when American fighter jets bombed the enemy’s positions, Paris Davis used the distraction and jumped into action, risking his life to save three wounded servicemen and refusing orders to evacuate until each man was safe, despite being shot five times during the rescue effort; and

WHEREAS, in recognition of his unquestionable heroism during this nearly 19-hour raid, Paris Davis was immediately nominated by his commanding officer for the Medal of Honor, the United States Armed Forces’ highest military decoration, though his nomination paperwork would be inexplicably lost on multiple occasions, allowing nearly 60 years to pass before President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., signed the necessary approvals to grant the award this year; and

WHEREAS, Paris Davis later commanded the 10th Special Forces Group and attained the rank of colonel before retiring from the United States Army in 1985; he then went on to start the Metro Herald, a Greater Washington, D.C., area newspaper; it was published for more than 30 years; and

WHEREAS, Paris Davis is a true American hero whose selfless courage in the face of almost certain demise makes him deserving of both the Medal of Honor and the respect and high esteem of all Virginians; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Colonel Paris Davis, USA, Ret., for receiving the Medal of Honor; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Colonel Paris Davis, USA, Ret., as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for his bravery and legacy of service.