Biden gives hero Vietnam veteran the Medal of Honor trends now
President Joe Biden on Friday awarded the Medial of Honor to retired black Army Col. Paris Davis for his heroic service during the Vietnam War – after paperwork recommending him for the honor mysteriously 'vanished' in 1965 – and then again four years later.
At the start of his remarks at the White House, Biden called awarding the nation's highest military honor 'the most consequential day since I've been president.'
Davis sat to the president's right, staring ahead as Biden detailed his heroism and his service in a military that had only recently desegregated.
'Paris helped write the history of our nation. And this year, we celebrate the 75th anniversary of our first fully integrated armed forces,' he said. 'Paris Davis will still stand alongside the nations pioneering heroes.'
'Paris, you are everting this medal means — I mean everything this medal means,' he said. 'You are everything our nation is at our best.'
President Joe Biden awards the Medal of Honor to retired Army Col. Paris Davis for his heroism during the Vietnam War
Davis, a Vietnam veteran, was among the first black officers to lead Green Beret forces.
He stood outside the White House after the ceremony to speak to reporters. He was asked what it meant to receive the honor but began looking for notes.
'Let me find a statement. I'm supposed to read to you – because I haven't read myself!' he joked to reporters.
Reading from a piece of paper, he said: 'Thank you, President Biden. This medal reflects what teamwork, service, and dedication can achieve.'
'God bless you, God bless all, God bless America,' he added.
Davis, while under fire from North Vietnamese forces near Saigon in June 1965, dragged fellow fellow serviceman to safety, even after a grenade ripped through his teeth and his trigger finger.
He refused to leave behind two of his comrades. One of them, Billy Waugh, spoke decades later of how Davis 'grabbed me, and he (dragged) me, after he himself was shot several times and couldn't walk.
'I only have to close my eyes to vividly recall the gallantry of this individual,' he wrote years later, in 1981.
Retired Army Colonel Paris Davis, a Vietnam veteran, was among the first black officers to lead Green Beret forces
President Biden shakes Colonel Davis' hand
The paperwork recommending Colonel Davis for the Medal of Honor was lost - twice
Davis was nominated for the Medal of Honor soon after the event.
But the Army lost his paperwork in 1965. A commander submitted paperwork four years later, only to have it go missing again – prompting charges of racism. A 1969
