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Medal of Honor recipient Marine Sgt Rodney Maxwell Davis
Congressional Medal of Honor
Episode 2830 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature Marine Sgt Rodney Maxwell Davis and his Congressional Medal of Honor award. Information featured in this episode comes from an essay titled: Medal of Honor Monday: Marine Corps Sgt. Rodney Davis that appeared on the DOD website. It was submitted by Katie Lange.
Davis joined the Marine Corps in 1961, and was ordered to the Republic of Vietnam in 1967. In September 1967, during a search and destroy exercise as part of Operation Swift, Davis’s company was attacked by enemies. When Davis’s platoon retreated into a trench, Davis ran up and down his company’s line and encouraged the men to fight, returning fire at the same time. When an enemy grenade came close to several men, Davis jumped on the grenade, saving his men’s lives.
Davis was born on April 7, 1942, in Macon, Georgia, to Gordon N. Davis and Ruth A. Davis. He attended elementary school and high school there and graduated from Peter G. Appling High School, May 29, 1961.
Shortly after graduation, Davis enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in his hometown, August 31, 1961; then reported for recruit training with the First Recruit Training Battalion Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina. Upon completion of recruit training in December 1961, he was transferred to the Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and underwent Individual Combat Training with the Second Battalion, First Infantry Training Regiment, graduating the following February.
Davis then joined Company K, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, 2nd Marine Division, FMF, at Camp Lejeune and served as a rifleman until May 1964. While stationed at Camp Lejeune, he was promoted to private first class, April 1, 1962, and to lance corporal, January 1, 1964.
As a lance corporal, Davis was ordered to London, England, for a three-year tour of duty as a Guard with the United States Marine Detachment, Naval Activities. He was promoted to corporal on January 1, 1966, and to sergeant on December In August 1967 he was Ordered to the Republic of Vietnam,
Listen to episode 2830 and discover more about Marine Sgt Rodney Maxwell Davis and his Congressional Medal of Honor award.
