Specialist Four, U.S. Army
Biography
As a child, ‘Tom' as friends called him, loved to hunt and fish and spent his time in the great outdoors of his hometown, Livingston, TN. In high school, he played defensive halfback on the football team. Shortly after graduation, he married his high school sweetheart, Geraldine Martin. He once wrote an autobiography for school in which he stated "my ambitions are unlimited, my fate unknown."
Tom left Tennessee Technological University in his senior year to join the U.S. Army. After basic training in South Carolina, he was sent to Fort Devens, MA, to take a Radio Direction Finder Course and the Instructor Training Course at the U.S. Army Security Agency School. In May 1961, he received orders for the 3rd Radio Research Unit, Military Assistance Advisory Group, Vietnam (MAAGV) where he would serve as an Advisor.
By now Tom had a baby daughter, Cindy, who he thought of often, and this would be the first Christmas he would spend away from his wife and new child. For this reason he was saddened, but felt it was his duty to serve. He wrote his father, James Clarence "Bum" Davis, a World War II veteran, "you did your job in the 1940's, now it's my turn." Tom felt that what he was doing was of great importance and would help ease problems in that part of the world. A Specialist Four, he participated in a number of operations, often being exposed to grave danger from Viet Cong (VC) rebels.
On 22 December 1961, Tom's orders were to take men and equipment into the field to monitor VC radio transmissions. The men were nervous because there had recently been attempted ambushes on fellow advisors. The operation proved to be uneventful to this point. Upon completing the assignment, Davis and the 10 South Vietnamese soldiers were returning to camp and they were about 12 miles west of Saigon. Although the path seemed safe, the enemy often seemed to appear from nowhere.
Suddenly, a mine planted in the road went off as the truck moved over it and the explosion hit the truck, tearing through the tailgate. The vehicle rolled for about 30 yards and came to a stop on the right side of the road.
The enemy attack began immediately, spraying the truck with machine gun fire. His escort soldiers were shot as they tried to exit from the rear. Tom, who was riding in the cab, escaped the explosion and grabbed his rifle. He was able to fire a few rounds, but an enemy bullet struck his head, killing him instantly.
An investigation determined that Tom was trying to defend his comrades as well as himself. Two weeks after his death, his unit headquarters was renamed Davis Station to honor his service and sacrifice. President Johnson would later describe him as "the first American to fall in defense of our freedom in Vietnam."
Medals, Awards and Badges
Purple Heart
Army Good Conduct Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Vietnam Service Medal
Vietnam Campaign Medal
Biography
As a child, ‘Tom' as friends called him, loved to hunt and fish and spent his time in the great outdoors of his hometown, Livingston, TN. In high school, he played defensive halfback on the football team. Shortly after graduation, he married his high school sweetheart, Geraldine Martin. He once wrote an autobiography for school in which he stated "my ambitions are unlimited, my fate unknown."
Tom left Tennessee Technological University in his senior year to join the U.S. Army. After basic training in South Carolina, he was sent to Fort Devens, MA, to take a Radio Direction Finder Course and the Instructor Training Course at the U.S. Army Security Agency School. In May 1961, he received orders for the 3rd Radio Research Unit, Military Assistance Advisory Group, Vietnam (MAAGV) where he would serve as an Advisor.
By now Tom had a baby daughter, Cindy, who he thought of often, and this would be the first Christmas he would spend away from his wife and new child. For this reason he was saddened, but felt it was his duty to serve. He wrote his father, James Clarence "Bum" Davis, a World War II veteran, "you did your job in the 1940's, now it's my turn." Tom felt that what he was doing was of great importance and would help ease problems in that part of the world. A Specialist Four, he participated in a number of operations, often being exposed to grave danger from Viet Cong (VC) rebels.
On 22 December 1961, Tom's orders were to take men and equipment into the field to monitor VC radio transmissions. The men were nervous because there had recently been attempted ambushes on fellow advisors. The operation proved to be uneventful to this point. Upon completing the assignment, Davis and the 10 South Vietnamese soldiers were returning to camp and they were about 12 miles west of Saigon. Although the path seemed safe, the enemy often seemed to appear from nowhere.
Suddenly, a mine planted in the road went off as the truck moved over it and the explosion hit the truck, tearing through the tailgate. The vehicle rolled for about 30 yards and came to a stop on the right side of the road.
The enemy attack began immediately, spraying the truck with machine gun fire. His escort soldiers were shot as they tried to exit from the rear. Tom, who was riding in the cab, escaped the explosion and grabbed his rifle. He was able to fire a few rounds, but an enemy bullet struck his head, killing him instantly.
An investigation determined that Tom was trying to defend his comrades as well as himself. Two weeks after his death, his unit headquarters was renamed Davis Station to honor his service and sacrifice. President Johnson would later describe him as "the first American to fall in defense of our freedom in Vietnam."
Medals, Awards and Badges
Purple Heart
Army Good Conduct Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Vietnam Service Medal
Vietnam Campaign Medal
Specialist Four, U.S. Army
Biography
As a child, ‘Tom' as friends called him, loved to hunt and fish and spent his time in the great outdoors of his hometown, Livingston, TN. In high school, he played defensive halfback on the football team. Shortly after graduation, he married his high school sweetheart, Geraldine Martin. He once wrote an autobiography for school in which he stated "my ambitions are unlimited, my fate unknown."
Tom left Tennessee Technological University in his senior year to join the U.S. Army. After basic training in South Carolina, he was sent to Fort Devens, MA, to take a Radio Direction Finder Course and the Instructor Training Course at the U.S. Army Security Agency School. In May 1961, he received orders for the 3rd Radio Research Unit, Military Assistance Advisory Group, Vietnam (MAAGV) where he would serve as an Advisor.
By now Tom had a baby daughter, Cindy, who he thought of often, and this would be the first Christmas he would spend away from his wife and new child. For this reason he was saddened, but felt it was his duty to serve. He wrote his father, James Clarence "Bum" Davis, a World War II veteran, "you did your job in the 1940's, now it's my turn." Tom felt that what he was doing was of great importance and would help ease problems in that part of the world. A Specialist Four, he participated in a number of operations, often being exposed to grave danger from Viet Cong (VC) rebels.
On 22 December 1961, Tom's orders were to take men and equipment into the field to monitor VC radio transmissions. The men were nervous because there had recently been attempted ambushes on fellow advisors. The operation proved to be uneventful to this point. Upon completing the assignment, Davis and the 10 South Vietnamese soldiers were returning to camp and they were about 12 miles west of Saigon. Although the path seemed safe, the enemy often seemed to appear from nowhere.
Suddenly, a mine planted in the road went off as the truck moved over it and the explosion hit the truck, tearing through the tailgate. The vehicle rolled for about 30 yards and came to a stop on the right side of the road.
The enemy attack began immediately, spraying the truck with machine gun fire. His escort soldiers were shot as they tried to exit from the rear. Tom, who was riding in the cab, escaped the explosion and grabbed his rifle. He was able to fire a few rounds, but an enemy bullet struck his head, killing him instantly.
An investigation determined that Tom was trying to defend his comrades as well as himself. Two weeks after his death, his unit headquarters was renamed Davis Station to honor his service and sacrifice. President Johnson would later describe him as "the first American to fall in defense of our freedom in Vietnam."
Medals, Awards and Badges
Purple Heart
Army Good Conduct Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Vietnam Service Medal
Vietnam Campaign Medal
Biography
As a child, ‘Tom' as friends called him, loved to hunt and fish and spent his time in the great outdoors of his hometown, Livingston, TN. In high school, he played defensive halfback on the football team. Shortly after graduation, he married his high school sweetheart, Geraldine Martin. He once wrote an autobiography for school in which he stated "my ambitions are unlimited, my fate unknown."
Tom left Tennessee Technological University in his senior year to join the U.S. Army. After basic training in South Carolina, he was sent to Fort Devens, MA, to take a Radio Direction Finder Course and the Instructor Training Course at the U.S. Army Security Agency School. In May 1961, he received orders for the 3rd Radio Research Unit, Military Assistance Advisory Group, Vietnam (MAAGV) where he would serve as an Advisor.
By now Tom had a baby daughter, Cindy, who he thought of often, and this would be the first Christmas he would spend away from his wife and new child. For this reason he was saddened, but felt it was his duty to serve. He wrote his father, James Clarence "Bum" Davis, a World War II veteran, "you did your job in the 1940's, now it's my turn." Tom felt that what he was doing was of great importance and would help ease problems in that part of the world. A Specialist Four, he participated in a number of operations, often being exposed to grave danger from Viet Cong (VC) rebels.
On 22 December 1961, Tom's orders were to take men and equipment into the field to monitor VC radio transmissions. The men were nervous because there had recently been attempted ambushes on fellow advisors. The operation proved to be uneventful to this point. Upon completing the assignment, Davis and the 10 South Vietnamese soldiers were returning to camp and they were about 12 miles west of Saigon. Although the path seemed safe, the enemy often seemed to appear from nowhere.
Suddenly, a mine planted in the road went off as the truck moved over it and the explosion hit the truck, tearing through the tailgate. The vehicle rolled for about 30 yards and came to a stop on the right side of the road.
The enemy attack began immediately, spraying the truck with machine gun fire. His escort soldiers were shot as they tried to exit from the rear. Tom, who was riding in the cab, escaped the explosion and grabbed his rifle. He was able to fire a few rounds, but an enemy bullet struck his head, killing him instantly.
An investigation determined that Tom was trying to defend his comrades as well as himself. Two weeks after his death, his unit headquarters was renamed Davis Station to honor his service and sacrifice. President Johnson would later describe him as "the first American to fall in defense of our freedom in Vietnam."
Medals, Awards and Badges
Purple Heart
Army Good Conduct Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Vietnam Service Medal
Vietnam Campaign Medal
Bio by: Tony Cossean
