IN MEMORIAM ~ GENERAL RAYMOND G. DAVIS
U.S. MARINE CORPS (RETIRED)
JAN. 13, 1915 - SEP. 3, 2003
 
General Raymond G. Davis, who earned the Medal of Honor in Korea in 1950, retired from active duty March 31, 1972, after more than 33 years on active duty. His last assignment was as Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps from March 12, 1971 until March 31, 1972.

As a lieutenant colonel in Korea, General Davis earned the Nation's highest decoration for heroism during the 1st Marine Division's historic fight to break out of the Chosin Reservoir area. There, against overwhelming odds, he led his battalion in a terrific four-day battle, which saved a rifle company from annihilation and opened a mountain pass for the escape of two trapped Marine regiments. The award was presented by, President Truman, at a White House ceremony on November 24, 1952. The accompanying citation read:

"For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as Commanding Officer of the First Battalion, Seventh Marines, First Marine Division (Reinforced), in action against enemy aggressor forces in Korea from 1 through 4 December 1950. Although keenly aware that the operation involved breaking through a surrounding enemy and advancing eight miles along primitive icy trails in the bitter cold with every passage disputed by a savage and determined foe, Lieutenant Colonel Davis boldly led his battalion into the attack in a daring attempt to relieve a beleaguered rifle company and to seize, hold and defend a vital mountain pass controlling the only route available for two Marine regiments in danger of being cut off by numerically superior hostile forces during their redeployment to the port of Hungnam. When the battalion immediately encountered strong opposition from entrenched enemy forces commanding high ground in the path of the advance, he promptly spearheaded his unit in a fierce attack up the steep, ice-covered slopes in the face of withering fire, and, personally leading the assault groups in a and-to-hand encounter, drove the hostile troops from their positions, rested his men and reconnoitered the area under enemy fire to determine the best route for continuing the mission. Always in the thick of the fighting, Lieutenant Colonel Davis led his battalion over three successive ridges in the deep snow in continuous attacks against the enemy and, constantly inspiring and encouraging his men throughout the night, brought his unit to a point within 1500 yards of the surrounded rifle company by daybreak. Although knocked to the ground when a shell fragment struck his helmet and two bullets pierced his clothing, he arose and fought his way forward at the head of his men until he reached the isolated Marines. On the following morning, he bravely led his battalion in securing the vital mountain pass from a strongly entrenched and numerically superior hostile force, carrying all his wounded with him, including 22 litter cases and numerous ambulatory patients. Despite repeated savage and heavy assaults by the enemy, he stubbornly held the vital terrain until the two regiments of the division had deployed through the pass and, on the morning of 4 December, led his battalion into Hagaru-ri intact. By his superb leadership, outstanding courage and brilliant tactical ability, Lieutenant Colonel Davis was directly instrumental in saving the beleaguered rifle company from complete annihilation and enabled the two marine regiments to escape possible destruction. His valiant devotion to duty and unyielding fighting spirit in the face of almost insurmountable odds enhance and sustain the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service."

Raymond Gilbert Davis was born on January 13, 1915, in Fitzgerald, Georgia, and graduated in 1933 from Atlanta Technical High School, Atlanta, Georgia. He then entered the Georgia School of Technology; graduating in 1938 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering While in college he was a member of the Reserve Officers Training Corps unit. After graduation, he resigned his commission in the U. S. Army Infantry Reserve to accept appointment as a Marine second lieutenant on June 27, 1938.

In May 1939, Lieutenant Davis completed the Marine Officers Basic School at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, and began a year of service with the Marine Detachment on board the USS PORTLAND in the Pacific. He returned to shore duty in July 1940 for weapons and artillery instruction at Quantico, Virginia and Aberdeen, Maryland. Completing the training in February 1941, he was assigned to the 1st Antiaircraft Machine Gun Battery of the 1st Marine Division at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He returned to the United States with the unit in April, and the following month was appointed battery executive officer, serving in that capacity at Parris Island, South Carolina and Quantico. He was promoted to first lieutenant in August 1941. That September, he moved with the battery to the Marine Barracks, New River (later Camp Lejeune), North Carolina. Upon his promotion to captain in February 1942, he was named battery commander.

During World War II, he participated in the Guadalcanal Tulagi landings, the capture and defense of Guadalcanal, the Eastern New Guinea and Cape Gloucester campaigns, and the Peleliu operation. Beginning in June 1942, he embarked with his unit for the Pacific area, landing at Guadalcanal two months later. After that campaign, he was appointed Executive Officer of the 1st Special Weapons Battalion, 1st Marine Division. In October 1943, Major Davis took over command of the battalion and served in that capacity at New Guinea and Cape Gloucester. In April 1944, while on Cape Gloucester, he was named Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division. Major Davis' action while commanding the 1st Battalion at Peleliu in September 1944 earned him the Navy Cross and the Purple Heart. Although wounded during the first hour of the Peleliu landing, he refused evacuation to remain with his men; and, on one occasion, when heavy Marine casualties and the enemy's point-blank cannon fire had enabled the Japanese to break through, he personally rallied and led his men in fighting to reestablish defense positions. In October 1944, he returned to Pavuvu and was promoted to lieutenant colonel.

Returning to the United States in November 1944, Lieutenant Colonel Davis was assigned to Quantico, as Tactical Inspector, Marine Corps Schools. He was named Chief of the Infantry Section, Marine Air-Infantry School, Quantico, in May 1945, and served in that post for two years before returning to the Pacific area in July 1947 to serve with the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade on Guam. He was the 1st Brigade's Assistant Chief of Staff, G-3 (Operations and Training), until August 1948, and from then until May 1949, was Assistant Chief of Staff, G-4 (Logistics). Upon his return from Guam in May 1949, he was named Inspector Instructor of the 9th Marine Corps Reserve Infantry Battalion in Chicago, Illinois. He served there until August 1950 when he embarked for Korea.

In Korea, Lieutenant Colonel Davis commanded the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, from August to December 1950. Besides receiving the Medal of Honor for action during that period, he twice earned the Silver Star Medal by exposing himself to heavy enemy fire while leading and encouraging his men in the face of strong enemy opposition. He also received the Legion of Merit with Combat "V" for exceptionally meritorious conduct and professional skill in welding the 1st Battalion into a highly effective combat team. Later, as Executive Officer of the 7th Marines, from December 1950 to June 1951, Lieutenant Colonel Davis earned the Bronze Star Medal with Combat "V" for his part in rebuilding the regiment after the Chosin Reservoir campaign. He returned from Korea in June 1951.

Ordered to Headquarters Marine Corps, Washington, DC, Lieutenant Colonel Davis served in the Operations Subsection, G-3, Division of Plans and Policies, until February 1952, when he took charge of the subsection. In April 1953, he became Head of the Operations and Training Branch, G-3 Division. While serving in this capacity, he was promoted to colonel in October 1953. The following July Colonel Davis attended the Special Weapons Employment Course, Fleet Training Center, Norfolk, Virginia, under instruction. In September 1954, he entered the Senior Course, Marine Corps Schools, Quantico. Upon completing the course in June 1955, he served
consecutively as Assistant Director and, later, Director of the Senior School in October 1957, he was again transferred to Washington, DC, and served there as Assistant G-2, Headquarters Marine Corps, until August 1959. The following June, he completed the course at the National War College in Washington Assigned next to Headquarters, United States European Command in Paris, France, he served from July 1960 through June 1963, as Chief, Analysis Branch, J-2, Staff of the Commander in Chief, Europe. On July 1, 1963, he was promoted to brigadier general while en route to the United States.

General Davis' next assignment was in the Far East where he served as Assistant Division Commander, 3d Marine Division, FMF, on Okinawa, from October 1963 to November 1964. During this period, he also performed additional duty as Commanding General, SEATO Expeditionary Brigade, EXLIGTAS, in the Philippines, during June 1964; and as Commanding General, 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade, in China Sea Contingency Operations, from August 2 to October 16, 1964. In December 1964, he was assigned to Headquarters Marine Corps. He served as Assistant Director of Personnel until March 1965, then served as Assistant Chief of Staff, G-1, until March 1968. For his service in the latter capacity, he was awarded a second Legion of Merit. He was promoted to major general in November 1966.

Ordered to the Republic of Vietnam, General Davis served briefly as Deputy Commanding General, Provisional Corps, and then became Commanding General, 3d Marine Division. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, and three personal decorations by the Vietnamese Government, for service in the latter capacity from May 2, 1968 until April 14, 1969.

Upon his return to the United States in May 1969, he was assigned duty as Deputy for Education with additional duty as Director, Education Center, Marine Corps Development and Education Command, Quantico, Virginia. After his promotion to lieutenant general, July 1, 1970, he was reassigned duty as Commanding General, Marine Corps Development and Education Command.

On February 23, 1971, President Nixon nominated General Davis for appointment to the grade of general and assignment to the position of Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps. Confirmed by the Senate, he received his fourth star on assuming those duties on March 12, 1971.

General Davis' decorations include: the Medal of Honor; the Navy Cross; the Distinguished Service Medal with Gold Star in lieu of a second award; the Silver Star Medal with Gold Star in lieu of a second award; the Legion of Merit with Combat "V" and Gold Star in lieu of a second award; the Bronze Star Medal with Combat "V"; the Purple Heart; the Presidential Unit Citation with four bronze stars indicative of second through fifth awards; the Navy Unit Commendation; the American Defense Service Medal with Fleet clasp; the American Campaign Medal; the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with one silver star in lieu of five bronze stars; the World War II Victory Medal; the National Defense Service Medal with one bronze star; the Korean Service Medal with four bronze stars; the Vietnam Service Medal with three bronze stars; the National Order of Vietnam, 4th Class; the National Order of Vietnam, 5th Class; the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with three Palms; two Korean Presidential Unit Citations; the United Nations Service Medal; and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal.
 

Warriors remember Ray Davis

 
By TY TAGAMI
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sep. 7, 2003

Sgt. John Henry had hauled the two heavy machine guns from the Korean coast to the mountains, and he wasn't about to destroy them now.

It was December 1950, and with those weapons Henry and his 16 men had survived five days and nights of combat atop a frozen hill, encircled by an overwhelming Chinese army.

Well, a Marine told him, you better talk to the lieutenant colonel. The guns had to be destroyed so the Marines could move south.

Henry descended the hill to look for Lt. Col. Ray Davis, who had just arrived with reinforcements in a heroic push across North Korea that has become the stuff of Marine Corps legend. Henry was wandering in the icy wind when Davis spotted him and slung an arm around his shoulder.

"Son, we've got a hard way to go," Davis said in a soft voice. "Let's blow them up, and I'll get you some new ones when we get back."

Davis, who would come to be regarded as one of the Marine Corps' greatest leaders, had said just the right thing to win another Marine's heart that day.

"He had the love of men," recalled Henry, 78, of Triangle, Va., who was awarded Silver and Bronze Stars for his service in the battles at Chosin (or Changjin) Reservoir.

Raymond Gilbert Davis, son of an Atlanta confectioner, graduated from Georgia Tech in the midst of the Depression in 1938 and joined the Marines at age 23. He rose to four-star general and became the second highest-ranking Marine. When he died Wednesday at age 88, he was America's senior most highly decorated Korean War veteran, having won the Medal of Honor and two Silver Stars there, along with a slew of medals in World War II and Vietnam.

"He was a legendary warrior that Marines love and admire and respect and hold up as one of their greatest," said U.S. Sen. Zell Miller (D-Ga.), himself a Marine Corps veteran.

Those who knew Davis described him as a humble man who exuded confidence. The confidence was likely fueled by his string of battlefield victories in a career that spanned more than three decades. His willingness to lead by example is legend, along with his performance at the most important Marine battles.

Davis, who chose to be buried in Georgia clay rather than a heroes' cemetery in Washington, will be lowered into the ground Monday at Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens in College Park, in an area he helped set aside for veterans. His memorial service at the Conyers First United Methodist Church will be attended by several generals and Miller, who will carry a letter from President George Bush to Davis' wife, Knox Davis of Stockbridge.

Davis was so successful because he had an innate ability to lead men, said Benis M. Frank, the chief historian of the Marine Corps from 1990 to 1997.

Davis led his battalion through deep snow and under withering enemy fire to rescue his embattled fellow Marines at Chosin. He kept his men going though they were at the edge of exhaustion.

"He didn't drive the troops, he led them," Frank said. "And they knew that they would never have to do something that he wouldn't do himself."

It was like that throughout his career. Despite a wounded knee, Davis rallied his men against Japanese cannons at Peleliu Island in the Pacific during World War II; a shell fragment glanced off his helmet and a bullet pierced his clothing while leading the rescue at Chosin; and as a general in Vietnam he took frequent helicopter flights to visit troops under fire.

In all, Davis earned 43 awards, including the four most revered: the Medal of Honor, the military's highest; the Navy Cross; two Silver Stars; and the Bronze Star with Combat "V," all of which are given for valor in combat.

"He certainly has to be considered one of the most decorated Marines to have ever served," said Dan Crawford, the supervisory historian at the Marine Corps Historical Center in Washington.

Davis fought in three wars, but his most storied feats were at Chosin. Men who were there recall the terror of hand-to-hand combat against a force that outnumbered them by 8-1, and the days and nights on an icy plateau, where the wind chill approached 75 degrees below zero.

Dead hands froze stiff as concrete and frostbitten toes turned charcoal black. Medics carried syringes of morphine in their mouths so the precious narcotic wouldn't freeze.

Despite the conditions, Davis, then 35, led a battalion eight miles past enemy lines, dodging bullets and trudging up ice-covered slopes to reinforce a battered company that was defending a strategic hill. A key road passed below, and two regiments to the north, near the Chinese border, were depending upon it for a safe retreat after 120,000 Chinese combatants crossed the Yalu River into North Korea. The Americans had only 15,000 troops, most of them Marines.

Of the 252 men at the top of that hill, only 37 walked away from the fight.

"We're all lucky; anybody who survived was lucky," said Kenneth Benson, of Newton, N.J. The 72-year-old retiree was a 19-year-old private first class then. He was temporarily blinded when a Chinese hand grenade exploded near his hand as he tried to toss it away. His foxhole buddy, Hector Cafferata, saved him, fighting through the night and killing dozens. Cafferata was shot in the chest the next morning but survived, and received the Medal of Honor.

"We knew we were in a bad mess with all those Chinese running around, but we didn't realize how close the division was to being chopped to pieces," said Benson, who was awarded the Silver Star. "Only the senior leadership saved us."

Benson met Davis years later, at a Marines' reunion in Miami in the early 1990s. He said Davis, though a retired general, was a regular guy who enjoyed the company of privates.

Chosin veteran Roland Marbaugh, a Marine captain wounded during the battle, said Davis was a small man with big character.

"He was only 5-foot-6, but he was the biggest man I ever knew," said Marbaugh, a retiree who lives in Conyers.

Gregory A. Vandergriff, who was a private first class in Davis' division in Vietnam, remembers the attention Davis paid to his men. The general made daily visits to the front lines.

"You could actually tell he cared about the men," said Vandergriff. Davis dropped in on his battalion and talked with both high- and low-ranking Marines, inquiring whether they had enough boots, ammunition and rations.

"He just wanted to make sure we were being taken care of," said Vandergriff, who said a highlight of his life was the day in 1998 when the aging general pinned two medals -- a Bronze Star with Combat "V" and a Purple Heart -- to his chest in a ceremony in his hometown of Chattanooga.

Davis retired in 1972 as assistant commandant of the Marine Corps. But he continued to work for his men, lobbying Congress to build the Korean War memorial on the National Mall and for veterans benefits.

"He was well-known on the Hill and he was revered by all of us who knew his résumé," Zell Miller said.

Frank Kerr, a combat photographer at Chosin who helped found the Chosin Few, an association of veterans from the battle, said many Marines admire Davis because of his leadership after he retired. But he said men also liked him because he treated them with respect.

"He was the kind of guy that the privates could go up and talk to," Kerr said. "He was just a Marine's Marine, and a man's man. Men just liked him."- Staff writers Jim Tharpe and Gary Hendricks contributed to this article.
 

'An inspiration to all'

 
By GARY HENDRICKS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sep. 7, 2003

The military community began gathering Saturday to honor the memory of a Georgian who became a national hero.

Veterans, active duty personnel, military supporters, friends and family came to a Conyers funeral home on Ga. 138 to mourn Marine Corps Gen. Raymond G. Davis, winner of the country's highest military award, the Medal of Honor.

"I have a deep respect for him, because he was a good old boy from Fitzgerald, Georgia, who did good with his life," said Bruce Potts of Flowery Branch, a Korean War paratrooper.

Potts jumped into combat in Korea as a corporal and met Davis in a hospital when Potts was recovering from wounds.

Davis, who died Wednesday at 88, won the Medal of Honor for leading an attack that helped encircled Marines break through Chinese forces at the Chosin Reservoir in 1950. The attack was launched in subfreezing temperatures.

Davis was a lieutenant colonel during Korea but went on to become a four-star general. His military career spanned World War II, Korea and Vietnam.

But those who met at the chapel in Rockdale County remembered Davis for things he did beyond his military exploits.

Potts said he went to events where Davis worked for a national Korean War Memorial in Washington. "I've listened to him many times sponsoring the memorial," Potts said.

Retired USMC Master Sgt. David McKoy, vice chairman of the board of directors for the Young Marines program, recalled that during the last seven years Davis threw himself tirelessly into the youth leadership program.

"He always had time for those kids," McKoy said. "To be 88 years old, he was sharp and drove himself everywhere."

The program, which strives to instill academic and moral virtues in young people, graduates about two classes a year, McKoy said.

"In those seven years, he missed just two graduations," McKoy said.

Davis also was active in veterans affairs and supported veteran organizations, such as the Marine Corps League, an association of active, former and retired Marines, league member Bernard Bledsoe of LaGrange said.

Davis was a humble man in civilian society, but he was a ferocious fighter, "a Marine's Marine" when duty called, Col. Timothy C. Hanifen said. Hanifen, commanding officer of the Marine Aircraft Group 42 in Marietta, is the senior Marine in metro Atlanta.

"He leaves a legacy of war fighting that is truly an inspiration to all the Marines who follow him into service," Hanifen said.
 

“Marine’s Marine” Laid To Rest
 
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
September 9, 2003

'Marine's Marine' Laid To Rest
By Bill Hendrick, Staff

They trooped in past the flag-draped coffin containing the body of Gen. Raymond Gilbert Davis, clad in his beloved dress blues with the blue-ribboned Medal of Honor clasped tightly around his neck.

Many of the old Marines wore their dress uniforms, too, including more than a dozen generals who traveled from Washington to pay final respects to the man who, until his death Wednesday at age 88, was the most decorated American alive.

White-haired men, some in wheelchairs and others holding canes, dabbed at tears as Davis was eulogized by retired Marine Gen. Robert Barrow, 81, who described Davis as "the finest man I've ever known, a Marine's Marine. I loved him," he said, choking with emotion.

More than 400 people packed the pews in the sanctuary and balcony of Davis' church, Conyers First United Methodist. Hundreds more watched the funeral on television screens set up in nearby churches and a city building.

Wayne Kerr, representing the family, thanked U.S. Sen. Zell Miller, who was in the first row of pews to the right of Gov. Sonny Perdue and the left of U.S. Rep. David Scott, for nominating Davis for the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and said the general "left an example few of us can follow."

Barrow joked that had Davis been alive in "the War Between the States, William Tecumseh Sherman would have never gotten into Atlanta."

Men who had known Davis during his service in World War II, the Korean War or in Vietnam brushed at tears when two young Marines walked in slowly and stood rigidly on each side of the coffin. One faced the casket, saluted, and bent over the body, carefully removing the Medal of Honor from Davis' neck and placing it on an 18-inch red velvet sheet, held by the other serviceman.

They both saluted and marched out. The medals were transferred to a mahogany box and given to Davis' wife of 62 years, Knox Davis, at the grave site at Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens in College Park. The flag that had draped his coffin was presented to her by Gen. Michael Hagee, commandant of the Marine Corps. Seven riflemen fired a salute after the casket arrived, borne on a horse-drawn caisson.

Hero at Chosin

Davis, who won the nation's highest medal for heroism at the Chosin Reservoir in bitterly cold conditions, was the most decorated Marine of his generation. He was one of 94 men -- three Georgians -- to win the Medal of Honor in the Korean War. His chestful of awards also included the Navy Cross, the nation's second highest decoration for bravery, two Silver Stars and the Bronze Star with Combat "V" for valor.

In his autobiography, Davis told how he led about 700 Marines into what some considered a suicide mission at Chosin. Told to hold a key mountain pass to relieve a stranded rifle company and open the way to the sea for two Marine regiments, Davis led his men through eight miles of icy terrain against overwhelming Chinese forces. Davis said a sheen of ice covered his face and the bodies of all of his men. Davis was wounded in the fighting, which lasted from Dec. 1 to Dec. 5, 1950.

The general also led a division in the Vietnam War, then retired in 1972 as assistant commandant of the Marine Corps he joined in the 1930s.

A native of Fitzgerald in South Georgia, Davis graduated from Tech High School in Atlanta and Georgia Tech. He spent his last years living in Conyers, still active when he died. He spoke often to schoolchildren and had been scheduled to make a speech Monday in Marietta.

The church was full of veterans from all branches of the military. Tommy Clack of Conyers was there in his wheelchair. He lost three limbs in Vietnam. Also there were frail men who ran up and down icy hills with Davis in Korea in December 1950. Two other Medal of Honor winners were in the church: retired Marine Maj. Gen. Jim Livingston, 64, who made the trip from New Orleans, and Harvey Barnum, assistant secretary of the Navy.

Mack Abbott, head of the Atlanta chapter of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, led a half-dozen members of his organization, to which Davis was scheduled to speak on Sept. 27.

"I loved that man, I always did," said Abbott, holding the hand of his wife, Alice. "He was the greatest Marine in history."

South Korea represented

That was a common refrain, from veterans of other nationalities, too. A contingent of South Korean Marines sat in silence in an adjacent auditorium. Louis Lin, 72-year-old chairman of the Republic of China Veterans Association in Atlanta, was spokesman for a half dozen members of his group, which he stressed represented Taiwan, not Communist China.

"General Davis came to us on Aug. 30 and made a speech," Lin said. "It was his last speech in public. He was our hero."

When the funeral ended, Hagee walked just behind the casket as it was carried by seven young Marines to a white Cadillac hearse. Marines lined both sides of the street, saluting as the casket was placed inside. As the hearse inched away, Boy Scouts saluted, as did elderly residents of Conyers.

"We're all just overwhelmed," said Miles Davis, one of the general's sons. Miles Davis, 57, was wounded twice in Vietnam. His Purple Hearts were pinned on by his father. "We knew he had a lot of friends," he said Monday, "but we had no idea how many and how strongly they felt about him."

Members of a group called the Chosin Few for the place Davis made famous drove long distances to honor him. Harry Bruce, 75, who was a Marine sergeant in those "terribly cold days," said driving from Conroe, Texas, was the least he could do.

"Thanks to General Davis, a lot of people are alive today who wouldn't have been had it not been for him," he said.

Colleagues' tributes

"He was the last of the generals, the last of the old breed." -- Retired Marine Master Sgt. Eric English of Blairsville

"I always enjoyed shaking his hand because I knew I was touching greatness." -- Mike Breedlove, a Conyers land planner working with a veterans foundation on a memorial to Georgia veterans

"Thanks to General Davis, a lot of people are alive today who wouldn't have been had it not been for him." -- Harry Bruce, 75, of Conroe, Texas, a sergeant at Chosin Reservoir in Korea, the action for which Davis was awarded the Medal of Honor

"He told you exactly what he thought. But, hell, he earned the right." -- Warren Park, Marine veteran who knew Davis through a Henry County VFW post

"I loved that man, I always did. He was the greatest Marine in history." -- Mack Abbott, head of the Atlanta chapter of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association

-- Compiled by Michael Pearson and Bill Hendrick
 

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