Paris D. Davis (born 13 May 1939) is a retired United States Army officer who received the Medal of Honor on 3 March 2023 for his actions on 18 June 1965 during the Vietnam War.

Davis studied political science at Southern University at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on a Reserve Officers' Training Corps scholarship.

[2] Davis arrived for his second tour in South Vietnam in April 1965 and took command of the 5th Special Forces Groups Team A-321 at Camp Bồng Sơn (14°25′01″N 109°00′11″E / 14.417°N 109.003°E / 14.417; 109.003), Bình Định Province, II Corps.

The following account was written by Davis: We had just finished a successful raid on a Viet Cong Regimental Headquarters, killing upwards of one hundred of the enemy.

After the raid was completed the first platoon of the 883rd Company broke and started to run just about the same time I gave the signal to pull in the security guarding the river bank.

It was just beginning to get light (dawn) when I caught up to the first platoon and got them organized and we were hit by automatic machine gun fire.

I ran to the middle of the open field and tried to get MSG Waugh, but the Viet Cong automatic fire was too intense and I had to move back to safety.

I ran out again and this time was shot in the wrist, but I was able to pick up MSG Waugh and carried him fireman style, in a hail of automatic weapon fire, to safety.

We finally got reinforcements and with them I was able to go out and get SP-1 Brown who lay out in the middle of the field some fourteen hours from the start until the close of the battle.

[1] The Bồng Sơn area remained a VC stronghold and U.S., ARVN and South Korean forces would mount Operation Masher there from 24 January to 6 March 1966.

[4] Davis served a third tour in Vietnam in 1969, and later commanded the 10th Special Forces Group and retired from the army as a colonel in 1985.

[1][5] In January 2021 then Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher C. Miller ordered an expedited review of the lost nomination, to be completed by March 2021.

[1][6] In a June 2021 editorial Miller wrote that the military bureaucracy was again stalling the review and urged President Joe Biden to award Davis the Medal of Honor.

He expertly directed both artillery and small arms fire, enabling other elements of the company to reach his position.

Following the arrival of air support, Captain Davis directed artillery fire within 30 meters of his own position in an attempt to halt the enemy’s advance.

Then, with complete disregard for his own life, he braved intense enemy fire to cross an open field to rescue his seriously wounded and immobilized team sergeant.

While carrying the sergeant up the hill to a position of relative safety, Captain Davis was again wounded by enemy fire.

Despite two painful wounds, Captain Davis again refused medical evacuation, remained with the troops, fought bravely, and provided pivotal leadership and inspiration to the regional force company as they repelled several Viet Cong assaults on their position over a period of several hours.

When friendly reinforcements finally arrived, Captain Davis again refused medical evacuation until he had recovered a U.S. advisor under his command who had been wounded during the initial ambush and presumed dead.

Captain Davis directed the helicopter extraction of his wounded colleague not leaving the battlefield himself until after all friendly forces were recovered or medically evacuated.