Who is Robert A. Davis
An American Hero
Robert A. Davis “Bobby” was the first in Chester County, Pennsylvania area to die in combat in the Vietnam War. After graduation from high school, Bobby was drafted to serve his country. He died an American Hero in the infamous November 15th Battle of Ia Drang. http://dsf.chesco.org/heroes/davis/davis.htm
One of eight children, Robert Arnold Davis was born on New Years Eve, December 31st 1940. Bobby was somewhat quiet, but always friendly, and would do anything to help a friend, which eventually led to his death.
Robert’s unit was sent overseas to Viet Nam in September 1965 under the leadership of Colonel Hal Moore. Their first battle was on November 14th an insertion of the Ia Drang (Ia means River) River near the Ho Chi Minh supply line from the North crossed the river. In the ensuing battle, 450 men of Robert’s unit were attacked by over 2000 North Vietnamese. This was the first major battle involving American troops and the North Vietnamese Army. Reporter Joe Galloway joined the forces to report on this raging battle. Joe Galloway and Colonel Hal Moore co-wrote, the 1993 book “We were soldiers Once and Young”. The book was made into a movie released in 2003, accurately depicting the horror and courage of this battle. We Were Soldiers Once... and Young
Bobby was not an aggressive man by nature, but he was trained in combat, and had a job to do, which was most importantly, to protect his fellow soldiers. On the second day of the battle, November 15th, PFC Robert Davis was killed in action. During continual attacks by a larger enemy force, Robert repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire in order to keep his unit from becoming overrun. He died protecting his friends.
Honors
PFC Robert was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star with “V” for Valor posthumously, the Certificate of Honor from the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the Chapel of Four Chaplains Legion of Honor. The citation for the Bronze Star with “V” reads:
“This outstanding display of aggressiveness, devotion to duty and personal bravery is in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit upon Spec. Four Davis, his unit and the United States Army.”
Meet the Faculty: Wanda M. Davis
