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Blackanthem Military News
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Last Updated:
Feb 9, 2012 - 5:06:14 PM |
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Blackanthem Military News
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| Medal of Honor Recipient Sammy Davis shakes hands with Pvt. Allyssa Masterson, a member of the 2219th Brigade Support Company, Indiana National Guard, during a visit to the Bedford National Guard Armory in Bedford, Ind., Saturday, Feb. 13, 2010. Davis spoke with more than 100 Soldiers from the company, answered questions and joined them for lunch during their weekend drill. The unit is preparing for a deployment in the future. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Robert G. Cooper III |
BEDFORD, Ind. - Medal of Honor Recipient Sammy Davis paid a visit to Soldiers from the 2219th Brigade Support Company, Indiana National Guard, Saturday at the Bedford National Guard Armory here. During his visit, Davis had the opportunity to speak with more than 100 Soldiers from the unit, who are preparing for deployment to Iraq in the future.
"There's nothing any better to boost morale than having a legend like him come to our little unit just to mingle with the troops," said Sgt. Ricky Stork, a fuel handler with the company.
A Vietnam veteran, Davis was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1968 for his actions during an intense mortar attack on him and his fellow Soldiers. Despite being injured, Davis managed to cross a river to rescue three other wounded Soldiers. Since then, Davis, a former Indiana native and graduate of Mooresville High School, has continued his service to his country by visiting and speaking with his fellow servicemembers.
While visiting with the troops Saturday, Davis gave a lecture to members of the 2219th and spoke about lessons he learned from his deployment.
"I thought I knew what to expect," Davis said. "I saw the jungle in the movies, I'd been to basic training and all that, and I knew what I was supposed to do. But it didn't take me very long to figure out that I didn't know anything about anything. The more training you can consume and the more knowledge you have going into any situation in life, the better you should be able to react to it."
Davis also urged his fellow Soldiers to make the most of their deployment and not reflect on the negative aspects of it.
"As I see it, the purpose of life is to enjoy life," Davis said. "If you consume yourself with the task at hand, when you get old like me, you suddenly realize there were things in life you could have enjoyed but didn't. So I enjoyed life, because at the time when I was in Vietnam, I was not assured of tomorrow."
Pvt. Allyssa Masterson, the 2219th's newest Soldiers, was on hand to hear Davis' words and said she gained some peace of mind from his advice.
"I believe it makes you a little more at ease when you hear from somebody who's been deployed," Masterson said. "He reminded us that you're going to have to do it, so you might as well think positively about it, be grateful and enjoy what you're going to do because there's no reason to harbor the bad parts of deploying."
Col. Ivan Denton, the commander of the 219th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, was in attendance as well and said the unit itself gained some sage wisdom through Davis' speech. "I think it put the unit at ease a bit, especially when he spoke about enjoying," he said. “I can't imagine any of the Soldiers here that didn't flat out love this visit. It impacted training, but I think it impacted training in a very positive way."
During one part of his speech, Davis spoke about the trials of returning from Vietnam to face criticism from the American people. While waiting to fly home to Indiana, Davis said he was accosted by a group of anti-war demonstrators at an airport and forced to endure verbal and physical assaults by them. Despite the attacks that left he and his fellow Soldiers bloodied and bruised, Davis said not one of them lifted a finger to fight their fellow Americans.
"To think about how they were treated and how they took it upon themselves to make sure that future generations or warriors weren't treated that way meant a lot to me, and I think it meant a lot to the unit," Denton said. I think it instills a sense a pride and some humility about the way we're treated now, but I hope that the younger folks as they are around Vietnam veterans really thank them for all that they did. I don't think they can hear that enough."
Despite his place in history as an American hero, Davis remains humbled by the fact that each opportunity to speak with the next generation of servicemembers is just his way of paying it forward.
"No matter how often I have the opportunity to speak to today's military, it always inspires me to see young men and women, who could be doing so many other things if they chose, chose to serve our nation," Davis said.
ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:
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| Medal of Honor Recipient Sammy Davis and 219th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade Commander Col. Ivan Denton share a few stories Saturday, Feb. 13, 2010, at the Bedford National Guard Armory in Bedford, Ind. Davis, an Indiana native and Vietnam veteran, spoke with Soldiers from the 2219th Brigade Support Company who are preparing to deploy to Iraq in the future. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Robert G. Cooper III |
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| Medal of Honor Recipient Sammy Davis speaks with Soldiers from the 2219th Brigade Support Company, Indiana National Guard, during a visit to the Bedford National Guard Armory in Bedford, Ind., Saturday, Feb. 13, 2010. Davis gave advice to the Soldiers, who are preparing to deploy to Iraq in the future, answered questions and joined the unit for lunch during the visit. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Robert G. Cooper III |
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| Medal of Honor Recipient Sammy Davis speaks with Soldiers from the 2219th Brigade Support Company, Indiana National Guard, during a visit to the Bedford National Guard Armory in Bedford, Ind., Saturday, Feb. 13, 2010. Davis gave advice to the Soldiers, who are preparing to deploy to Iraq in the future, answered questions and joined the unit for lunch during the visit. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Robert G. Cooper III |
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| Medal of Honor Recipient Sammy Davis belts out "Shenandoah" on his harmonica while visiting with troops from the 2219th Brigade Support Company, Indiana National Guard, at the Bedford National Guard Armory in Bedford, Ind., Saturday, Feb. 13, 2010. Davis' mother sent him the harmonica when we was deployed to Vietnam in 1967. He learned to play the song for a fellow Soldier and has since played the tune as a way to pay respects to other Soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice to their country. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Robert G. Cooper III |
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| Medal of Honor Recipient Sammy Davis shows his Medal of Honor to 6-year-old Dean Campbell during a visit with Soldiers and family members from the 2219th Brigade Support Company, Indiana National Guard, at the Bedford National Guard Armory in Bedford, Ind., Saturday, Feb. 13, 2010. Davis spoke with more than 100 Soldiers from the company, answered questions and joined them for lunch during their weekend drill. The unit is preparing for a deployment in the future. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Robert G. Cooper III |
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