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Retired Sgt. Sammy L. Davis thanks the members of the law enforcement agencies who found and returned his Medal of Honor, which had been stolen, during a re-presentation ceremony on July 21, 2005, in Indianapolis. Gov. Eric Holcomb has announced Davis will receive Indiana’s highest honor, the Sachem Award, during a ceremony in March.
AP Photo/John HarrellINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Gov. Eric Holcomb is awarding Indiana's highest honor to a Vietnam veteran and Congressional Medal of Honor recipient.
Sammy L. Davis of Freedom will receive the 2018 Sachem Award during a ceremony in March.
Davis was near the South Vietnamese city of Cai Lay in 1967 when his unit came under fire. He was wounded, but took over a burning artillery piece and fired off several rounds at the Viet Cong. He then used an air mattress to cross a river and rescue wounded before joining another unit with a howitzer to continue fighting.
Davis broke his back, but continued serving in the Army until 1984.
The 71-year-old joins a distinguished group of Sachem winners, including Holocaust survivor Eva Mozes Kor and late Notre Dame President Theodore Hesburgh.
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