Rodney Maxwell Davis

On 6 September 1967, Marine Sergeant Rodney Maxwell Davis gave his life to save fellow Marines from an enemy grenade during Operation Swift in South Vietnam, an act of extraordinary courage for which he received the Medal of Honor.

Born on 7 April 1942 in Macon, Georgia, Davis graduated from Peter G. Appling High School and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on 31 August 1961. After recruit training at Parris Island and infantry training at Camp Lejeune, he served as a rifleman with Company K, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, 2nd Marine Division. In 1964 he began guard duty with the Marine detachment at U.S. Naval Activities in London, England. He was promoted to corporal in January 1966 and sergeant in December of that year.

Davis was ordered to South Vietnam in August 1967 and assigned as a platoon guide with Company B, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division. During Operation Swift on 6 September, his platoon came under heavy attack from a numerically superior North Vietnamese Army force in Quang Nam Province. As the Marines fought from a trench line under small-arms, mortar and grenade fire, Davis moved among his men, encouraging them and helping direct their defense.

When an enemy grenade landed in the trench, Davis immediately covered it with his body. The explosion killed him, but his sacrifice protected fellow Marines and helped preserve their defensive position. He was twenty-five years old.

His Medal of Honor was presented posthumously to his family on 26 March 1969. He also received the Purple Heart and South Vietnamese decorations recognizing his service and bravery. Davis is buried at Linwood Cemetery in Macon. The guided-missile frigate USS Rodney M. Davis (FFG-60) was later named in his honour.