AURORA, Ind. — Sammy L. Davis, Indiana's only living Medal of Honor recipient, spoke to students at South Dearborn Schools on Friday.
Davis' exceptional story also may have informed the movie Forrest Gump — his Medal of Honor ceremony is featured in the film, though movie magic replaced Davis' face with that of Tom Hanks.
"I was wounded in the same place as Forrest Gump," Davis told USA Today in 2019. "They built a lot of things around my story."
Davis was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968 for his service in the Vietnam War.
One year previously, in 1967, Davis and his unit fell under machine gun fire from the Viet Cong. Davis manned a machine gun to give his comrades cover fire until an enemy rifle shot blew up an artillery piece, sending Davis flying into a foxhole.
Davis then used the still-burning howitzer to fire several artillery shells at the Viet Cong.
Throughout the battle, Davis was wounded multiple times; despite his injuries and an inability to swim, Davis then hefted an air mattress to a nearby river to rescue three comrades who'd been wounded on the other side.
Now, Davis speaks about his experiences to students, like those who heard him at South Dearborn Schools.
"I'm not big, bad and brave," said Davis. "I loved my brothers. And that was what gave me the strength to do that night what it took to earn the Medal of Honor. It wasn't from me being brave, it was because I loved my brothers."
Davis will also speak on Saturday at Aurora's Lesko Park during a memorial dedication of a stationery Huey helicopter. Davis will give the dedication speech at 11 a.m. followed by free Huey helicopter rides for WWII and Korean veterans.
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