Military Awards for Forgotten Heroes

Advocacy for Military Heroes | Army Col. Paris Davis Receives Medal of Honor

Moriarty spearheaded the team of advocates that worked to ensure Army Col. Paris Davis finally received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroism at Camp Bong Son, Vietnam, on June 18, 1965. Then-Capt. Davis saved the lives of four wounded fellow Green Berets, carrying them to safety, even after suffering bullet and shrapnel wounds himself in the 19-hour battle with the Viet Cong. Davis remained in the battle, protecting countless allied fighters and refusing to be evacuated himself. Col. Davis was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Joseph R. Biden on March 3, 2023.

“You're everything our generation aspired to be,” President Biden said of Davis at the White House ceremony. “And you are everything our nation is at our best: brave and big hearted, determined and devoted, selfless and steadfast.”

Moriarty and the volunteer team were invited by Col. Davis to join his family at White House and Pentagon events commemorating the award.

The 2023 recognition followed a decade-long campaign by Moriarty and the diverse group of volunteers he brought together, with backgrounds in military service and awards, investigations, political advocacy, and strategic communications. Col. Davis had been denied the award for more than five decades as his nomination packet was first presumably “lost” by the government at the height of the Civil Rights movement in the U.S. and then stalled by bureaucracy and political calculations.

In a statement issued by Davis after notification by the President that he would receive the award, he said, "Our family appreciates the volunteer team that advocated for us through the years, including Ambrose Brennan, Al Broadbent, Carlos Campbell, Ellen Cousins, Ron Deis, Rob Graham, Robin Joseph-Hochman, Sarah Kline, Jim Moriarty, Lee Ann O'Neal, Will Porter, Erin Powers, Cal Rollins, Tommy Shook, Neil Thorne, and Dan Vannatter.”

Davis added, "I also offer thanks to President Biden, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth, former Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller, the Special Forces Charitable Trust, and Catherine Herridge of CBS News."

Moriarty, who also served in Vietnam, has made it his personal mission to ensure the men he fought with, and all the women and men who serve now, receive proper recognition for extraordinary service. In an earlier campaign, Moriarty’s advocacy led to retired Army Capt. Gary M. Rose being awarded the Medal of Honor in 2017 for his heroism during a mission called Operation Tailwind. Moriarty is also working with partners to ensure that all soldiers injured in a 2020 ballistic missile attack at Al Asad receive Purple Hearts.

Cover Photo: President Joe Biden awards the Medal of Honor to retired U.S. Army Col. Paris D. Davis during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 3, 2023. "This year, we celebrate the 75th anniversary of our first fully integrated armed forces," President Biden told ceremony guests. "And the name 'Paris Davis' will still stand alongside the nation’s pioneering heroes." PHOTO BY BERNARDO FULLER/U.S. ARMY