Evening star., 1943-10-14
BY NELSON NJ. SHEPARD.

Awarded a Congressional Medal
of Honor for "gallantry above the
call of duty in action" in Guadal-
canal on January u. l943. Ma j.
Charles w. Davis, 26, of Mont
gomery. Ala. yesterday iold how he
and four enlisted volunteers captured
an enemy command post on a ridge.
picking off some 20 japs like turkeys
in three-hour FIGHT.
( Mai Davis. then a captain. was
executive officer of an infantry bat
TALON of the 25th Division, the
best darned division IN the Army"
he said. under command of a real
fighting man" Mai. Gen. Lightning
/ joe Lawson Collins.
| The action for which he was
given the Nations highest award
part of four-dav battle that con-
tinued between the four ridges of
a range OF mountains picturesquely
called The Galloping Horse
Four Awarded Silver Stars.
The four men who acCOmpa MED
+ him on this dangerous venture We're
awarded Silver Stars for gallantry.
One of them, Pvt. Oran l.. Wood
ward. was wounded in the shoulder
by rifle fire during the scrap.
Maj. Davis, VINO is a graduate of
the University of Alabama was
awarded his decoration recently by
1t. Gen. Millard F. Harmon. COM
mander of United States forces in
the South Pacific His graphic
story. told at War Department
press conference. was the first pub
lie recounting of a daring exploit
that perhaps saved an American
battalion from a severe drubbing.
When the young officer went to
Guadalcanal, he said he had "A lot
to remember the Japs for" That
was because he and his wife were
stationed in Honolulu the nieht OF
tho surprise Jap raid on Pearl Har-
Dor. Our baby was born on De
cember g. the day we declared war
but We didn't name her Pearl" he
laughed. She is Joan Ann Davis.
Wife Here With Him.
/ Back here on leave and temper
ary duty, MAJ. Davis is going 10
the Command and General staff
/ School at Fort Leavenworth, Kans
His wife is here with him. They
are taking their first trip soon to
New York City.
The four-day engagement. known
in Army records as the Bat
tie OF the Galloping Horse. was the
first time the 25th Division had
been under enemy fire. Their OBJ
! lectlves were four ridges west of
/ Henderson Field, along a river. In
stead of jungle fighting, the three
hattallons engaged waded through
knee-high sage grass in the face of
Wlthering fire from japanese NOR
tars, machine guns and rifles.
The Japs could look tight down
our throats,' Maj. Davis described
Frequently the enemy was less than
100 yards away
Maj. Davis battalion was in re-
serve and later was sent in to sup
port the two other attacking bat
tallonS. The third battalion had
the toughest opposition from the
/ JapS and, having had a hard fight
| the day before. was relieved at
dawn on January l2 by men of
Maj. Davis command.
When fresh attack vas ordered
1t was preceded by an intense
American barrage. Navy dive
tombers and low flying fighting
planes carrying bombs took part.
Brought Under Heavy Fire.
Even though we had beat the
tar out of the Japs. we were brought
under intense enemy fire as soon as
we started Maj. Davis said
Half the ridge was gained before
one company on the right was
stalled. Mai Davis volunteered to
go over to help bring the company
up. The KEY Jap position was SO
yards up the ridge, sweeping all
before it.
Using 2. small handy talkie" with
a three foot aerial. Mai. Davis di-
rected fire against this position, but
the japanese found his aerial a
splendid target During the dark
ness, they dug in with the Japs
about 40 yards higher up.
1T was then a contest to see which
side could throw the most grenades, -
Mai. Davis related.
We got them all, there weren't
any left he added. With his four
enlisted men volunteers, the Ameri-
can group STAYED there and fought
it out. Their actions fired the
hearts" of the rest of the men and
the ground was soon occupied.
Maj. Davis and his four men then
Joined another company that was
starting towards the horses head,
the fourth and final objective.
1T was like shooting turkeys OF
SQUIRRELS" he said. The Japs were
hiding behind logs and trying tc
get away. One of his four com
panions was a company cook who
wanted some excitement. They
crawled up to the top of the horses
head" threw grenades and shouted
as the Japs peeked at them over
their positions.
Maj. Davis said he fired his rife
point blank into the face of one
Jap and then his rife jammed. HI
then used his pistol.
1T was now or never" he said
as they pushed beyond the Jap DO.
sition to- find battalion post com