Sammy L . Davis Sammy Lee Davis ( born November 1 , 1946 ) is a retired United States Army soldier and a recipient of the Medal of Honor for his conduct in the Vietnam War . Early years . Born in Dayton , Ohio , Davis was raised in French Camp , California . His family had a long tradition of military service ; his grandfather served in the Spanish – American War , his father Robert Davis was in World War II , and his brothers Hubert ( " Buddy " ) and Darrell Davis served in Korea and Vietnam , respectively . Davis attended Manteca High School in Manteca , California , where he was a member of the football and diving teams . He also participated in Sea Scouting in Stockton . After his junior year of high school , Davis ' family moved to Indiana . Military service . Davis joined the Army from Indianapolis , Indiana , in 1965 . By November 18 , 1967 , he was serving as a private first class with Battery C , 2nd Battalion , 4th Artillery Regiment , 9th Infantry Division , in the Republic of Vietnam . On that day , his unit was west of Cai Lay when they fell under heavy mortar attack by the North Vietnamese Army as around 1 , 500 NVA swarmed the area . ( Referred to as Vietcong but actually was the NVA according to an interview with Davis ) Upon detecting an enemy position , Davis manned a machine gun to give his comrades covering fire so they could fire artillery in response . Davis was wounded , but ignored warnings to take cover , taking over the unit ' s burning howitzer and firing several shells himself . He also disregarded his inability to swim ( due to injuries ; Davis knew how to swim ) , crossing a river on an air mattress to help rescue three wounded American soldiers . He ultimately found his way to another howitzer site to continue fighting the NVA attack until they fled . He was subsequently promoted to sergeant and received the Medal of Honor the following year . Davis was forced to retire in 1984 due to his injuries . Footage of his Medal of Honor award ceremony was used in the 1994 film " Forrest Gump " , with actor Tom Hanks ' head superimposed over that of Davis . Later life . In July 2005 , while in Indianapolis , Davis ' medal was stolen out of the trunk of his car . It was recovered a few days later in neighboring White River . He currently lives near Freedom , Indiana . Davis helped celebrate the 100th birthday of the Boy Scouts of America on July 4 , 2010 , at Arlington Park . Davis entered scouting at the age of 9 . Davis is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter - day Saints . Medal of Honor citation . Davis ' official citation states : For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life and beyond the call of duty . Sgt . Davis ( then Pfc . ) distinguished himself during the early morning hours while serving as a cannoneer with Battery C , at a remote fire support base . At approximately 0200 hours , the fire support base was under heavy enemy mortar attack . Simultaneously , an estimated reinforced Viet Cong battalion launched a fierce ground assault upon the fire support base . The attacking enemy drove to within 25 meters of the friendly positions . Only a river separated the Viet Cong from the fire support base . Detecting a nearby enemy position , Sgt . Davis seized a machine gun and provided covering fire for his guncrew , as they attempted to bring direct artillery fire on the enemy . Despite his efforts , an enemy recoilless rifle round scored a direct hit upon the artillery piece . The resultant blast hurled the guncrew from their weapon and blew Sgt . Davis into a foxhole . He struggled to his feet and returned to the howitzer , which was burning furiously . Ignoring repeated warnings to seek cover , Sgt . Davis rammed a shell into the gun . Disregarding a withering hail of enemy fire directed against his position , he aimed and fired the howitzer which rolled backward , knocking Sgt . Davis violently to the ground . Undaunted , he returned to the weapon to fire again when an enemy mortar round exploded within 20 meters of his position , injuring him painfully . Nevertheless , Sgt . Davis loaded the artillery piece , aimed and fired . Again he was knocked down by the recoil . In complete disregard for his safety , Sgt . Davis loaded and fired 3 more shells into the enemy . Disregarding his extensive injuries and his inability to swim , Sgt . Davis picked up an air mattress and struck out across the deep river to rescue 3 wounded comrades on the far side . Upon reaching the 3 wounded men , he stood upright and fired into the dense vegetation to prevent the Viet Cong from advancing . While the most seriously wounded soldier was helped across the river , Sgt . Davis protected the 2 remaining casualties until he could pull them across the river to the fire support base . Though suffering from painful wounds , he refused medical attention , joining another howitzer crew which fired at the large Viet Cong force until it broke contact and fled . Sgt . Davis ' extraordinary heroism , at the risk of his life , are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the U . S . Army .