World War II Honoree

Michael Shannon Davidson

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

San Francisco, California

Honored By

Friends of American Heroes

HE SAW COMBAT IN WWII AND VIETNAM. SERVED AS COMMANDANT OF CADETS AT THE U.S. MILITARY ACADEMY AT WEST POINT. HE HAD KNOWN HIS SHARE OF BATTLES, BEGINNING WITH HIS WWII EXPERIENCES WITH THE 45TH INFANTRY DIVISION IN SICILY AND OTHER AREAS OF ITALY, WHERE HE TOOK PART IN THREE AMPHIBIOUS LANDINGS AMID SOME OF THE MOST INTENSE FIGHTING OF THE WAR. AT ANZIO, HE, THEN A MAJOR, WAS GIVEN COMMAND OF THE 1ST BATTALION, 179TH INFANTRY REGIMENT. IN 1944, HE WAS IN THE SMALL FRENCH TOWN OF MEXIMIEUX, HIS UNIT TACTICALLY DIVIDED AS THE ALLIES CHASED RETREATING GERMAN ARMY FORCES NORTH. WHEN A GERMAN ARMORED DIVISION TURNED TO ATTACK ITS PURSUERS, THEN HE AND HIS MEN FOUND THEMSELVES SURROUNDED, OUTMANNED AND OUTGUNNED. THE BATTLE RAGED FOR TWO DAYS UNTIL THE GERMANS WERE FORCED TO ABANDON THE ASSAULT AND CONTINUE THEIR RETREAT. FOR HIS ACTIONS AT MEXIMIEUX, HE WAS AWARDED THE SILVER STAR. BY THE END OF THE WAR, HE HAD BEEN WOUNDED TWICE, RECEIVED TWO PURPLE HEARTS, THE BRONZE STAR FOR GALLANTRY IN ACTION AND WAS AWARDED THE COMBAT INFANTRYMAN BADGE. YEARS LATER, MEXIMIEUX MADE HIM AN HONORARY CITIZEN AND NAMED ITS CITY SQUARE PLACE DE GENERAL DAVISON.