DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Lieutenant Colonel George A. Davis, Jr. — and friend, this one deserves your full attention. Out of Dublin, Texas, in 1920, Pearl and George Davis welcomed a boy into the world.
They named him George Junior, and he was one of six sons in that family who would go on to serve in the military. Six sons. Let that settle for a moment.
Six. George Junior grew up, and when the time came, he made his move. In March of 1942, he enlisted as an aviation cadet up in Lubbock.
Now, the war was on, the sky was the new frontier of combat, and Davis was about to find his place in it. He was among the first pilots to fly the P-47 Thunderbolt — a machine that was all business — and he flew hundreds of missions during World War II. Hundreds.
The man was no stranger to the cockpit, and the cockpit was no stranger to danger. But here's where the story takes that long, quiet breath before the storm. Korea.
A different war, a different sky, and Davis rose to become a leading Ace in the 334th Fighter Interceptor Squadron. Whatever decorations he had already earned — and he had earned plenty — what came next would define how history remembered him. February 10th, 1952.
Davis led an F-86 SabreJet Combat Aerial Patrol near the Manchurian border. The MIG-15s came at them. Davis didn't flinch.
He shot down two of those attacking MIGs. Two. And then his plane took a direct hit, and it crashed south of the Yalu River.
George A. Davis, Jr. was gone. But the nation had seen what he did, and the nation answered.
Posthumously, he received the Congressional Medal of Honor. He was also promoted to Lieutenant Colonel — the rank that now carries his name on this marker. A boy from Dublin, one of six brothers who served, flew hundreds of missions, led men into the fire, and on one February morning above a frozen river, gave everything he had.
Some stories don't end. They echo.
What the marker says
One of six sons who served in the military, George A. Davis, Jr. was born in Dublin in 1920 to Pearl (Love) and George Davis. He enlisted as an aviation cadet at Lubbock in Mar. 1942. Davis was among the first P-47 Thunderbolt pilots, flying hundreds of missions during World War II. In the Korean War, he was a leading Ace in the 334th Fighter Interceptor Squadron. On Feb. 10, 1952, Davis led an F-86 SabreJet Combat Aerial Patrol near the Manchurian border. He shot down two attacking MIG-15s before his plane took a direct hit and crashed south of the Yalu River. Already highly decorated, Davis posthumously received the Congressional Medal of Honor and promotion to Lt. Colonel for his final heroic actions. (2008)