The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Major Allan D. Davis (MCSN: 0-65655), United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving as a Pilot with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 165 (HMM-165), Marine Aircraft Group SIXTEEN (MAG-16), FIRST Marine Aircraft Wing, in connection with combat operations against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam. On 31 December 1968, Major Davis launched as Section Leader in a flight of two CH-46 transport helicopters assigned the emergency extraction of an eight-man reconnaissance team heavily engaged with a numerically superior hostile force in a small valley fourteen miles southwest of An Hoa. Informed that the beleaguered Marines were receiving enemy hand grenades and intense automatic weapons fire from the surrounding high terrain, rendering their position untenable, he established an orbit above the designated area while the team, under the suppressive fire of Marine gunships, crossed the river to a more defensible position in a bomb crater. After the gunships left to re-arm and re-fuel and hostile soldiers were observed moving along the river bank in an apparent attempt to overrun the Marines’ position, Major Davis skillfully maneuvered his helicopter on repeated firing runs and directed the deliver of such effective machine gun fire that the enemy advance was halted. Requesting and receiving permission to control air strikes, he directed the attacks of fixed wing aircraft with pinpoint accuracy upon the hostile positions. Nearly depleted of fuel, he proceeded to An Hoa to re-fuel and resolutely returned to the hazardous area. Realizing the urgency of extracting the reconnaissance team when informed that the enemy had moved to within twenty-five meters of the crater and had surrounded the Marines, Major Davis completely disregarded his own safety as he fearlessly maneuvered his CH-46 through the hail of hostile fire and landed on the edge of the bomb crater. Undaunted by the intensity of the enemy fire, several rounds of which struck and damaged his aircraft, he boldly remained in his precarious position until the Marines had embarked before lifting out of the fire-swept area. Skillfully utilizing low-level evasive tactics to evade hostile fire, he maneuvered his crippled helicopter to An Hoa. By his courage, superior airmanship and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of great personal danger, Major Davis was instrumental in the accomplishment of the hazardous mission and upheld the finest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service.