The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918 (amended by an act of July 25, 1963), takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Sergeant First Class John English Davis, United States Army, for gallantry in action. Sergeant First Class Davis distinguished himself by heroic action on 16 January 1971, while serving as Operations Advisor G-3, 9th Division Combat assistance Team, United States Military Assistance Command, Vietnam. On the evening of 15 January 1971, three Americans were reported missing and a reaction force of 30 men from the 9th Division Reconnaissance Company, Sergeant Davis and two other Americans volunteered to search for them on Nui Ta Bek. The reaction force was air assaulted in at 0030 hours on the morning of 16 January 1971. Upon getting to the area where the Americans were last located Sergeant Davis expertly assisted the Vietnamese in the search for the missing Americans, resulting in the discovery of one wounded officer. Shortly after the extraction of the wounded American, the location of the remaining missing Americans was determined. En route to their location the reaction force encountered a numerically superior enemy force located in a dense jungle bunker complex. In the ensuing battle, Sergeant Davis repeatedly exposed himself to hostile fire trying to lead the Vietnamese in their attack on the enemy positions. His bravery and courage brought him to the front of the action in heroically trying to lead the Vietnamese to the missing Americans. On the third attempt to overcome the enemy position, the unit got to within 40 meters of the enemy position when Sergeant Davis was mortally wounded. Sergeant First Class Davis’ conspicuous gallantry in action was in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflects great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.