The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 8, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Chief Warrant Officer [then Warrant Officer] Michael J. Davis (ASN: W-3151943), United States Army, for gallantry in connection with military operations against an opposing armed force on 1 April 1965, while serving as Pilot of an armed helicopter in support of a combat ground operation in the Republic of Vietnam. Throughout the day an airlifted Vietnamese unit had fought desperately to avoid being overrun by a numerically superior Viet Cong force equipped with automatic weapons, mortars and recoilless rifles. As darkness approached, the Viet Cong broke through the Vietnamese defenses and all but one American advisor were killed in the raging firefight. The remaining advisor was cut off from the withdrawing Vietnamese by the attackers and radioed for help from the armed helicopters overhead. Completely disregarding the intense enemy anti-aircraft machinegun fire, Warrant Officer Davis immediately landed his heavily laden armed helicopter without the use of lights in a flooded rice paddy. He then left the helicopter in search of his comrade armed only with a grenade launcher. As the Viet Cong directed savage automatic weapons fire at the vulnerable helicopter, Warrant Officer Davis located their positions and silenced two machinegun bunkers with accurate fire from his grenade launcher. Rallying the withdrawing Vietnamese troops, he formed a defensive perimeter around the aircraft and continued to search for his fellow soldier. After swimming across a canal, he found the exhausted advisor lying in the mud on the opposite side. Braving intense enemy small arms fire, Warrant Officer Davis dragged his comrade across the canal to the waiting helicopter. After helping him aboard the aircraft, he fired his remaining grenade ammunition and suppressed the enemy weapons before then boarding the departing aircraft himself. Warrant Officer Davis’ extraordinary heroism in close combat against a numerically superior Viet Cong force were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.