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A3C Michael S. Bell (Unit Historian)
to remember
Davidson, James H., Lt Col.
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Contact Info
Home Town Birmingham, AL
Last Address Merritt Island, FL
Date of Passing Aug 26, 2010
Location of Interment Arlington National Cemetery (VLM) - Arlington, Virginia
James H. (Jim) Davidson, born December 1, 1919, in Birmingham, Ala., passed away, Thursday, August 26, 2010. He joined the Air Force at 17 years old.
Jim flew missions from England and several bases in France as pilot in the 456th Bomb Squadron, 323rd Bomb Group, 9th Air Force. On his 44th mission against a target in Germany, an anti-aircraft shell shattered his canopy and wounded him in the back, left shoulder and right arm. He couldn't move his left arm. Jim thought he might bleed to death before getting medical attention. In spite of the terrific noise in the cockpit, shock, pain, loss of the use of his left arm and loss of blood, Jim managed to fly the airplane to a base in Belgium. He landed safely with one hand and braked to a stop just as he was slipping into unconsciousness. For this he was awarded the purple heart.
Jim stayed in the Air Force after the war and participated in the Berlin Airlift. He has been stationed in Germany, Greece, Italy, North Africa, Thailand during the Vietnam War, and several bases in the U.S. After retiring from the Air Force, he returned to college where he earned BSBA and BSBM degrees, graduating magna cum laude. He has held State Post Commander in the VFW, Department of State Commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart and National Vice Commander, Region 4.
After retiring, Jim and his wife Ruth lived in St. Petersburg and Punta Gorda, Fla. Following Ruth's death, Jim moved to Merritt Island, Fla., in 2003.
He is survived by a brother and sister-in-law, Richard and Jane Davidson of Titusville; sister, Joyce Steadman of Joppa, Ala.; nephew, Warren Sumerall, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Jim will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, and memorial services will be held soon at Courtenay Springs Village.
Published in FLORIDA TODAY on August 31, 2010
Vietnam Advisory Campaign (1962-65)
From Month/Year
November / 1962
To Month/Year
March / 1965
Description November 15, 1961-March 1, 1965 .
On November 15, 1961, the 2d Advanced Echelon (2d ADVON) was activated in Saigon, capital of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam). The 2d ADVON, administratively part of the Thirteenth Air Force, controlled USAF units operating in Vietnam and reported to the Military Assistance Advisory Group, Vietnam. The 4400th Combat Crew Training Squadron's FARM GATE detachment arrived on November 16. The FARM GATE, organization, although trained for counter insurgency combat, for about 2 months limited its mission to training Vietnamese aircrews and supporting with reconnaissance flights the operations of the Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF). Activation of the 2d ADVON and arrival of the FARM GATE detachment heralded the buildup of the United States Air Force presence in Vietnam.
Responding to the Republic of Vietnam's appeal in December 1961 for increased military aid to counter Communist (Viet Cong) insurgents, the United States gradually increased its forces. From January 2 to 5, 1962, for example, the USAF moved a tactical air control system to South Vietnam and landed equipment and personnel at Tan Son Nhut Air Base (AB) in Saigon; Bien Hoa AB, I5 miles north of Saigon; Da Nang AB, 375 miles northeast of Saigon; Pleiku AB, in the Central Highlands 230 miles northeast of Saigon; and Nha Trang AB, on the coast, a little less than 200 miles northeast of Saigon. Shortly afterwards, on January 7, a flight of C-l23s equipped for aerial spray missions arrived at Tan Son Nhut. Code-named RANCH HAND, this USAF detachment 3 days later began defoliation operations that continued for 9 years.
To manage U.S. forces in Vietnam, the Commander in Chief, Pacific Command, at the direction of President John F. Kennedy and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, created Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) on February 8, 1962. Army Gen. Paul D. Harkins was named the first Commander of MACV. The 2d ADVON became the air component of the new command. A few months later, on October 8, the USAF activated the 2d Air Division, which replaced the 2d ADVON. In spite of increased U.S. aid, the Viet Cong insurgency grew, and the government of South Vietnam faced growing civil disorder. A year later, on November 1, 1963, a group of South Vietnamese military officers deposed President Ngo Dinh Diem in a coup détat, and not until June 1965 would the South Vietnamese establish a reasonably stable government. Meanwhile, on June 20, 1964, Anny Gen. William C. Westmoreland became Commander of MACV.
Communist insurgents also operated actively in Laos, and in May 1964 United States involvement in Southeast Asia expanded to include military aid to that country. On June 9, F-100s flying from Takhli Air Base, Thailand, about 110 miles north of Bangkok, made the first USAF strike in Laos. Air Force pilots bombed an antiaircraft installation at Xiangkhoang, on the Plain of Jars, about 100 miles northeast of Vientiane, the Laotian capital. In December 1964 the USAF launched an air interdiction campaign against the Ho Chi Minh Trail, a network of roads, trails, and waterways in the southern Laotian panhandle.
The nature of the conflict in Southeast Asia changed dramatically in late 1964. On August 2 and 4 torpedo boats from North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) attacked U.S. naval vessels in the Gulf of Tonkin- On the 5th, U.S. naval aircraft launched retaliatory air strikes against coastal targets in North Vietnam. That same day the USAF deployed B-57s to Bien Hoa AB and F-100s to Da Nang AB. Then in December 1964 the Viet Cong used conventional field rather than hit-and-run tactics to drive South Vietnamese forces temporarily from Binh Gia, near the coast, only 40 miles southeast of Saigon. For both North and South Vietnam governmental authorities this battle marked an escalation of the conflict. As the war rapidly intensified, on February 7, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered American dependents evacuated from South Vietnam. The same day the Viet Cong shelled Pleiku Air Base. In retaliation, the USAF conducted its first raid against North Vietnam on the 8th,
hitting a target just north of the 17th parallel.
