| George Davis Jr. was born on December 01, 1920 in Dublin, Texas,
the seventh child of George Davis Sr. and Pearl Love Davis. In
his childhood, Davis briefly lived in Maple, Texas. He
attended Morton High School in Morton, Texas. Davis then attended
Harding College in Searcy, Arkansas. After completing a degree, he
returned to Texas. He took up farming for a time with his family
before eventually deciding to join the military.
Davis joined the United States Army Air Corps in early 1942. He
was sent to the Pacific Theatre after pilot training and flew in the
New Guinea and Philippine campaigns, scoring seven victories over
Japanese aircraft. After the end of the war, Davis served in a
number of administrative positions in the United States. On August
10, 1945, he was assigned to the 556th Air Base Unit at Long Beach,
California. On August 24, 1946, he was offered a commission as a
first lieutenant in the active duty Army Air Corps, demoting him
from his temporary rank but effectively allowing him to stay in the
military in spite of the demobilization and downsizing of the US
military. Several weeks later on September 7, Davis was ordered to
the 554th Air Base Unit in Memphis, Tennessee, where he served on
one of the Army Air Corps aerobatic demonstration teams, the
predecessors to the United States Air Force Thunderbirds.
Davis returned to front line units on January 6, 1947, when he was
moved to the 71st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 1st Fighter Group.
He remained with this formation for most of the year. On September
18, 1947, the United States Air Force was created as a separate
branch from the US Army. Davis was commissioned as a captain in the
new branch. During his time with the 71st Squadron, Davis attended
Air Tactical School and Tyndall Air Force Base. He was also a flight
commander and air inspector while with the unit.[Upon the outbreak
of the Korean War, Davis continued to serve in the 71st Squadron and
did not see combat in the initial phase of the war. As it
progressed, however, Davis began training on the F-86 Sabre (Sabrejet),
the latest jet engine-powered fighter. On February 15, 1951, he was
promoted to major and in October 1951 he was assigned to the
headquarters of the 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, which was based in
Japan and operating aircraft throughout Korea. As such, Davis was
sent to the conflict as a fighter pilot.
During his World War II/Korean War career, Davis participated in
59 combat missions. He was credited with 14 confirmed
victories in Korea, one probable victory and two enemy aircrafts
damaged. His total career victories was 21. He was
posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. Besides the Medal of
Honor, his military honors included the Distinguished Service Cross,
three Silver Stars, four Distinguished Flying Crosses, a Purple
Heart, and the Air Medal. There is a memorial in his honor in
Lubbock, Texas City Cemetery.
George and his wife, the former Doris Lynn Forgason, had three
children: Mary Margaret (now Patton), George Davis III (1950-2006),
and Charles Lynn. Doris was pregnant with Charles at the time
of her husband's death.
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