Every Weapon I Had

A Vietnam Vet's Long Road to the Medal of Honor

By: Paris Davis

Narrated by: Dale Hopper, Joshua Quinn

The story of a Green Beret commander's heroism during the Vietnam War, and the long fight to recognize his bravery.

When Col. Paris Davis was selected to lead one of the Green Beret A-teams organizing resistance to Communist incursions into South Vietnam, his commanding officer warned him that some of his soldiers would resent his authority. This was no surprise; there were only a handful of Black officers in the Special Forces. Davis quickly won the respect of his soldiers, and would soon fight beside him as bullets snapped past and mortars exploded overhead.

On June 18th, Davis led a group of inexperienced locals and Special Forces soldiers in an attack on a Viet Cong base in Bong Son. They were met by a superior enemy force, and Davis led the charge in a grueling firefight. He was seriously wounded, but he disobeyed a direct order to retreat until he dragged three injured Green Berets off the battlefield to safety.

Every Weapon I Had is an inspiring tale of valor and sacrifice, set against the backdrop of major escalations in both the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights movement. It is also a story of deferred honor and delayed recognition; Davis earned the Silver Star and Purple Heart for his actions, but his nomination for the Congressional Medal of Honor was repeatedly “lost.” No official reason has ever been given for this oversight, but those who fought to correct it believe that it was motivated by racial prejudice. Davis was finally awarded the Medal in 2023, 58 years after the battle.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

Love the book!!! Very impactful!!!

From one veteran to another, THANK YOU!!!
Appreciate you honesty, integrity, detail & hearing you comments at end of the audio book!!!

Recollection of events

I liked the entire story! The details of his life after so many years are amazing.

Excellent WELL DESERVED

A true American hero long overdue we did defend and won because of your leadership and values thank you SIR

American Hero!

Col. Davis is an American Hero. His story should not be lost. Thanks for remembering this great man.

Hollywood couldn’t have written anything better than what really happened.

This is an unreal account of the perseverance both physically and mentally of one of our nation’s greatest heroes. Col. Davis has led an incredible life and his story needs to be shared!