Michael Shannon Davison (March 21, 1917 – September 7, 2006) was a
United States Army four-star general, who served as Commander in Chief,
United States Army Europe
United States Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF) is an Army Service Component Command (ASCC) /Theater Army responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (AFRICO ...
/Commander, Central Army Group from 1971 to 1975.
Military career
Davison was born on March 21, 1917 in
San Francisco, California
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
into a military family. He graduated from the
United States Military Academy in 1939, receiving his commission in the cavalry. His first posting was at
Fort Brown
Fort Brown (originally Fort Texas) was a military post of the United States Army in Cameron County, Texas, during the latter half of the 19th century and the early part of the 20th century. Established in 1846, it was the first US Army military ...
,
Texas with the
12th Cavalry Regiment
The 12th Cavalry is a cavalry regiment of the United States Army.
History
On 2 February 1901, Congress authorized the organization of the Twelfth Regiment of Cavalry, Army of the United States. Under this authority, the regiment was formed at ...
.
During World War II, Davison was assigned to the Operations Division, War Department General Staff Theater Group, and later reassigned to the
45th Infantry Division in North Africa as Assistant
G-2. He remained with the division in Sicily and Italy, to include taking part in the
Anzio invasion. At the age of 26, he was chosen to command a battalion, the 1st Battalion,
179th Infantry Regiment
The 179th Infantry Regiment ("Tomahawks") is an infantry regiment of the United States Army's National Guard.
Currently, the 1st Battalion is the only active battalion in the regiment and is organized as a combined arms battalion under the bri ...
. Four months later he was promoted to lieutenant colonel, and he remained commander of the battalion throughout the Italian campaign and the invasion of southern France. During his time with the division he was wounded twice. Towards the end of the war he served as G-2 and G-3 (Operations) at Headquarters,
VI Corps 6 Corps, 6th Corps, Sixth Corps, or VI Corps may refer to:
France
* VI Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry formation of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars
* VI Corps (Grande Armée), a formation of the Imperial French army du ...
.
After the war, then-Colonel Davison was assigned to the Plans Section, Headquarters Army Ground Forces at
Fort Monroe, and later took command of the 18th Mechanized Cavalry Squadron stationed in Puerto Rico. He received a master's degree in Public Administration from
Harvard University in 1951, and following a stint in the Office, Chief of Legislative Liaison, he was assigned to his alma mater as Commander, First Regiment, United States Corps of Cadets in 1954.
In 1958 Davison graduated from the
National War College
The National War College (NWC) of the United States is a school in the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active.
History
The National War Col ...
in 1958, and subsequently served as Chief, Combat Materiel Division, Office, Chief of Research and Development until 1960. He was then chosen to command Combat Command A,
3rd Armored Division, and was later promoted to brigadier general and assigned as Chief of Staff,
V Corps 5th Corps, Fifth Corps, or V Corps may refer to:
France
* 5th Army Corps (France)
* V Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars
* V Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army ...
. He once again returned to West Point to become the 51st
Commandant of Cadets in 1963.
Davison next was assigned as Commandant of the
Command and General Staff College, followed by promotion to lieutenant general in 1968, and appointment as Deputy Commander-in-Chief,
United States Army Pacific
The United States Army Pacific (USARPAC) is an Army Service Component Command (ASCC) designated by the Secretary of the Army (SECARMY); it may also serve as a Joint Task Force headquarters. It is the army component unit of the United States Indo ...
, and subsequently as Chief of Staff for Commander-in-Chief,
United States Pacific Command
United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) is a unified combatant command of the United States Armed Forces responsible for the Indo-Pacific region.
Formerly known as United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) since its inception in 1947, ...
. In 1970, he assumed command of
II Field Force, Vietnam
II Field Force, Vietnam was a United States Army Corps-level command during the Vietnam War.
Activated on 15 March 1966, it became the largest corps command in Vietnam and one of the largest in Army history. II Field Force was assigned the lin ...
, and was responsible for conducting the
Cambodian Campaign.
In May 1971, Davison was promoted to general and assigned as Commander-in-Chief,
United States Army Europe
United States Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF) is an Army Service Component Command (ASCC) /Theater Army responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (AFRICO ...
and concurrently as Commander, Central Army Group, NATO. During his tenure he placed emphasis on race relations and equal opportunity. Because of these efforts, he was awarded the
NAACP
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...
Meritorious Service Award in 1976. The citation reads:
Davison retired from the army in 1975.
Post-military
After retiring from the Army, Davison held various positions in the civilian sector, to include President of the
United Service Organizations, Vice President of
Joseph R. Loring Associates, an architectural engineering firm, a board member of
Mercedes-Benz of North America, Vice Chairman of the
Army and Air Force Mutual Aid Association
American Armed Forces Mutual Aid Association (AAFMAA) is a Virginia-based not-for-profit, tax-exempt, member-owned association that provides diversified financial services, including life insurance, investing and trust services, mortgage serv ...
, President of
Shannon Enterprises, member of the Advisory Board of the
International Security Council, and Board of Trustees of the Association of Graduates, United States Military Academy, and later its president from 1983 to 1989. He served as Chairman of the Board of Army Navy Country Club from 1990 to 1993.
Davison was also responsible for ending the bitter in-fighting over what would constitute the
Vietnam Veterans Memorial. It was Davison in January 1982 who suggested the inclusion of a statue, ''
The Three Soldiers'', as compromise between parties arguing over whether the memorial would be
Maya Lin
Maya Ying Lin (born October 5, 1959) is an American designer and sculptor. In 1981, while an undergraduate at Yale University, she achieved national recognition when she won a national design competition for the planned Vietnam Veterans Memoria ...
's black granite wall or a more traditional heroic memorial.
[12th Cavalry Regiment Association bio](_blank)
/ref> Jan Scruggs
Jan Craig Scruggs (born 1950) is a United States Army veteran who served in the Vietnam War, and later founded the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, which built the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., in the United States. Scruggs was the ...
, president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, said "He was a think-out-of-the-box kind of guy. He was also very smart. He waited until the end of the day, when everybody was very tired, before he made his suggestion."
Davison died on September 7, 2006. He was survived by his second wife, Helen Walker Davison, three children, one of whom, retired Lieutenant General Michael S. Davison, Jr., also achieved flag rank, 6 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Jean Miller Davison, who died in 1983, and a daughter who died in 1957.Washington Post obituary
/ref>
Awards and decorations
Davison's awards and decorations include the Army Distinguished Service Medal
The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. The ...
with two oak leaf clusters, the Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, the Silver Star, the Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone.
Wh ...
with "V" and oak leaf cluster, the Air Medal
The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.
Criteria
The Air Medal was establish ...
with eight oak leaf clusters, the Purple Heart
The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...
with oak leaf cluster, the French Legion of Honor
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
, the French Croix de Guerre
The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first aw ...
; the German Grand Cross of Merit; the Bavarian Grand Cross of Merit; and the Royal Order of the King of Thailand, Knight First Class. He also received an honorary Doctor of Law from the University of Maryland, and was made an honorary citizen of Meximieux
Meximieux () is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France.
Geography
Located 35 km north east of Lyon and 10 km from Ambérieu-en-Bugey, the town is where the Dombes plateau meets the plain of the river Ain. Historically, Me ...
, France. He was the 1997 recipient of the Distinguished Graduate Award from the Association of Graduates of the United States Military Academy.
Notes
References
Association of Graduates bio
(with additional pictures)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davison, Michael S.
1917 births
2006 deaths
People from San Francisco
United States Army generals
United States Military Academy alumni
Commandants of the Corps of Cadets of the United States Military Academy
Commandants of the United States Army Command and General Staff College
United States Army personnel of World War II
United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War
Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army)
Recipients of the Silver Star
Recipients of the Legion of Merit
Recipients of the Air Medal
Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France)
Recipients of the Legion of Honour
Grand Crosses 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Burials at West Point Cemetery
Harvard Kennedy School alumni
Military personnel from California