Russell W. Davisson – Major, United States Army

Submitted on 23 December 1999 by his loving daughter,Pierangela Pezzini.

Russell W. Davisson was born on September 30, 1912 in East Wenatchee, Washington. He attended the University of Nebraska, 1930-1933.  He then worked as auto mechanic and service manager until 1940.  He taught Auto mechanics for the US War Department until 1943, when he was drafted into the Army in July.  Major Davisson received battlefield commission at Morange, France, on  February 13, 1945.

Major Davisson served in Korea, during the war there, from August 1952 to December 22, 1953.  After training assignments at Sandia Base and White Sands, New Mexico, he went to Italy in the advance party for an Army nuclear supply unit, September l 1954.

He returned to the United States in September 1960 and was assigned to the Inspector General, Army Air Defense Command, Colorado Springs, Colorado. He served as Ordnance advisor in Vietnam from November 1963 to November 1964 and retired as Major at Senica Army Depot, November 1, 1965.  His retirement orders list 13 Army decorations and medals.  He also received the Vietnamese Medal of Honor.

Major Davisson returned to civil employment with the US Army in Italy where he served a logistics and administrative officer until retiring again on  July 1, 1978. Following retirement, Major Davisson lived in Fullerton, California until September 1982, when he moved into his new home in Federal Way, Washington where he lived until his death at the age of 75 on July 30, 1988.

Major Davisson was buried in Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.

Michael Robert Patterson

Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.

Reviewed by: Michael Howard