Davidson, David Arthur
Army Staff sergeant
David Arthur Davidson from East Riverdale, Maryland.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Wednesday, October 5, 1970
Death details: On October 5, 1970, a reconnaissance patrol made up of mixed U.S. and indigenous personnel was operating in Laos and had established a night position west of Ta Bat when the group was attacked by a hostile force. The assistant team leader requested air support from a friendly aircraft in the area, but inclement weather hindered the pilot’s attempts. According to surviving patrol members, the two American soldiers were killed during the attack. Their remains could not be evacuated when the other team members were extracted. Shortly after the incident, a search team attempted to recover the two missing men, but was unsuccessful. Further attempts were prevented by hostile forces in the loss area, and the two patrol members remain missing.
Staff Sergeant David Arthur Davidson entered the U.S. Army from Maryland and served with Special Operations Augmentation, Command and Control North, 5th Special Forces Group. He was on this reconnaissance patrol when he was killed by the enemy. According to surviving indigenous patrol members, SSG Davidson was hit while the team was attempting to evacuate the area, and fell down a ridge, after which he lay motionless with what appeared to be a fatal head wound. His remains were not recovered. Today, Staff Sergeant Davidson is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency