Cover photo for Col. David L. Davis (Ret.)'s Obituary
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Col. David L. Davis (Ret.)

d. August 3, 2016

Col. David L. Davis (Ret.)

Colonel David Leonard Davis (Ret.)

Augusta, GA – Colonel David Leonard Davis (Ret.), 94, entered into rest on Wednesday, August 3, 2016 at his residence. Colonel Davis was predeceased by his wife of 71 years, Gladys Eisaman Davis. A memorial service will full military honors will be held Tuesday, August 9, 2016 at 11:00 A.M. in the Storey Chapel of First Baptist Church of Augusta with Dr. Timothy L. Owings officiating. Honorary pallbearers will be the members of the Exchange Club of Augusta. The family will receive friends following the service.

Colonel Davis, a native of Sharon, Pennsylvania was born on August 18, 1921, the son of the late Arthur and Bertha Davis. He was a graduate of Sharon High School and the University of Omaha.

Upon graduation from high school he enlisted in the United States Army and after attending Infantry Officers Candidate School at Fort Benning, GA received his commission into the Army. Colonel Davis retired from the Army in 1970 after serving 30 years of Active Duty.

During World War II he served as an Airborne Infantryman and Master Parachutist and saw duty with the 101st Airborne, 13th Airborne and 82nd Airborne Divisions. His World War II Duty was confined to the European Theater of Operations and subsequent overseas assignments sent him to Okinawa, Newfoundland, Germany, and Korea, where he was commended by the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Korean Army for outstanding contributions toward the improvement of the combat readiness posture of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Korea.

Military service in the United States included Platoon Leader and Company Commander in Infantry Airborne Units; Battalion, Regimental, Corps and Staff Officer, Project Officer/Operations Officer for the U.S. Army Airborne, Electronics and Special Warfare Board at Fort Bragg, NC. There he was responsible for planning, supervising, and executing airborne service tests of equipment and procedures for the United States Army Airborne Operations, and was selected to serve on the board of NATO. At the conclusion of this assignment he was cited for tact, diplomacy self-confidence and technical proficiency that contributed immeasurably to the operational readiness of all airborne units in the United States Army.

Colonel Davis’ first assignment at Fort Gordon was Battalion Commander, 3rd Battalion, 1st Training Brigade. At the conclusion of this assignment he was awarded the Army’s Commendation Medal, 2nd Oak Leaf Cluster for Meritorious Service. Colonel Davis was then sent to the Pentagon where he served on the Army General Staff, Headquarters, Department of the Army, Washington, D.C. as a Staff Officer and Chief of Combats Arms Branch in the Office of Chief of Research and Development. During this time he also served as the Department of Army Representative on the NATO Army Armaments Group, Infantry Weapons Panel both in Paris and Brussels. His final assignment before retirement was the Director of Instructions and Commandment of the U.S. Army Civil Affairs School at Fort Gordon, GA where he was responsible for the training of officers (both U.S. and Foreign) to be Commanders and Staff Officers. During his military service he was awarded the American Campaign Medal, Defense Service Medal, WWII Victory Medal, U.S. Army Glider Badge, Army Occupational Medal, Army Commendation Medal with 3rd OLC, Korean Service Medal, EAME Service Medal, GD Indent, Master Parachutist Badge, and Legion of Merit.

After his retirement from the Army, Colonel Davis accepted the position as Tournament Director of the Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club. He retired in 1990 after 20 years.

Colonel Davis joined The Exchange Club of Augusta in 1975 and was a member for 41 years. He was a member of First Baptist Church of Augusta and a member of the Crusaders Sunday School Class.

He is survived by his children Elizabeth (Beth) Davis Jones (Harold) and David L. Davis, Jr. (Carole); grandsons Dr. H. Bradford Jones, Jr. (Katie), David C. Jones (Cammie), and Matthew D. Jones (Sky) all of Augusta, GA and granddaughters Elizabeth M. Davis of Nashville, TN and Mary Katherine Davis of Augusta, GA; eight great-grandchildren Mary Ellen Jones, Harry Jones, Curry Jones, Macon Jones, Camille Jones, Berkeley Jones, Charlotte Jones, and Merritt Jones; and dear friends and devoted caretakers, Vertis Woods and Clyde Childers. The family would like to thank the nursing staff of the Pavilion of Brandon Wilde for their compassionate care.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to First Baptist Church of Augusta, 3500 Walton Way Extension, Augusta, GA 30909 or to The Augusta Exchange Club Charity Foundation, P.O. Box 3884, Augusta, GA 30914-2884.

Thomas Poteet & Son Funeral Directors, 214 Davis Rd., Augusta, GA 30907 (706) 364-8484. Please sign the guestbook at www.thomaspoteet.com
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Col. David L. Davis (Ret.), please visit our flower store.

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