Phillip Davidson

Phillip Buford Davidson Jr.
Born	(1915-11-26)November 26, 1915 Hachita, New Mexico
Died	February 7, 1996(1996-02-07) (aged 80) San Antonio, Texas
Place of burial	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1939–1974
Rank	Lieutenant General
Battles/wars	World War II Korean War Vietnam War
Awards	Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star Legion of Merit (3) Bronze Star Medal Purple Heart
Other work	author

Phillip Buford Davidson Jr. (November 26, 1915 – February 7, 1996) was an American lieutenant general who served in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.

Biography[]

Davidson was born on November 26, 1915 in Hachita, New Mexico. Davidson attended West Point, graduating in 1939. During World War II, he served as assistant intelligence officer in the 96th Infantry Division. Later, he served as a squadron commander in George Patton's Third Army.^[1]

Following the war, he was assigned as an instructor to the Army's School of Intelligence in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Starting in 1948 and continuing throughout the Korean War, Davidson was chief, Plans and Estimates Branch, in General Douglas MacArthur's intelligence office. It was during this time that occurred one of the US Army's greatest intelligence failures in history - not predicting Chinese intervention in the Korean War.

In 1969, while assigned as commanding General of the Army training center at Fort Ord, California, Davidson was the respondent in the United States Supreme Court decision Parisi v. Davidson. In that case, the court granted habeas relief to a soldier seeking an honorable discharge as a conscientious objector.

During the Vietnam War, 1967 until 1969, Davidson was the chief of US intelligence in Vietnam, under the command of William Westmoreland and later Creighton Abrams. From May 3, 1971 to September 30, 1972, Davidson, then a major general, was the Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Headquarters, Department of the Army. He was later promoted to lieutenant general.^[2]

In 1988, he published Vietnam at War: The History 1946–1975,^[3] which is widely regarded as one of the most comprehensive accounts of the Indochina wars.^[4] He followed it up in 1990 with Secrets of the Vietnam War,^[5] where he described his experiences in Vietnam.

Davidson died on February 7, 1996, in San Antonio, Texas. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Davidson is a member of the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame.

Military decorations[]

Lieutenant general Davidson received many decorations during his military service:^[6]

	Army Distinguished Service Medal
	Silver Star
	Legion of Merit with two Oak Leaf Clusters
	Bronze Star Medal
	Joint Service Commendation Medal
	Purple Heart
	American Defense Service Medal
	American Campaign Medal
	European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with four Service Stars
	World War II Victory Medal
	Army of Occupation Medal
	National Defense Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster
	Korean Service Medal
	Vietnam Service Medal
	United Nations Korea Medal
	French Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 with Palm
	Vietnam Campaign Medal

References[]

External links[]

• ANC Explorer
• Phillip B. Davidson, Jr. and Army Intelligence Doctrine^{[permanent dead link]}