Joy W. Lucius
Guest writer
May 2013 – Semper Fidelis! Always Faithful! More than a motto – for one group of Marines, these words exemplify their devotion for a fallen comrade.
That comrade, Sergeant Rodney M. Davis, gave his all. On September 6, 1967, 25 year-old Davis threw himself over a live grenade, sparing at least five other Bravo Company soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines.
Vice President Spiro Agnew presented Davis the Medal of Honor posthumously in 1969. That Washington, D.C., ceremony was a fitting tribute for the selfless Marine. It also offered burial in Arlington Cemetery. His mother declined, instead burying her son back home at Linwood Cemetery in Pleasant Hill, a predominantly African-American neighborhood of Macon, Georgia.
Linwood was the proper resting place for a son who had honored his family and his country with the same strength of character he had displayed his entire life. His short life became heroic legend in Macon.
The legend lived on long after the community declined and the cemetery closed its gates. By 2010, Davis’ grave site showed appalling decay, with his gravestone cracked and partially caved in. Weeds and wild growth threatened to overtake the entire cemetery.
Enter the Marines.
Randy Leedom and Jason Greene lived worlds and generations apart. But their worlds converged in Linwood Cemetery when both Marines witnessed the sad state of a hero’s neglected grave.
Stopping on the way back to Oregon from a family trip, Leedom wanted to pay tribute to the man who had saved his life. He was shocked by the state of Davis’ grave.
So was Greene. A Marine Reservist who served in Afghanistan, Greene viewed Davis’ grave by chance while participating in the reopening ceremony of Linwood Cemetery.
Both men appealed to the same group of Vietnam veterans through historian and author Nicholas Warr, a decorated Vietnam Veteran from Alpha Company of the 1/5 Marines. And after a bit of research on Warr’s part, the call went out among Marines.
The call was heard. Marines from across America gathered to clean the grave of their fallen comrade, agreeing to repeat their task every six months. Those biannual cleanings soon turned into something big. The Rodney M. Davis Project was born.
Together with local, state and national organizations, the Vietnam Veterans Association restored dignity and honor to the gravesite of one of America’s bravest and best. Warr described this continuing project, including a memorial scholarship fund, to AFA Journal as, “a true family project, involving our vets, the community and Davis family members.”
In November 2012, a 14-foot monument was erected as the capstone of Davis’ totally refurbished grave. The dedication ceremony for the monument ended with a banquet commemorating Sgt. Davis, with family members as guests of honor.
One of those family members, journalist John Hollis, spoke of Davis with obvious emotion: “I could talk all day about this man. The more I learn about him, the more I am amazed at his sacrifice.”
According to Warr and Hollis, Davis chose that sacrifice from start to finish. Forgoing the safety of home or a London Embassy reassignment, he re-enlisted for Vietnam. There, Davis purposely exchanged his life for the others in that trench.
Davis made the ultimate sacrifice: “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13, NIV).
Five Marines will never forget the sacrifice of Sgt. Rodney M. Davis. To guard the grave and legacy of their comrade with the same faithfulness Davis displayed on September 6, 1967, the Rodney M. Davis Project will see that his legacy lives on.
Semper Fi. 
How to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice
▶ Place flags and flowers on soldiers’ graves.
▶ Place one flag for every soldier killed in action from your county. (Local VA office has that information.)
▶ Thank families who lost loved ones in war by giving them a flag, a meal or serving them in some way.
▶ Visit veterans’ hospitals.
▶ Contact your local VFW, VA or American Legion for local opportunities to honor fallen soldiers.
