“The Team Is Greater Than The Individual”: Going To War With LRRPs In Grenada And Rangers In Panama

In our second interview with MG(R) John Davis, he focuses on his childhood, his West Point experiences, and his service in the Army through most of his time as a Major. His first interview focuses on his service in the Information Operations and Information Warfare field. John Davis and his sister grew up in south Florida in a lower middle-class family living near the everglades. His father ran an auto parts warehouse and his mother kept the books. She came from a Polish family in the Philadelphia area and met her husband when he was serving there as a recruiter in the Navy. After his Navy service, he and his wife returned to his hometown in Florida. As a boy, John enjoyed hunting, fishing, and playing any sport available, including football, baseball, golf, and running track. He went to the same small high school his father had attended. In fact, his father wrote the alma mater for that school. In high school John’s football coach was also his track coach, so if you were on one team, you participated in the other as well. While playing football, he was approached by an Army football coach, and the opportunity for a free education appealed to him. He applied to West Point, Annapolis, and the Air Force Academy. Navy was the first one to accept him, followed by Army. On the advice of his father, he picked West Point. The family car trip to the Military Academy for R-Day involved a stop in Pennsylvania to visit his mother’s family. John recalls that reporting for R-Day was a “chaotic blur” and the most significant experience for him was reporting to the “Man in the Red Sash.” He quickly realized that the upper class were the “masters of your destiny.” During Beast, he felt pressure to perform, even though “nothing is good enough” for the Cadre. He really enjoyed the next summer at Camp Buckner, where he finally felt like he was in the Army after being exposed to all the branches. The summer before his Cow year, his Tac wanted to send him to Ranger School, but John wanted to do CTLT (Cadet Troop Leader Training) to see if he was ready to commit to the Army as a career. He requested being sent to the “worst unit” and was assigned to the 197th at Ft. Benning following Airborne School. His Platoon was conducting EIB (Expert Infantry Badge) training and the Platoon Leader he was shadowing wanted to have him qualify with another company. When he suggested this to the Company Commander, the Commander recommended “pencil-whipping” the qualification right there. This blatant breach of integrity shocked and dismayed Davis, but the Platoon Leader had him qualify with the other company anyway. When a new Commander took over, everything changed, and John felt that the mentorship he received set a positive tone that convinced him to commit to the Army. (He ended up earning his EIB, but since he was not designated Infantry yet, he could not wear the badge.) At West Point, he worked hard and did well academically, ranking in the 60s out of over 900 Cadets. Physically, he took advantage of many opportunities to become more well-rounded, and enjoyed white-water kayaking among other pursuits. His efforts at orienteering paid off, and he later received the Merrill’s Marauders Award in Ranger School. He was in Company I-3 “Polar Bears,” and felt there was a great culture in that company that focused on leadership. During his Firstie year, he served as the Brigade Operations Officer. He recalls Gregory Peck’s visit to the Academy to film the movie “MacArthur” (1977). He branched Infantry (he was #11 in the branch), in part thanks to the influence of Mike McKean, who introduced him to a lifelong mentor and three-time commander, LTG(R) William “Mike” Steele. After graduation, he completed the Infantry Basic Course and Ranger School before being assigned to B Company, 2nd Battalion, 504th Infantry in the 82nd Airborne Division, where he served as a Rifle Platoon Leader, Mortar Platoon Leader, and Executive Officer. Many of his NCOs were Vietnam Veterans and he learned many great leadership lessons from them and other leaders, including COL Keith Nightengale. In June 1983, he was selected to be the Long Range Reconnaissance Platoon Leader in the 313th Military Intelligence Battalion (Communications, Electronic Warfare, Intelligence). His platoon consisted of 6 teams of well-seasoned Soldiers. He describes the different skill set associated with being a LRRP, including moving as a LRRP, long range communications, physical training, SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape) skills, and becoming knowledgeable on a host of threat (Soviet) weapons and equipment. He remembers setting up SERE training for the LRRPs and getting chewed out by Vietnam POW Nick Rowe for not going through the proper channels for that training. On October 25, 1983, Operation Urgent Fury, the invasion of Grenada, began, and after airlanding on the island, John’s LRRPs began conducting a wide variety of non-LRRP missions, including “search and destroy” and even monitoring for Soviet submarines. On at least four occasions, his teams were almost mistaken for Cubans, with nearly disastrous results. Even though he had to deal with his platoon not being used correctly, he is most proud of keeping everyone alive. After his time as a LRRP, he was assigned as the Assistant S3 for 2nd Battalion, 504th Infantry, where he planned typical airborne operations and executed ARTEPs (Army Training and Evaluation Program). After attending the Advanced Course, in February 1985, he was assigned to the Berlin Brigade, responsible for deterrence and “showing the flag.” He remembers a lot of parades, where vehicles were rubbed with baby oil to give them a high-gloss shine. Berlin in the mid- to late-80s was a city surrounded by enemy forces and the expectation was that families’ living quarters were bugged. Soldiers trained for the MOUT (Military Operations in Urban Terrain) fight and were wary of SMLM (Soviet Military Liaison Mission) teams (corresponding USMLM teams operated out of the Potsdam House). John did interact with his Soviet counterpart when relieving the guard at Spandau Prison, home to Rudolf Hess, and recalls that both he and the Soviet Officer knew that they could not trust the other. During his time in the Berlin Brigade, in addition to serving as a Staff Officer in the 4th Battalion of the 504th Infantry, he also commanded C Company and Headquarters Company, a 400-person company that included a spy plane that was frequently shot at by the Soviets. He remembers good interactions with his British counterparts, but cautions “don’t ever party with the Polizei.” After returning from Germany and completing several useful courses, in November 1988 he was assigned as the S4 for 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at Ft. Lewis, Washington, which was an enormous responsibility for a unit on a “2-hour string” to deploy anywhere. The spring before the invasion of Panama, 2nd Battalion was temporarily stationed at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Georgia, “assuming the identity” of 1st Ranger Battalion and “taking care” of their equipment. In November 1989, the Rangers conducted a regimental rehearsal at Eglin Air Force Base, after which Davis was responsible for redeploying the unit to Ft. Lewis. As they were in the process of returning to Washington, they received orders to invade Panama and had to turn around. His 65th jump was a night combat jump into Panama, where he was the 6th jumper out the left door on the 3rd aircraft from 500 feet onto the Rio Hato Airfield. He reflects on Panama as a “very precise operation,” and describes several specific aspects of that mission, including establishing resupply on the airfield, capturing Noriega’s beach house, and conducting operations in the mountains of Panama (where he made friends with a mayor during a reconnaissance). As the 2nd Battalion redeployed from Panama, he arranged the local purchase of a battalion’s-worth of Burger King hamburgers, fries, and cokes so every Ranger could board the plane with a familiar American fast-food meal. Returning to Ft. Lewis, he took command of C Company, which he calls the “best job ever” because his Soldiers were experts at their jobs and the senior NCOs were excellent. Reflecting on struggles as a company-grade officer, he notes that losing people is hard to overcome, especially losing people in training, and he states that it is something leaders should think about ahead of time. In July 1991, he volunteered for an assignment to Korea, where he served as the S1 at Panmunjom so he could get a follow-on assignment in the 82nd. In July 1992, he returned to the XVIII Airborne Corps, where he worked for Dan McNeil before becoming the Secretary of the General Staff for the 82nd Airborne Division, learning “diplomacy with leaders who are senior to me.” In July 1994, he was assigned as the Executive Officer for the 1st Battalion, 325th Infantry in the 82nd Airborne Division, and in June 1985, he was selected to be the Aide-de-Camp to the Commanding General of the XVIII Airborne Corps, Hugh Shelton, who he describes as a “great man to work for.” At the end of the interview, he discusses his work with cyber security (“cyber security is national security”) and the conference that brings him back to West Point. He shares that it is important to maintain balance in your personal life and comments on some instances where he has struggled in that area. Finally, he reflects on what his service and West Point mean to him.