Leonard Charles Davy was born in New London, Wisconsin on May 4, 1919. He attended the local high school, from which he graduated in 1937. Upon his graduation, Davy entered the Civilian Conservation Corps and became a part of the 626th Company, which was stationed at Camp Riverside in Danbury, Wisconsin. After serving in the CCC for two years, he became a clerk at the New London Wood & Lumber Company; he held that position until he enlisted into the army in early 1940. From May 1940 to February 1944, Davy served with the 73rd Coastal Artillery, which was stationed in the southeastern United States. Davy's unit was stationed in Panama from January 1941 through September 1943. In early 1944 Davy attended officer candidate courses at the Anti-Aircraft Artillery (AAA) School at Camp Davis, North Carolina. Soon after, Davy was sent to the European Theater where he joined the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, also known as the Nisei Regiment. The unit was comprised almost entirely of Japanese-Americans, and their record during the war was very impressive. In October 1944 they rescued the 141st “Lost” Battalion and received a Presidential Unit Citation as a result. Davy and the 442nd RCT participated in the Rhineland and Appenines campaigns before the end of the war. Upon returning to the United States in August 1945, Davy briefly left the military. He re-enlisted, however, and remained in the Army and Army Reserves until his retirement in 1979. Leonard Davy passed away in 1990.
