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A Hero Comes Home ---- WffAilMfT': John is home. Confined to a wheel chair, but he's home. John's mother, Lucille, listens intently as her son proudly explains the story behind the combat ribbons on his uniform. Photos Wayne Gaylord A special elevator has been installed so John has access to the basement of his home. B The house also features extra large hallways and doorways to lighten John's travels in hit wheelchair. His Army portrait can be seen in room at left. The name on the mailbox reads J.K. Davis. A short driveway leads to an attractive, light brick home on Tivoli trail, much like others in the fast growing subdivision of Dutch Creek Woodlands, near Johnsburg. Only inside is it apparent that here is a special kind of house for a very special occupant. John K. Davis, 28, is a veteran of the Vietnam conflict. Although shot down three times (two of them technical) it was another, more unique and tragic incident of the war that has made the wheelchair his home, probably for life. No bitterness, no regrets -- not for the quiet spoken Davis, who was released from service with the rank of captain Aug. 16, 1970. The fact that he lived to be discharged at all was something of a miracle. The day he traded his Army uniform for civilian attire was more than five months after the accident which has left almost no memories of it. He recalls only the few seconds immediately after the bullet from a .38 calibre pistol directly entered the front center of his throat and emerged in the back. It was many weeks later that consciousness returned to the point that he was aware of the seriousness of his injuries. His spinal cord had been almost entirely severed, and for a long time doctors held almost no hope for his recovery. So critical was his condition that it was impossible to remove him from a Vietnam hospital for several weeks. Later, he was transferred for hospitalization in Japan, Walter Reed hospital in Washington, D.C., and finally Woods Veterans hospital, West Allis, Wis., which he left only a few weeks ago. Three years after his accident, Davis knows little of the details. Most of the men with whom he was serving are now dead and theFe is little probability he will learn more. The former soldier knows only that the young operations officer in charge of lining up aircraft suddenly went berserk and began firing. All incidents immediately preceding and following the in­ cident are blanked out of Davis' mind. Someone told him later that the officer was returned to the States. Davis is even unaware of whether the shooting occurred inside a building or in the field. The men were based 15 miles northwest of Saigon at the time. The horrors of war were known to the McHenry man long before the tragic incident which paralyzed his body from the neck down and impaired use of his hands. The first shoot-down occurred in March of 1967 in the An Lo valley, Bon Song area. He was pilot of an armed helicopter when the aircraft was downed. He was unhurt and kept under cover until arrival of a rescue ship. The second time occurred when a sniper got the 'copter's tail rotor and a bullet passed through the aircraft, striking Davis in the head. Fortunately, he escaped serious injury, and managed to get back to base two or three weeks later. The third shoot-down was in June of 1967 when the helicopter was mutilated beyond repair through ground gunfire. This time Davis' left ankle was badly injured as a bullet ricocheted, splitting the lower part of his leg. Davis was returned at that time to a hospital in Kentucky, but returned to Vietnam in early 1969. In 1970 he received an emergency leave to come back to this country, where his father was dying. He returned to Vietnam and within two months received the injuries which were to cut short his service career. Davis enjoys recalling his days in service, and speaks of the Army with the enthusiasm of one who has found his niche in life and is completely caught up in the many interesting things it has to offer. He maintains to this day a tender attachment to both the older model, four-men crew helicopters which he first flew, and the new Cobras containing only a pilot and co-pilot gunner. His most exciting memory concerns flights over Cambodia in support of ground troops inthe early days. He recalls firing 17-lb. rockets (bombs were not allowed). These covered a radius of 50 feet and were equivalent to a 105 Howitzer shell. Davis' return to the McHenry area is an indication of the young man's feeling for the community and for the friends made during his early years. The family moved to Sunnyside Estates from Rogers Park and remained here for thirteen years. John remembers when he was one of only six students in the Johnsburg public school shortly after it came into existence. Later, he graduated from McHenry high school and followed it with an apprenticeship as a tool and die maker. After enlisting in the Army after Christmas in 1965, the family remained in the area for a time, then moved to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where his father died. Before it was time to be released from the hospital a few weeks ago, John selected the Dutch Creek Woodlands site which has become home for himself and his mother, Lucille. Now is the time when John is pondering the best prospects for a career. "No hurry", he says as he seems to contemplate many possibilities. During his years in service he received the equivalent of two years of college. He remembers a special interest in Math, which he studied at the University of Alabama. Davis' eyes light up most when he speaks of airplanes. His mother recalls that when he was growing up there was little space to walk in his room, filled with aircraft models. The years have only heightened his interest. This is evident as he talks of the very distinct possibility of some day securing his own plane. Perhaps some day he will have an opportunity to make use of his 800 hours' experience as an instructor pilot. His five-year Army career, which followed time in the Reserves, included test pilot work in Vietnam and as instructor pilot, ground and air, both there and in the States. Right now he is pursuing a favorite hobby, drag racing, at Lake Geneva. He has his own car, specially equipped like the family auto for his particular needs. Drag racing, he says, is the next step from motorcycle racing, which he enjoyed in his youth. The Davis home is much like any other except in particular areas. The halls and doorways are wider to accommodate the wheelchair; the shower stall in John's bedroom has no door so that the special chair can be pushed inside; and a platform elevator permits easy movement between the basement and the first floor. Sitting at the kitchen table in the spacious kitchen area, one looks out on a half acre of Davis property as yet unlandscaped. It was here the young soldier reflected -- but only briefly - on a just punishment for those who refuse to serve their country. It was evident he had given the subject thought. Logically, Davis divides them into three categories -- dissenters, draft dodgers and deserters. What does he think of those men who chose to leave the country? Quietly and with no show of emotion, this veteran of countless missions over enemy territory suggests the Peace Corps might be an appropriate assignment. And then it was time to leave ~ but not before Davis complied with a request to see his medals. It was clear he was sorting out memories of five long years painstakingly, sometimes with dif­ ficulty, as he recalled how each was earned. Memories also went back to high school at East campus in those days when the growing enrollment caused bulging walls. With a smile, Davis remembers himself as a teen-ager he describes at least as "an average mischief maker". He's looking forward to his ten-year class reunion next summer. Late afternoon shadows of early Spring were evident as a long, rewarding conversation came to an end. One fact is clear. If the countenance of war is two-sided, John K. Davis has chosen the better side, reflected in courage, honor, service - and no regrets! LITTLE HELPERS. In photo (A) is a wheelchair emblem on the windshield of John's car to let people know his need. The license plate (B)asks us to be a little patient as it may take John a little longer to park his car or proceed from a stop sign. Special door handles (C) lets John open them with ease. Even his car (D) has useful items in hand controls. And when day has ended, a special bed (E) with push button controls helps John from the wheelchair to bed. Alone with a book, John loves to read about aircraft. i