Captain Davis was the pilot of a F-51D Mustang night fighter with the 12th Fighter Bomber Squadron, 18th Fighter Bomber Wing. On 5 October 1950, while on a combat mission over Sunchon, North Korea, his aircraft received a direct hit by anti-aircraft fire and lost its coolant. He landed on a sand bar in the Taedong River. He was listed as Missing in Action and was presumed dead on 31 March 1954. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

For his leadership and valor, Captain Davis was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with 15 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Purple Heart, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.