When 1936 rolled around, Davis was the first African-American to ever successfully graduate from West Point. Much to his dismay, Davis’s was not allowed to enroll in the Army Air Brigade, and ended up teaching for the next several years.
The air brigade finally allowed Davis to enlist in 1941, due to the war in Europe and the need for additional troops, they decided to overlook that he was black. He again made history as one of the first African-Americans to graduate from Tuskegee Army Air Field.
Finally Davis saw his dream coming to reality. He was assigned commanding officer of the 99th Pursuit Squadron, made up entirely of African-Americans. His squadron performed so well on their missions under Davis’ command that by 1943 he was named commander of 332d Fighter Group, a much larger air division.
Throughout the remainder of the war Davis’ squadron accumulated one of the best kill records of any other squadron, and they were all black. The U.S. government was quick to recognize his excellence and honored Davis with a Distinguished Flying Cross and a Silver Star.
After World War II, Davis wasn’t done. He asked to be assigned right away to Korea, to fight against the rise of communism. Following another fantastic set of victories in Korea, he a was made a General in the Air force. After another decade of service he was appointed the prestigious position of a Four Star General. Despite his many tours in 3 different wars, Davis’ most significant contribution to the U.S. was the aid in desegregating the military, a feat worthy of remembrance.
Labels: famous generals, General Benjamin Oliver Davis, Jr., Korea, WWII
