Difference between revisions of "Benjamin O. Davis, Jr."

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'''Benjamin Davis, Jr.''' (1912-2002) was the first black general in the [[United States Air Force]]; he is best known as the leader of the all-black [[Tuskegee Airmen]] in World War II.
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He was born on December 12, 1912, in Washington DC to [[Benjamin Davis, Sr.]] and Elnora Davis.  In 1932, he entered West Point, at the time, the 4th black person to have done so.  When he graduated in 1936, he and his father were the only two black officers in the Army.  Davis studied at the Western Reserve and Chicago Universities. In 1936, he graduated thirty-fifth out of 276 in the Class of 1936 from West Point, then served as an infantry officer. In 1942, he entered the U.S Air Force and completed his flight training.  He was regularly shunned by white officers (that is, they avoided talking to him).
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Leading the [[Tuskegee Airmen]], he was a combat pilot during World War II.  In July of 1942, Davis was assigned to command the 99th Pursuit Squadron.  Because the Army was segregated at this time, it was an all black unit.  It took its training at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.  Because of this, the pilots in the squadron were informally known as the "Tuskegee Airmen".  This squadron, which saw combat in North Africa and Italy in [[World War II]], was the first black air unit.
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At that time, a number of military officers thought that blacks would not capable of being pilot fighters and were opposed to the idea of a black air squadron.  But Davis fought for his unit's right to fly, and Davis and the Tuskegee Airmen proved them wrong.  Over the course of the war, the units under Davis's command shot down 111 enemy planes (including three advanced [[Me-262]] jet fighters) and did not lose any of the bombers they were escorting.  Davis himself won a Silver Star and a [[Distinguished Flying Cross]] for his bravery in combat.  When President [[Truman]] desegregated the Armed Forces in 1948, Davis was one of the people behind the plan to desegregate the Air Force.
 
At that time, a number of military officers thought that blacks would not capable of being pilot fighters and were opposed to the idea of a black air squadron.  But Davis fought for his unit's right to fly, and Davis and the Tuskegee Airmen proved them wrong.  Over the course of the war, the units under Davis's command shot down 111 enemy planes (including three advanced [[Me-262]] jet fighters) and did not lose any of the bombers they were escorting.  Davis himself won a Silver Star and a [[Distinguished Flying Cross]] for his bravery in combat.  When President [[Truman]] desegregated the Armed Forces in 1948, Davis was one of the people behind the plan to desegregate the Air Force.
  

Revision as of 13:21, June 19, 2010

mmmmmmmm At that time, a number of military officers thought that blacks would not capable of being pilot fighters and were opposed to the idea of a black air squadron. But Davis fought for his unit's right to fly, and Davis and the Tuskegee Airmen proved them wrong. Over the course of the war, the units under Davis's command shot down 111 enemy planes (including three advanced Me-262 jet fighters) and did not lose any of the bombers they were escorting. Davis himself won a Silver Star and a Distinguished Flying Cross for his bravery in combat. When President Truman desegregated the Armed Forces in 1948, Davis was one of the people behind the plan to desegregate the Air Force.

In 1953, he was sent to Korea, where he commanded the 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing. That same year, he was promoted to Brigadier General, becoming the first black general in the Air Force.

Davis went on to serve in the Air Force until 1970, rising to the rank of Major General. He went on to serve in a variety of civil service positions, becoming, in 1971, an Assistant Secretary of Transportation. He died July 4, 2002 from Alzheimer's disease.

Further reading

  • Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. Benjamin O. Davis, Jr.: American: An Autobiography, (Smithsonian Institution Press, 1991).
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