Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. - 553 Words

Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. was born December 18, 1912 in Washington D.C. His father, Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. was one of the few African-American officers in the U.S. Army. Davis, Jr. was appointed to the U.S. Military Academy in 1932 by Rep. Oscar S. De Priest, the only black congressman at that time. At West Point he endured ostracism from both classmates and superiors who wanted to see him fail. He persevered and graduated 35th in a class of 276 in 1936. He was the fourth African-American graduate in the Academy’s history. Upon commissioning he and his father became the only two black officers in the army. His application to the Army Air Corps was refused because the Air Corps did not accept African-Americans. Davis was serving as an ROTC†¦show more content†¦The real turning point for Davis and his black combat airmen came when the 332nd was assigned escort duty for strategic bombers. The Red Tails never lost a bomber to enemy fighters and shot down three of the first jet fighters employed by the Germans. Their truly unique achievement was sinking an enemy destroyer. During the war Davis flew 60 missions and was awarded the Sliver Star, the Legion of Merit and the Distinguished Flying Cross for mission leadership. Segregation in the armed forces was steadily undermined by Davis’s performance combined with the achievements of his fighter groups. When the Air Force separated from the Army in 1947, an internal study recommended racial integration. The principal argument was that Davis and his airmen had proved in war and peace that blacks could perform all jobs as well as whites could. In 1949, the Air Force became the first of the U.S. armed services to integrate racially. After commanding a fighter group during the Korean War, Davis was promoted to lieutenant general in 1965 and became chief-of-staff of U.S. forces in Korea in 1967. He retired from the Air Force in 1970. In 1998 President William J. Clinton retroactively promoted Davis to full general. Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. died on July 4, 2002. References Dalfiume, Richard M. 1969. Desegregation of the U.S. Armed Forces: Fighting on Two Fronts, 1939-1953. Columbia: University of Missouri Press. Davis,Show MoreRelatedBenjamin Oliver Davis Jr.1724 Words   |  7 PagesBenjamin Oliver Davis Jr. recognized for being the first Black Air Force General, paved the way for the Black soldier. Benjamin Oliver Davis Jr. was born December 18, 1912, to Benjamin, Sr. and Elnora Dickerson Davis. Due to complications from childbirth, Elnora dies when Benjamin is four years old. His father Benjamin, Sr. the first Black General in the United States Army, serving in various capacities such as the Spanish-American War and the original Buffalo Soldier regiments was a pioneer forRead MoreThree People That Stand Out As Leaders? 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