Day 14 Black History Month 2021 - Benjamin O. Davis Jr.
Benjamin O. Davis Jr. (December 18, 1912 – July 4, 2002)
For day 14 of #BlackHistoryMonth, we’d like to highlight General Benjamin O. Davis Jr., an American airman and officer, who became the first African American to rise to the rank of Brigadier General in the United States Air Force.
Benjamin O. Davis Jr. wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps in the military but had ambitions of becoming a pilot. In order to pursue this dream, he decided to enroll at West Point Military Academy. Davis naively entered West Point believing that his classmates would not reject him because of his race but, he was wrong about that. For four years, he was shunned by other cadets, who would only speak to him on official business. In 1936 he graduated 35th in a class of 276.
After President Franklin D. Roosevelt was reelected in 1940, he ordered the Army Air Corps to create a “black flying organization.” The Army Air Corps wanted a African American West Point graduate to command the unit and Davis being the only living African American graduate from West Point, was given the assignment and ordered to begin training at Tuskegee, Alabama.
Davis led the 332nd expeditionary wing, which was joined by the 99th fighter squadron, better known as the Tuskegee Airmen. In 1944, they were deployed to Italy and during the time that they served in the European theatre, under Davis leadership, the Tuskegee Airmen became one of the most disciplined fighter groups in American History. They would go on to destroy more enemy aircraft than they lost, shooting down 111 enemy planes and taking out another 150 aircraft on the ground. In over 200 escort missions, they never lost a single American bomber. One noteworthy mission was a 1600-mile round trip bomber escort to Berlin, where the 332nd went up against at least 30 of the new German jet fighters, ME-262. The Tuskegee Airmen shot down 3 jet fighters and damaged another 6.
In retirement, he would be advanced to the rank of four star general by President Bill Clinton in 1998.
“The privileges of being an American, belong to those brave enough to fight for them.” – Benjamin O. Davis Jr.
For day 14 of #BlackHistoryMonth, we’d like to highlight General Benjamin O. Davis Jr., an American airman and officer, who became the first African American to rise to the rank of Brigadier General in the United States Air Force.
Benjamin O. Davis Jr. wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps in the military but had ambitions of becoming a pilot. In order to pursue this dream, he decided to enroll at West Point Military Academy. Davis naively entered West Point believing that his classmates would not reject him because of his race but, he was wrong about that. For four years, he was shunned by other cadets, who would only speak to him on official business. In 1936 he graduated 35th in a class of 276.
After President Franklin D. Roosevelt was reelected in 1940, he ordered the Army Air Corps to create a “black flying organization.” The Army Air Corps wanted a African American West Point graduate to command the unit and Davis being the only living African American graduate from West Point, was given the assignment and ordered to begin training at Tuskegee, Alabama.
Davis led the 332nd expeditionary wing, which was joined by the 99th fighter squadron, better known as the Tuskegee Airmen. In 1944, they were deployed to Italy and during the time that they served in the European theatre, under Davis leadership, the Tuskegee Airmen became one of the most disciplined fighter groups in American History. They would go on to destroy more enemy aircraft than they lost, shooting down 111 enemy planes and taking out another 150 aircraft on the ground. In over 200 escort missions, they never lost a single American bomber. One noteworthy mission was a 1600-mile round trip bomber escort to Berlin, where the 332nd went up against at least 30 of the new German jet fighters, ME-262. The Tuskegee Airmen shot down 3 jet fighters and damaged another 6.
In retirement, he would be advanced to the rank of four star general by President Bill Clinton in 1998.
“The privileges of being an American, belong to those brave enough to fight for them.” – Benjamin O. Davis Jr.