Inspired by his eponymous father, Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. became what his father tried to be but was rejected because of his race - he became just the fourth African American cadet accepted to the US Military Academy and the fourth black graduate of that academy.
During his time at West Point, Davis was an invisible man. He roomed alone, ate alone, and endured four years where his fellow cadet refused to speak to him unless necessary to perform official duties. In later years, Davis was vocal about his fellow cadets' lack of leadership, specifically calling out William Westmoreland, a member of Davis' class of 1936, who was First Captain (the senior ranking cadet their final year at the academy), about 35 years before he became the senior US commander in Vietnam.
Already a certified pilot, Davis wanted to be an Army aviator after graduating from West Point but at that time, black officers were not allowed to join the air corps. After World War II kicked off in Europe, US officials became less picky and decided to stand up a few segregated aviation squadrons. The first of these units, filled by pilots who would become known as Tuskegee Airmen, was given to Davis to command.
Davis and his Tuskegee Airmen went on to become some of the most decorated and famous flyers of World War II. After the war, Davis left the Army for the Air Force when that service was created in 1947 and shortly thereafter, the US military was integrated. When the Korean War began in 1950, Colonel Davis was given another field field command - this time F-86 Sabres, America's first jet fighters. He is piloting the nearest jet in this above picture.
In 1954, Davis followed his father again, this time by becoming the first African American general officer in the US Air Force when he was promoted to brigadier general.
By 1965, he had received two more promotions and when he retired in 1970, he entered the retired rolls as a lieutenant general. Little did he know, there was one more promotion in his future.
In 1998, Davis' groundbreaking service was recognized by President Bill Clinton who took the rare step to honor Davis with a rare promotion to full general. President Clinton and Davis' wife Agatha pined on Davis' fourth star at a special ceremony.
General Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. died a few months shy of his 90th birthday on July 4, 2002. Honors continued to come his way after his death. In 2017, construction was completed on the first new barracks building at West Point in 50 years and the academy choose to name it in honor of the cadet who was treated as a second class citizen during his time there.
In 2019, the airfield at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado was renamed in honor of General Davis.
As I was finishing up this episode I learned that one of the last Tuskegee Airmen, 102 year-old Brigadier General Charles McGee, a veteran of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, has died. Like Davis, he started his thirty year career in the US Army and transferred to the Air Force when that service was stood up. He retired as a colonel but was honored at the 2019 State of the Union address and promoted the next day by President Trump to Brigadier General in the Oval Office. Details for his funeral are still being worked out but he will be laid to rest at Arlington.
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