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United States Military Academy
issue
Cachet depicts Benjamin O. Davis, Jr.
Commander of the Tuskegee Airmen (99th Fighter Squadron)
The Stamp was issued on March 16, 2002 at WestPoint, NY
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Benjamin Oliver Davis Jr. was born in Washington DC on
December 18, 1912. Ben's father was Benjamin
O. Davis Sr., the first African American to
become a United States General. General Benjamin O. Davis Jr. was the first
African American general in the U.S. Air Force. and commanded the Tuskegee
Airmen during World War II.
Ben attended the University
of Chicago before entering the United
States Military Academy at West Point in
1932. After Ben graduated in 1936 he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the
infantry. In 1941, Ben was among the first group of African Americans admitted
to the Army
Air Corps and pilot training.
After being promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, Ben
organized and led the 99th
Pursuit Squadron, the first African American
air unit. The unit flew tactical support missions in the Mediterranean
theatre. In 1943 Colonel Davis organized and commanded the 332nd
Fighter Group, (Tuskegee Airmen). Colonel
Davis personally flew over 60 combat missions during the war.
After the war ended in 1945, Colonel Davis held
several command and in 1948 he helped plan the desegregation of the of the Air
Force. Ben graduated from the Air Force War College in 1950 and commanded a
fighter wing during the Korean war. He was promoted to Brigadier General in
1954 and in 1959 General Davis became the first African American officer to
reach the rank of Major General in the Air Force. He was promoted to
Lieutenant General in 1965, (3 stars).
General Davis retired from the Air Force in
1970 and was named Director
of Civil Aviation Security in the U.S.
Department of Transportation. While serving in that post, he devised and
coordinated measures that effectively ended a wave of aircraft hijackings in
the United States. In 1971, General Davis was appointed Assistant
Secretary of Transportation.
General Davis received many awards during his
military career. They included two Distinguished
Service Medals and a Silver
Star. General Davis received the fourth star
of a full General on December 9, 1998.
General Davis has written an autobiography, Benjamin
O. Davis, Jr. American which recounts his
career.
General Benjamin O. Davis Jr., died on July 4,
2002 at Walter
Reed Military Army Medical Center of Alzheimer's
Disease. He was 89 years old.
Sources:
Encyclopedia
Britannica
American
Patriots by Gail Buckley
Encyclopedia
Africana
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