Black excellence: Gen. Benjamin O. Davis Sr.

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Benjamin O. Davis Sr., the first Black general in Army history, commanded the all-Black 99th and 332nd fighter squadrons during World War II.

Brig. Gen. Benjamin O. Davis Sr. (1877-1970), pushed against racial boundaries in the United States military during an era of rigid racism. 

Davis, who served in a segregated Army unit and rose through the ranks to become its first Black general, spent over 40 years in  combat, diplomatic, and administrative roles. In 1940, he was promoted to brigadier general, making him the first Black person in Army history to reach that rank.

Davis first served in the segregated 8th Volunteer Infantry Regiment as a first lieutenant during the last year of the Spanish-American War. His regiment never saw action, and, in 1899, Davis reenlisted as a private after his regiment disbanded at the end of the war. 

He joined the all-Black 9th Cavalry Regiment, nicknamed the Buffalo Soldiers for their service on the frontier during the Indian Wars. Once with the 9th, Davis quickly moved up the ranks, and within a year, he became sergeant major. Within two years, Davis passed the officer’s test and became a second lieutenant with Troop F, 10th Cavalry.

Davis served with the 10th Cavalry for a year in the Philippines and in 1905 was transferred to Wilberforce College (now Wilberforce University) as professor of military science and tactics. During World War I, he became a supply officer to the 9th Cavalry stationed in the Philippines.

Promoted to lieutenant colonel, Davis led the 99th Fighter Squadron, the first all-Black unit in the Army Air Forces. The 99th deployed to North Africa in 1943 to fight Axis troops in the region. In October of that year, he returned to the U.S. and took command of the 332nd Fighter Group, which joined the 99th in Italy in December. 

White officers questioned the unit’s combat performance so much so that Davis returned to the U.S. to defend their record. He faced several days of questioning from Congress but never backed down from his stance that his airmen provided valuable service in battle.

After the war, Davis became a professor of military science and tactics at Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute (now Tuskegee University). Davis spent the next decades in instructor roles with the Ohio National Guard, New York National Guard, Wilberforce College, and Tuskegee Institute. 

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