Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., American; An Autobiography

Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1991. Second Printing. Hardcover. Very good/very good. 24 cm. x, 442, [4] pages. Illustrations. Index. Inscribed by the author. Pencil erasure residue on fep. Foreword by L. Douglas Wilder. Benjamin Oliver Davis Jr. (December 18, 1912 - July 4, 2002) was an American United States Air Force general and commander of the World War II Tuskegee Airmen. He was the first African-American general officer in the United States Air Force. During World War II, Davis was commander of the 99th Fighter Squadron and the 332nd Fighter Group, which escorted bombers on air combat missions over Europe. Davis flew sixty missions in P-39, Curtiss P-40, P-47 and P-51 Mustang fighters. Davis followed in his father's footsteps in breaking racial barriers, as Benjamin O. Davis Sr. was the first African-American general in the United States Army. Davis was assigned as deputy commander in chief, U.S. Strike Command, with headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, in August 1968, with additional duty as commander in chief, Middle-East, Southern Asia and Africa. He retired from active military service on February 1, 1970. On December 9, 1998, Davis Jr. was promoted to general, U.S. Air Force (retired), with President Bill Clinton pinning on his four-star insignia. Set against the backdrop of twentieth-century America, against the social fabric of segregation and the broad canvas of foreign war, Benjamin O. Davis, Jr.: American tells a compelling story of personal achievement against formidable odds. Born into an era when potential was measured according to race, Davis was determined to be judged by his character and deeds-to succeed as an American. Davis entered West Point in 1932, resolved to become an officer even though official military directives stated that blacks were decidedly inferior. He graduated 35th in a class of 276 and requested assignment to the Army Air Corps, then closed to blacks. He went on to lead the 99th Pursuit Squadron and the 332nd Fighter Group-units known today as the Tuskegee Airmen-into air combat over North Africa and Italy during World War II. His performance, and that of his men, enabled the Air Force to integrate years before civilian society confronted segregation. Thereafter, Davis commanded both black and white units. His autobiography, capturing the fortitude and spirit with which he and his wife met the pettiness of segregation.