[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 96 (Tuesday, July 16, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1271]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 ON THE DEATH OF BENJAMIN O. DAVIS JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 16, 2002

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to mourn the passing of General 
Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., who was born on December 18, 1912, and died on 
July 4, 2002 at the age of 89. General Davis was buried at Arlington 
Cemetery with full military honors.
  General Davis was an American hero, who through his leadership of the 
legendary Tuskegee Airmen, helped to dispel the myths about the ability 
of African-Americans to successfully engage in combat and specifically 
to master the complexities of flying and maintaining aircraft.
  He was the first black graduate of the United States Military Academy 
at West Point in the 20th Century. When Davis was commissioned as a 
second lieutenant in 1936, the Army had had a total of two black 
officers, Benjamin O. Davis Senior and Benjamin O. Davis, Jr.
  While at West Point, Davis applied for entry to the Army Air Corps, 
but was rejected. He later attended the Army's Infantry School at Fort 
Benning, and taught military tactics at Tuskegee Institute. Diverting 
Davis from the Air Corps was the Army's way of avoiding having a black 
officer command white soldiers, in a time when segregation prevailed 
and black troops had little hope for promotion.
  In 1941, as wartime approached, an all-black flying unit was created, 
and Captain Davis was assigned to the first training class at Tuskegee 
Army Air Field in Alabama. In March of 1942, Benjamin O. Davis won his 
wings and became one of five black officers to complete the course. In 
July of the same year, Davis was promoted to lieutenant colonel and was 
named commander of the first all black air unit known as the 99th 
Pursuit Squadron.
  In the spring of 1943, the 99th Pursuit Squadron went to North 
Africa, where they saw combat for the first time on June 2. By summer, 
the 99th were flying missions to support the invasion of Sicily. In the 
fall, Colonel Davis returned to the United States to command the 332nd 
Fighter Group, an even larger all black unit preparing to make the trip 
overseas. it was about this time when Top Brass recommended that the 
99th be removed from tactical operations for poor performance. Colonel 
Davis held a news conference at the Pentagon to defend his men. 
Although they were permitted to continue fighting, a top-level inquiry 
ensued. Questions about the squadron were put to rest in January 1944, 
when its pilots downed 12 German fighter planes over the Anzio beach in 
Italy.
  Colonel Davis and the 332nd arrived in Italy shortly after that. They 
were based at Ramitelli and came to be known as the Red Tails for the 
distinctive marking on their planes. The four-squadron unit accumulated 
a successful record of missions flown deep into German territory.
  General Benjamin O. Davis was a highly decorated leader of dozens of 
missions in P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs. He received the Silver 
Star for a strafing run into Austria, and the Distinguished Flying 
Cross for a bomber escort mission into Munich. General Davis went on to 
lead the all black 477th Bombardment Group, which compiled an exemplary 
combat record.
  When General Davis retired from the military in 1970, he became the 
Director of Public Safety in Cleveland. Later he joined the United 
States Department of Transportation, directing anti-hijacking efforts. 
In his five years with the department he supervised the sky marshal 
program, airport security and a program to stop cargo theft. In 1998 
President Bill Clinton awarded General Benjamin O. Davis a fourth star, 
the military's highest peacetime rank.

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