Benjamin O. Davis Jr.

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Benjamin O. Davis Jr.
Born	(1912-12-18)December 18, 1912 Washington, D.C., United States
Died	July 4, 2002(2002-07-04) (aged 89) Washington, D.C., United States
Buried	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army United States Air Force
Years of service	1936–1970
Rank	General
Commands	99th Pursuit Squadron 332nd Fighter Group Tuskegee Airmen 51st Fighter Wing Thirteenth Air Force
Battles/wars	World War II Korean War Second Taiwan Strait Crisis Vietnam War
Awards	Air Force Distinguished Service Medal (2) Army Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star Legion of Merit (3) Distinguished Flying Cross Air Medal (5) Army Commendation Medal (3) Langley Gold Medal
Relations	Benjamin O. Davis Sr. (father)
Other work	Federal Sky Marshal Program Assistant Secretary of Transportation

Benjamin Oliver Davis Jr. (December 18, 1912 – July 4, 2002) was a United States Air Force (USAF) general and commander of the World War II Tuskegee Airmen.

He was the first African-American brigadier general in the USAF. On December 9, 1998, he was advanced to four-star general by President Bill Clinton. 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 Airacobra, Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, P-47 Thunderbolt, and P-51 Mustang fighters and was one of the first African-American pilots to see combat. Davis followed in his father's footsteps in breaking racial barriers, as Benjamin O. Davis Sr. had been the first black brigadier general in the United States Army.^{[citation needed]}