Benjamin O. Davis Jr. American

Benjamin O. Davis Jr. American

America has had a lot of great soldiers in the past such as Benjamin O. Davis Jr. Benjamin Oliver Davis Jr was born December 18,1912 unto Mr. Benjamin O. Davis Sr, and Mrs. Elnora Dickerson Davis. He was the second of three children. Benjamin Davis Jr., was the first African American general in the United States Air force. His father Benjamin O. Davis Sr, served in the U.S Army for 50 years from 1899-1948. He was one of the first African American men to become an officer in the United States Regular Army. Benjamin Davis Sr wasn’t always Benjamin Davis Sr. He was born Ollie Davis. Mr. Davis Sr. changed his name when he was being enlisted into the army. He enlisted himself as Benjamin Davis so he wouldn’t bring shame upon his family name.

Being a young African American in the late 1800s early 1900s wasn’t as easy as it is today, but that didn’t stop Ollie Davis. Mr. Davis gained early ambition to join our nation’s military when he was a young man in high school. He attended Washington’s M Street High school and while being there he was trained as a young cadet. He was frowned upon by his family because enlisted soldiers were of lower order. The pay wasn’t high in the military and the military budget was low, but that didn’t change Ollie's decision. On June 14,1899, he was sworn in as Benjamin O. Davis and was assigned to Troop 1, 9th Cavalry stationed at Fort Duchesne, Utah. He didn’t receive much pay his earnings were $25 per 2 months.

Although Benjamin had advantages such as knowing how to read and write he needed military knowledge to get ranks in the military. Indeed, he did while being a member of the black unit of the District of Columbia National Guard he gained knowledge of military regulations and administration. Having this knowledge gave him advantage in the military it advanced him to be able to become a sergeant major within a few months after being in the military. He later became one of the two only African American officers in the regular army.

On October 2, 1902, he returned as a 2nd Lieutenant with Troop M 9th Cavalry, in the Philippines. He returned on leave to Washington, where he renewed several years of friendship with a former schoolmate Elnora Dickerson. Later that month he married his first love Elnora Dickerson a dressmaker from Virginia. Elnora was born of a family of eleven which consisted of seven girls and two boys. Her family moved from Virginia to Washington after the Civil War, but later she lived