Gen. Benjamin Davis Jr., 89

WASHINGTON — Benjamin O. Davis Jr., 89, a pioneering military officer who was the leader of the fabled Tuskegee Airmen during World War II and the first African American to become a general in the Air Force, died Thursday (July 4) at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He had Alzheimer's disease.

In a career that began in the days of segregation, Gen. Davis, who was born in Washington and lived here for much of his life, compiled a long history of accomplishments. His combat record and that of the unit he led have been credited with playing a major role in prompting the integration of the armed services after World War II.

In 1970, after his retirement from the Air Force, he supervised the federal sky-marshal program that was designed to quell a rash of airliner hijackings. In 1971, he was named an assistant secretary of transportation.

At the time he left the Air Force as a lieutenant general, wearing three stars, he was the senior black officer in the armed forces. In 1998, President Clinton awarded Gen. Davis his fourth star, advancing him to full general.

"General Davis is here today as living proof that a person can overcome adversity and discrimination, achieve great things, turn skeptics into believers; and through example and perseverance, one person can bring truly extraordinary change," Clinton said.

As the World War II commander of the 332nd Fighter Group, Gen. Davis and his pilots escorted bombers on 200 air-combat missions over Europe, flying into the teeth of the Nazi Luftwaffe.

It was one of the fighter group's proudest achievements that not one of the bombers it protected was lost to an enemy fighter.

By the time he was assigned to lead the all-black unit, named the Tuskegee Airmen for the Alabama base at which they had trained, Gen. Davis had withstood stern tests of his character and determination.

According to historian Alan Gropman, when Gen. Davis graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., in 1936, he was only the fourth African American to do so.

At the academy, Gen. Davis was shunned. Other cadets refused to speak with him except for official reasons. By some accounts, this persisted throughout his first year. However, Gropman said the silent treatment continued throughout all four years at West Point. Gen. Davis had no roommate in the dormitory or in the field, and he ate his meals without a word.

In 1940, when President Franklin Roosevelt created an African-American squadron in the Army Air Corps, Gen. Davis was chosen for command. He earned his wings in 1942.

Gen. Davis had long resented and opposed segregation. But as leader of the Tuskegee Airmen, he insisted that those under him refrain from demonstrating against its injustices. Instead, according to Gropman, he took the position that there was a war to be won and that the time to protest would come afterward.

Gen. Davis' wife, Agatha, died this year. Survivors include a sister.