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PHOTOCOPIED October 2, 2002; NASM PRESERVATION COPY

President Eisenhower appointed Colonel Benjamin Oliver Davis Jr., 41, to the rank of brigadier general, the first Negro in Air Force history to achieve the distinction. A West Point graduate, Davis flew some 60 combat missions during World War II, has recently been serving as director of operations and training for the Air Force in the Far East. The promotion served to establish a tradition, for his father is the only Negro to have become a general of the U.S. Army.

[[image: black and white headshot of Davis Jr. in flying gear (sheepskin jacket, leather cap, earphones) smiling at camera; he has a thin moustache.]]
[[caption]]GENERAL DAVIS [[/caption]]