Black General, Black Astronaut Among 8 US Veterans Hall of Fame Inductees

By Rosaland Tyler
Associate Editor
New Journal and Guide

Benjamin Earl Davis, Jr., the Air Force’s first Black general, is among eight veterans who will be inducted into the U.S. Veterans Hall of Fame on Nov. 16, at the first-ever Veterans Convention, which will be held at the Hampton Roads Convention Center.

Event organizers aim to not only provide funds to veterans with proceeds from the event, which has a fundraising target of $100,000, they also plan to honor Davis, a trailblazing Black general, and seven more male and female veterans. The first event is free and open to veterans and includes lunch (9 a.m.- 1 p.m.). Later that evening, the ticketed 5th annual hall of fame induction gala ceremony (6 p.m.-8:30 p.m.) will be held. Both of these events will take place at the Hampton Roads Convention Center located at 1610 Coliseum Dr., Hampton.

Organization founder and chaplain Curtis Drafton said, “A lot of people don’t know the name (Benjamin Earl Davis).”

But Davis’s image will soon grace the U.S. Veterans Hall of Fame. Davis was born on Dec. 18, 1912 in Washington, D.C. and grew up in a military family. He graduated with honors from West Point in 1936 during the Jim Crow era. Although Davis endured indignities such as living without a roommate and eating his meals alone at West Point because of his race, he rose through the ranks after he became a second lieutenant in the infantry and was assigned to the 24th Regiment at Fort Benning, Georgia (now Fort Moore). Davis not only earned his wings, within a year,  he commanded 1,000 Black pilots who came to be known as the Tuskegee Airmen.

This means veterans at the upcoming convention will posthumously honor Davis’ trailblazing military record, which included his split from the U.S. Army to the U.S. Air Force in September 1947, when it split from the Army. President Bill Clinton promoted Davis to a four-star general in 1998.

Davis retired after serving as deputy commander in chief of the U.S. Strike Command in 1970 (now U.S. Special Operations Command). He died on July 4, 2002, at 89, and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery next to his wife Agatha, just a few yards from where his mother and father (Elnora and Benjamin O. Davis Sr.) are buried. Throughout his historic military career, Davis fought for the rights of Black Soldiers and changed the nature of the military forever.

In 1991, Davis released his autobiography, “Benjamin O. Davis Jr.: American: An Autobiography.” In 2017, West Point renamed its 55-year-old Robert E. Lee Cadet Barracks at West Point after Davis.

“We’ll be inducting this year, a general who is now posthumous,” Drafton said, of the upcoming veterans event in Hampton. “A lot of people don’t know the name, but General Davis is the reason why we have our speed limits on highways. You know, we’ll (also) be inducting General [Charles F.] Bolden. General Bolden worked hand in hand with NASA for the very first cosmonaut mission to bring Russia and America together in space. Those kinds of stories are the ones that we look for.”

This means the second image that will appear on the Hall of Fame belongs to Bolden.

Gen. Charles F. Bolden is a 1968 graduate of the United States Naval Academy. Bolden was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps following graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1968.

Bolden is a 78-year-old trailblazing marine aviator, test pilot and an astronaut, who lives in Alexandria with his wife, Alexis. They have two adult children. Bolden was the first Black to head NASA on a permanent basis, after he was appointed by former President Barack Obama and served from 2009 to 2017. Bolden assumed the NASA post after he retired from the military in August 2004. On Aug. 28, 2012, he was the first human being to have his voice broadcast on the surface of Mars.

Here is a list of the remaining veterans who will be inducted into the Veterans Hall of Fame at the upcoming convention on Nov. 16: BG Anna Mae Hays, BG Albert K.B. Lyman, LTC Charity E Adams, BG Anna Mae Hays, LTC Amy McGrath, MAJ Evan R. Seamone, CPL Robert C Andry.

Two emcees will serve at the event: Gen. William “Kip” Ward and CMSGT David Nordel.

For more information or tickets to the induction ceremony, visit www.usvetshalloffame.org.