Benjamin O. Davis Jr.

Academic scholars, scientists, Olympians, college graduates, and among the first class...

Captain Benjamin O. Davis Jr., a West Point graduate, the fourth African-American to graduate from West Point in its history.

The son of General Benjamin O. Davis Sr., one of only two Black officers above the rank of chaplain in the entire U.S. military.

Benjamin O. Davis Jr. was born to lead this.

Okay, then.

At West Point, though, think about that.

That was the final answer to every argument that had ever been made against him.

And the individual legacies run deep.

For his undeniable heroism, Dorie Miller became the first Black sailor to earn the Navy Cross.

Which brings us to a family legacy that completely altered the trajectory of the modern military, the Davis family.

Oh, the Davis family.

You have General Benjamin O. Davis Senior, who was promoted by FDR in 1940 to become the first Black army general in US history.

Historic in his own right.

But his son, General Benjamin O. Davis Junior, his story reads like the blueprint for modern tactical and strategic command.

Benjamin O. Davis Junior is an absolute titan of military history.

Yeah.

He was nominated for an Emmy Award.

And of course, he's one of the stars of one of my favorite movies, Art, Tuskegee Airmen, the story about the 99th Pursuit Squadron out of Tuskegee Army Base that fought in World War II under the leadership of Benjamin O. Davis Jr.

I love that movie.

Malcolm's in that movie.

I have a personal connection there.

When I was at the Air Force Academy, I had the opportunity to personally meet Brigadier General Benjamin O. Davis Jr., who was the first commander there.

And he talked about his experience at West Point when I was a young cadet.

And so my personal life has had a lot of interweaves with the Tuskegee story.