with red markings. Davis joined the
United States Army on March 17, 1941. He later volunteered for the
Army Air Corps in July 1942, and was appointed an aviation cadet. He received his flight training at
Tuskegee Army Airfield,
Alabama, becoming the first African American from Omaha to graduate and earn his wings. Davis graduated in Class SE-43-C on March 25, 1943, and was assigned to the
302nd Fighter Squadron,
332d Fighter Group. He was later the 332nd’s Assistant Group Operations Officer. The 332d was an all
African American unit, known as the "Red Tails" because of their group’s distinctive identification colors. He achieved the rank of
captain, flying the P-39, P-47 and
P-51 Mustang escort fighters. Davis’ last assignment was the squadron commander of the
99th Pursuit Squadron. During the war, the 99th destroyed 83 German aircraft. While on a
reconnaissance mission to
Munich, Germany, on October 29, 1944, flying P-51D-10-NA #44-14465, Davis was last sighted at 1245 hours over the northern Adriatic Sea in overcast weather conditions at approximately 45°22'59"N 13°9'59"E; he never returned to base. A Missing Air Crew Report (#9586) was produced, and the
War Department later issued a presumptive finding of death while missing in action on October 30, 1945. Davis' awards and decorations included a
Purple Heart, the
Distinguished Flying Cross, an
Air Medal with two
oak leaf clusters, a
Distinguished Unit Citation, and the French
Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 with Palm. He was credited with one aerial victory in the
Mediterranean Theater of Operations on July 16, 1944. The Tuskegee Airmen were later awarded the
Congressional Gold Medal in 2006. ==See also==