A Soldier's Story: Brigadier General Benjamin Oliver Davis Sr.
General Benjamin Oliver Davis Sr. was born on July 1, 1877, in Washington, DC. He enlisted (against his parents' wishes) during the Spanish-American war in 1889 as a 1st Lieutenant but mustered out shortly after. General Benjamin O Davis Sr. re-enlisted as a Private in June 1899 into the 9th Calvary (The Buffalo Soldiers) and was assigned to the western frontier. With Colonel (then Lieutenant Charles Young's tutoring, he passed the Officers Candidate test in 1901 and was commissioned as 2nd lieutenant General Benjamin O. Davis Sr. served again with the 9th Calvary during the Philippine insurrection in 1902 when the 9th Calvary was deployed to Liberia in 1911/12 and patrolling the Mexico/US border in 1912. He returned with the 9th Calvary to the Philippines from 1917-1920. Between the gaps of his deployments with the 9th Calvary, he taught Military Science and Tactics at Wilberforce University and Tuskegee University. General Benjamin O. Davis Sr. had the honor of escort