THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc. DATE: Thursday, January 30, 1997 TAG: 9701300376 SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A4 EDITION: FINAL DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: 24 lines
A commemorative stamp honoring Benjamin O. Davis, the nation's first black general, has been released by the Postal Service.
Retired Army Gen. Colin Powell was on hand for the ceremonies Tuesday, along with Davis' son, Benjamin O. Davis Jr., himself a retired Air Force general.
Born in Washington, the senior Davis joined the Army as a private and served in the Spanish-American War, became a major during World War I and a colonel in 1930.
He became the nation's first black general in 1940. During World War II he served as an adviser to the commander of the European Theater and in other posts. ILLUSTRATION: ASSOCIATED PRESS
A commemorative stamp honors Benjamin O. Davis, the nation's first
black general who joined the Army as a private.