Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Frederic Ellis Davison (28 September 1917 – 24 January 1999) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

officer and the first

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

to reach the rank of major general and become a division commander. After serving in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, he served as commander of the

199th Light Infantry Brigade The 199th Infantry Brigade (Light) is a unit of the United States Army which served in the Army Reserve from 1921 to 1940, in the active army from 1966 to 1970 (serving in the Vietnam War), briefly in 1991–1992 at Fort Lewis, and from 2007 as a ...

during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

Early life and education

He was born in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

to Sue Bright Davison and Ellis Charles Davison on 28 September 1917. He attended Dunbar High School and then

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a Private university, private, University charter#Federal, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classifie ...

, graduating in 1938. He obtained his master's degree in 1940 in chemistry and zoology.

Military career

He was commissioned as a

Second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until 1 ...

in the

Reserve Officers' Training Corps The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC ( or )) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. Overview While ROTC graduate officers serve in all ...

in March 1939. He was called to active duty in March 1941 first serving as a platoon leader in Company H of the 3rd Battalion, 366th Infantry Regiment in the segregated

92nd Infantry Division 92nd Division may refer to: * 92nd Infantry Division (German Empire) * 92nd Armored Division The 92nd Armored Division, also called 92nd Armored Division of Ahvaz or 92nd Armored Division of Khuzestan (), is an armoured warfare, armored division ( ...

World War II

In September 1943, almost two years after the United States entered

, he took command of Company H, 366th Infantry before the 92nd Division deployed to Europe to participate in the Italian Campaign. He served in various roles in the 3/366th Infantry and ended the war commanding Company B, 1st Battalion, 371st Infantry Regiment.

Post WWII

He returned to the US in November 1945 and was placed on inactive duty on 30 March 1946. He was recalled to active duty in August 1947 and given command of Company D, 1st Battalion,

365th Infantry Regiment 365th may refer to: *365th Bombardment Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit *365th Electronic Warfare Group previously 1st Search Attack Group, United States Army Air Forces unit that served during World War II. 365 EWG was a 'paper' des ...

. In April 1952 he deployed to West Germany to join the 370th Armored Infantry Battalion where he served as operations officer and then executive officer. He attended

Command and General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

in 1954 and

War College A war college is a senior military academy which is normally intended for veteran military officers and whose purpose is to educate and 'train on' senior military tacticians, strategists, and leaders. It is also often the place where advanced tact ...

in 1962.

Vietnam War

Col. Davison was serving as acting commander of the 199th Light Infantry Brigade based at

Long Binh Post Long Binh Post (''Tổng kho Long Bình'') is a former U.S. Army base located in Long Bình, Đồng Nai between Biên Hòa and Saigon, Vietnam. The base functioned as a U.S. Army base, logistics center, and major command headquarters for U ...

at the start of the

Tet Offensive The Tet Offensive was a major escalation and one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War. It was launched on January 30, 1968 by forces of the Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) against the force ...

on 31 January 1968. Davison commanded his forces in the Tet Offensive attacks on Bien Hoa and Long Binh. He was given command of the brigade in August 1968. In September 1968 he was promoted to

Brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed t ...

, becoming only the second African American to achieve this rank.

Post Vietnam

In April 1971 he was promoted to major general. In May 1972 he was given command of the 8th Infantry Division, becoming the first African American division commander. His final assignment commencing in November 1973 was as commander of the Washington Military District. He retired from the Army in 1974 and became executive assistant at Howard University until 1985 when he retired from that role. He died on 24 January 1999 and was buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davison, Frederic E. 1917 births 1999 deaths Dunbar High School (Washington, D.C.) alumni Howard University alumni Military personnel from Washington, D.C. United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Army generals Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Burials at Arlington National Cemetery United States Army War College alumni United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni African Americans in World War II African-American United States Army personnel