Mint. MNH. No flaws. From a Smoke-free and Pet-free Environment. 

The U.S. Postal Service issued these Benjamin O Davis Sr self-adhesive stamps on January 28, 1997 in Washington, DC - as the 20th installment in the Black Heritage Stamp Series. Stamp is based on a photograph from the National Archives taken by the US Army Signal Corps on August 8, 1944, with the caption: "U.S. GENERAL ON INSPECTION IN FRANCE. From an armored squad car near the American front in France, U.S. Brigadier General Benjamin O. Davis, of the Inspector General's department in Washington, centers his attention on a U.S. Army Signal Corps crew erecting telephone poles in the battle zone."

Benjamin Oliver Davis, Sr. was the first Black Brigadier General and a driving force in the eventual integration of the US armed forces. Born July 1, 1877 in Washington, DC, Davis devoted much of his life to a distinguished military career that spanned 50 years.  Enlisting as a private in the military service on July 13, 1898, he rose through the ranks. In 1905, he received a promotion to first lieutenant and also began teaching as a professor of military science at Wilberforce University in Ohio. He later taught at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, as well. Davis was promoted to colonel in 1930, and went on to become the first Black soldier to achieve the rank of general in 1940. During World War II, Davis served in the European theater. As an adviser on race relations, he championed the idea of an all-inclusive armed forces. On July 26, 1948, six days after Davis retired, President Truman issued the order ending racial discrimination in the military.

Scott # 3121