One year ago, during "Black History Month", the Observer kindly
accepted from me a guest article outlining the career of Major
General Frederic E. Davison, USA, The first African-American to be
made a General in combat, first to command a combat brigade, first
to command a division, first to command the Military District of
Washington. It was my privilege to serve under General Davison with
the 199th Light Infantry Brigade in Vietnam.
I must sadly and proudly report that on February 2nd, 1999, we
buried the General at Arlington, with full military honors, in
his 83rd year. It was a grey, misty, rainy day, the kind of day
where an Infantryman gets wet, stays wet, and goes on with his
job. His funeral was attended by the three groups which he
valued; family, soldiers, educators. The General had little use
for politicians, and they stayed away. I cannot yet see the event
as a whole, here are some vignettes.
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The honorary pallbearers included two officers of four-star
rank, Chief of Staff, US Army, and CINCLANT, US Navy, two other
general officers, several family members and friends, and a
badly shot-up First Lieutenant from the 199th.
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More than a dozen of his former enlisted riflemen of the 199th
came to be there from all over the country, at their own
expense.
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Several of his comrades from his WWII unit, the all-black 366th
Infantry Regt. were present, elderly now, but perhaps the
proudest men I have ever seen wearing the Combat Infantryman
Badge.
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One of the General's great grand-daughters, about five, pretty
in pink and pigtails, standing at the salute because she saw us
doing so, startled by the first report as the howitzers fired
his thirteen gun salute.
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The US Third Infantry Regiment, "Old Guard", having been told
that this man had commanded a brigade in combat which included
their second battalion, were determined to make the ceremonial
perfect, and succeeded. They treated us as elder brothers.
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The names on the neighboring headstones; Bradley, Lemnitzer,
Collins, Taft.
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Our surviving commanding General, Major General Robert Forbes,
standing tall in the rain, bidding his friend farewell. This
was the man who accepted Colonel Davison as his deputy
commander, putting him in line for command. General Davison
once said to me "If Bob Forbes hadn't been color-blind, I would
have retired an old Colonel."
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The hardest moment for me; The passing of the most beautiful
horse I have ever seen, a dark chestnut, shining in the mist,
riderless, boots reversed in the stirrups. You go on ahead,
General, we'll catch up later.
David W. Murray