WWII Hero Who Faked Being White Gets Honors

A light-skinned black man who pretended to be white so he could fight for the U.S. military in World War II was honored posthumously Monday for his outstanding bravery.

Calvin Clark Davis flew 50 missions in the Pacific theater-- enough to exempt him from further combat--but he then volunteered to fight in Europe, where he was killed during a bombing run over Germany.

On Monday, Davis’ family received seven military medals honoring his service, including his World War II Victory Medal and the Purple Heart.

“This is one of the most incredible stories of dedication to country I have ever heard,” said Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-Mich.), who read a description of each medal as Rep. John Conyers Jr (D-Mich.) presented them.

Hoekstra said Davis was one of many blacks who passed themselves off as white so they wouldn’t be relegated to noncombat duty under segregation rules.

“Even [with] the imperfections and the hostility that was shown to them by their country, they loved America,” Hoekstra said at a ceremony before students at Davis’ alma mater, Bear Lake High School.

Davis was descended from a white plantation owner and a black slave, said Calvin Murphy, Davis’ cousin who worked for two years to obtain the medals for the relative he never knew.

Murphy, 54, came across a newspaper article a couple of years ago saying Davis might have been in line for medals and he contacted numerous agencies, including Hoekstra’s office.

“I just wanted him to get what he’s entitled to, and I wanted to make sure his story would live on after I’m gone,” Murphy said.

Orphaned as a child, Davis was raised in poverty by his older sister. But Davis’ race was never an issue in the rural northeastern Michigan village, said Lester Reed, 88, one of Davis’ former classmates.

“He looked about as white as you or me. His sister was black, but nobody paid any attention to it,” Reed said.

Davis enlisted in the 5th U.S. Army Air Force in May 1941. He was among a bomber crew that received the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism during an attack on a Japanese airfield in 1943.

Once Davis was transferred to Europe, he became a radio operator aboard a B-17 bomber. On Nov. 30, 1944, his plane and another collided during an attack on German oil refineries. Six of the bomber’s nine crewmen, including Davis, were killed.

Hoekstra said he and Conyers were still researching whether Davis should receive the Silver Star and Medal of Honor.

“He should be honored not only for his heroic efforts as a soldier, but for his willingness to serve a country that did not necessarily want his service,” Conyers said.