Military Firsts: Lt Donna P Davis
In 1975, Lieutenant Donna P. Davis became the first Black woman doctor in the Naval Medical Corps.
‘Black Female Doc Reflects On Being “First” By Aveline V. Allen, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery YORBA LINDA, Calif. – “It was a very overwhelming and humbling experience to be in that kind of position,” said CAPT Donna P. Davis, MC, as she reflected back on April 25, 1975, when she became the Navy’s first black female physician. Davis remembered the lights and cameras that accompanied that milestone day in her life at the Navy Recruiting District headquarters, Jacksonville, Fla. “I remember there being a lot of media there, and people were very heartwarming and friendly,” Davis said.
One of the highlights were people coming up and introducing themselves after seeing her picture on the front of Navy Times, a military-oriented newspaper, and on television and in other newspapers. There were many deciding factors that led her to pursue a career in the Navy. Davis was looking for a career with stability and “structure,” yet still offered freedom to travel to different parts of the world.’
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