Cleola Davis
Cleola Davis is a U.S. Army veteran and author of Forged in Battle: African American Officers Serving in the United States Army.
Her work documents the stories of African American officers whose leadership and sacrifice shaped military history.
Cleola did not begin as a writer.
She began with a responsibility.
After encouragement from a fellow service member who completed the program, she joined with hesitation, but also with conviction that these stories deserved to be preserved.
Modern Author Program
“ ”
“I knew nothing about writing a book… but I couldn’t let these stories go untold.”
—Payton Lynch
What Changed?
Before the book, Cleola carried history in her head and heart.
After the book, she carried it into print.
“I know nothing about writing a book. I still don’t.”
That humility is real.
But she finished.
What changed wasn’t just her skill set.
It was her identity.
From veteran to published historian.
From participant in history to preserver of it.
