Davison and a handful of other students from Yale feared that the United States would soon be dragged into the war effort and would find itself poorly prepared, especially in aviation.

[5] After consulting with John Hays Hammond Jr. and Henry Woodhouse, Davison decided to pull together a group of twelve from amongst Yale's undergraduates to form a unit of flyboys that would possibly operate along the Atlantic Coast.

[4] Hammond and Admiral Peary of the American navy had worked out plans to develop a type of coast guard along the eastern shores that would operate from the air.

Turned down again and again, Davison didn't lose hope but instead became more persistent in his efforts to have the unit trained under military conditions and to have all of the members earn their navy wings so that they would be prepared to serve America at a moment's notice.

[10] A short while after returning to the Yale campus, Davison learned that Lieutenant John H. Towers, a legendary pilot and the third ever to earn navy wings, was in New York.

[16] After the war, Davison went back to Yale and, while rooming with fellow unit member "Di" (Artemus) Gates, finished his undergraduate program graduating in 1919.

After his father died Trubee and Dorothy built a house on the Davison estate, Peacock Point, in order to keep his mother company.

[2] Every year, Davison held a reunion for the First Yale Unit in New York City in the summer and sometimes other naval aviators would attend as well original members.