Honoring African-American Servicemembers - 2013 by GDW Designs inK

HONORING AFRICAN AMERICAN SERVICE MEMBERS

HONORING

Buffalo Soldiers 1866 – 1951 The Branch Marine Corps Leadership Scholarship The Tuskegee Airmen A Brief History of The Navy’s Black Admirals NASA’s African-American Astronauts

nation’s military with honor and distinction. It’s our privilege to join in saluting African-American servicemembers, past and present, for their commitment to our nation’s strength and security.

FEBRUARY 2014

TODAYTOMORROWBEYOND

SALUTE TO FREEDOM •

For more than 230 years, African Americans have served in our

INSIDE:

From the Buffalo Soldiers to our present day leaders: history-making African-American’s serving our country with dedication and honor.

USMC Drill instructor Sgt. Tashan Williams, motivates Manson Bernardini, as part of the 2013 Field Meet. The annual USMC event is designed to test for physical fitness to ensure preparedness for Marine Corps boot camp. Photo: Sgt. Richard Blumenstein, USMC

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Antonio Thomas hugs his wife after returning home from a seven-month deployment to Afghanistan. Thomas is an equipment operator assigned to Motor Transport Support Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 3. Photo: Kristen Wong, USMC

The “dead leg crawl” is one of nine obstacles on the Air Assault obstacle course at Fort Bliss, Texas. Pvt. Sonja Robinson, human resources specialist with HQ Company, Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Armored Division, survived the barbed wire and completed the course with her company during Sergeant’s Time Training, Nov. 14, 3013. Photo: Spc. Jeanita C. Pisachubbe, 1st AD CAB Public Affairs, U.S. Army

08 10 14 16 18 22

Willa Brown Chappell Educator, Aviator, Activist

Black History Month 2014

General Dennis L. Via U.S. Army Materiel Command

Veterans for Others Two Students Lead VeteransSuccess Club at UMUC

46 51

The Tuskegee Airmen

Marcia M. Anderson Army’s First African-American Female Major General

Letter from the Editor The Civil Rights Act of 1964

The U.S. Military and Desegregation President Barack Obama Commander and Chief

ARMY

Colin Powell Respected Military Leader, Adviser, Statesman, Author, Businessman and Philanthropist

Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Bostic STEM Education Advocate

Regional Command South Celebrates Black History Month

34 40

Buﬀalo Soldiers 1866 – 1951 Rising Through the Ranks Maj. Gen. Larry D. Wyche

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

General Vincent K. Brooks First African-American West Point Cadet Brigade Commander

NAVY

Cook Third Class Doris Miller, USN Epitome of Bravery and Honor

58 62

A Brief History of The Navy’s Black Admirals

Vice Admiral Michelle Janine Howard Navy’s First Female Three-Star Officer

Montel Williams Retired Navy Lieutenant

Admiral Cecil D. Haney Commander, U.S. Strategic Command

We were there when you landed on the northern coast of France. We were there when you returned to the Philippine shore. We were there when you fought in Korea and Vietnam. We were there when you rolled across the deserts of Iraq. We were there then. We will always be there.

Serving the insurance needs of Enlisted Military for over 73 years.

1-800-MILITARY (1-800-645-4827) AUTO

HOME

RENTERS

MOTORCYCLE

BOAT

Homeowners, renters, and boat coverages are written through non-affiliated insurance companies and are secured through the GEICO Insurance Agency Inc. Motorcycle coverage is underwritten by GEICO Indemnity Company. Some discounts, coverages, payment plans, and features are not available in all states or in all GEICO companies. Government Employees Insurance Co. • GEICO General Insurance Co. • GEICO Indemnity Co. • GEICO Casualty Co. These companies are subsidiaries of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. GEICO, Washington, DC 20076. © 2009 GEICO

Command Master Chief Jeffrey Pickering salutes during a burial at sea aboard the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). Photo: Mass Comm Spc 2nd Class Nicolas C. Lopez, USN

AIR FORCE

MARINES

98 Maj. Gen. Charles Frank Bolden, Jr.

Daniel ‘Chappie’ James, Jr. First African-American Air Force Four-Star General

72 Maj. Gen. Samuel A. Greaves Deputy Director, MDA

74 Maj. Gen. Alfred K. Flowers USAF’s Longest Serving Airman 78 General Edward A. Rice, Jr. Air Education and Training Command

12th NASA Administrator

102 DeLoyce McMurray, WWII Veteran

Congressional Gold Medal Recipient

104 The Branch Marine Corps Leadership Scholarship

105 Frederick C. Branch

First African-American USMC Commissioned officer

80 General Larry O. Spencer

106 Hamilton Brothers

84 Colonel Benjamin Alvin Drew, Jr.

108 Petty Officer 2

86 NASA’s African-American Astronauts 90 Brig. Gen. Stayce D. Harris

110

Shares Ties to Civil Rights Movement NASA Astronaut

Air Force Reserves Highest-Ranking African-American Female Aviator

92 Lt. Gen. Ronnie Hawkins, Jr. Director, DISA

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

Make USMC a Family Tradition Class Marlon Best Religious Program Specialist Camp Dwyer, Afghanistan nd

Vernice Armour First African-American Female Combat Pilot

112 Decades later,

Marine Awarded for Heroism

H O N O R I N G

S E R V I C E M E M B E R S PUBLISHER

LaFayette Marketing Group, Inc. PO Box 1287 Indian Rocks Beach, FL 33785 info@uspresservice.com www.lafayettemarketinggroup.com www.african-american-servicemembers.us

John D. Kerin PRESIDENT

Gabrielle D. Wood EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Karry Thomas ART DIRECTOR

Lori Dawson WEB MASTER

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Sharon Coleman | Mike Deierl Catherine Richmond | Mike Zinn PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED BY:

U.S. Army; Sgt. Ashley Bell; Staff Sgt. Teddy Wade; Keith Desbois; Spc. Kim Wilkins; Liana Mayo, 311th SC; Crista Mary Mack; Sgt. M. Benjamin Gable; Sgt. Uriah Walker, 3rd ID Public Affairs; Army Air Corps Archives; Army Transportation Museum. U.S. Navy; Staff Sgt. Daniel Martinez; Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kitt Amaritnant; Lt. Mark Duehmig; Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Nicolas C. Lopez; Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Elizabeth Simmons; Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class William S. Parker. USAF archives; Lt. Col. John Sheets; Russell Fritz; Richard McFadden; Tech. Sgt. Amaani Lyle; Staff Sgt. Vernon Young Jr.; Jim Varhegyi; Master Sgt. Cecilio Ricardo; Kemberly Groue. USMC archives; Lance Cpl. Pedro Cardenas; Cpl. Erik S. Brooks Jr.; Lance Cpl. Mel Johnson; Cpl. Timothy Childers; Lance Cpl. Samuel Ellis. NASA, NASA/Bill Ingalls; Library of Congress; The National Archives; Cecil Stoughton; Samantha Appleton.

ON THE COVER:

Camp Leatherneck Helmand province Afghanistan - U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Terrill M. Clark from Pattison, Texas and assigned to Headquarters Company, Regimental Combat Team (RCT) 7 holds a challenge coin given to him by Gen. James F. Amos, the commandant of the Marine Corps, on Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, June 18, 2013. Clark is deployed to Afghanistan with RCT-7 in support of operation Enduring Freedom. Photo: Cpl. Alejandro Pena, USMC. Copyright © 2014 LaFayette Marketing Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of editorial or images in whole or part is strictly prohibited without written permission from publisher. LaFayette Marketing Group, Inc., assumes no responsibility for advertisements or claims made therein. The publisher expressly disclaims any liability for inaccuracies or omissions of information contained herein whether occurring during the publication of such information for publication or otherwise. All trademarks, service marks, logos and registered trademarks are the sole property of respective owners. Disclaimer: Neither the Department of Defense nor any other component of the Department of Defense, nor any other government or military bodies have approved, endorsed or authorized this product or promotion, service or activity. 6

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

Staff Sgt. Giovanna Gladney, Keesler Honor Guard, salutes during a funeral service at the Biloxi National Cemetery in Biloxi, Miss. The Keesler Honor Guard’s primary mission is to render military honors for our nation’s fallen service members. Photo: Kemberly Groue, USAF

Thank you to those who serve and have served.

PENFED.ORG

Federally Insured By NCUA

From the

irst I would like to say what an honor it was to put together this publication. In working on this book, I received quite the history lesson. Where I grew up, the school system was more interested in making sure students were schooled in Greek mythology rather than real-world history. It would have been nice to learn the real-life stories of men and women who put forth hard work and dedication and achieved their dreams and destinies. I am in awe of the level of determination demonstrated by each and every person within the pages of this publication; as well, the acts of heroism and selflessness should be an inspiration to all. While this periodical in no way can shine a light on the lives of all the men and women whose dedication made it possible for we American’s to enjoy our freedoms, we have made our best efforts to spotlight as many interesting and history-making individuals as would fit into a magazine of this size. From each major branch of the military there have been men and women who would not allow themselves to be held back because of race or the policies of the military or government. In their own way each played a part in making it possible for others to follow their paths to success as well as enabling the creation of new roads to achievement and barrier breaking. The legacy of past African-American Servicemembers will be that they have forever changed the course of history for those American’s who would have otherwise continued to be denied certain rights and freedoms because of the color of their skin or their gender. Parallel to this is that the legacy of current African-American Servicemembers, is that they too will continue to change the landscape and course of our history through their efforts and perseverance. 8

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

Editor

Sgt Kristopher Robinson embraces his daughter after returning to Camp Pendleton, Calif., from an eight-month deployment aboard USS Peleliu, May 1, 2013. Photo: Cpl. Timothy Childers, USMC

Seems so out of place that here in the year 2014, 50 years after the signing of the Civil Rights Act, that barriers still exist and therefore ‘firsts’ are still being documented in relation to the race, creed, color or sex of an individual. Each person in this publication stood before obstacles in which others had yet to overcome. There is a great lesson to be learned here, for each of us.

wide open to possibility, and that all their efforts and energies can be put toward accomplishing their goals and dreams without having to fight against the prejudices that stem from the smallmindedness and insecurities of others.

If it is not I who takes the first step, then, who? It is my hope that the future of my beautiful nieces and nephews will be

G.D. Wood Editor-in-Chief

United Concordia Dental has administered dental benefits for military members and their families for more than 17 years. We are proud to support our nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s African-American military service members, veterans and retirees. We salute your courage and honor.

www.ucci.com

July 2, 1964 – President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the 1964 Civil Rights Act as Martin Luther King, Jr., and others, look on. Photo: Cecil Stoughton

Civil Rights Act of The

1964

he Civil Rights Act of 1964 is the nation’s benchmark civil rights legislation, and it continues to resonate in America. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Passage of the Act ended the application of “Jim Crow” laws, which had been upheld by the Supreme Court in the 1896 case Plessy v. Ferguson, in which the Court held that racial segregation purported to be “separate but 10

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

equal” was constitutional. The Civil Rights Act was eventually expanded by Congress to strengthen enforcement of these fundamental civil rights. The House Judiciary Committee held a series of hearings on the proposed legislation during the summer of 1963. The proposed bill was amended during the committee process to broaden the scope of protections. The changes strengthened President Kennedy’s original proposal in response to the tumultuous

CELEBRATING EQUALITY AND OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL

Texas State University is a tobacco-free campus.

LBJ Library photo by Frank Wolfe

LYNDON JOHNSON committed his presidency to bringing important rights to all Americans. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was landmark legislation that guaranteed all citizens protection from discrimination and racial segregation. In 1965, President Johnson also signed the Higher Education Act at his alma mater, Texas State University. At the signing, President Johnson called this law “... the most important door that will ever open — the door to education.” As a result, hundreds of thousands of men and women from all backgrounds have been able to create a bright future with a college education. Texas State University is proud of its alumnus, Lyndon Baines Johnson, and his acts of leadership to establish fairness and equal opportunity.

Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X meet before a press conference. Both men had come to hear the Senate debate on the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This was the only time the two men ever met; their meeting lasted only one minute. Photo: Library of Congress

summer of 1963,which saw several incidents of racially motivated violence across the South. The House Judiciary Committee approved the legislation on October 26, 1963, and formally reported it to the full House on November 20, 1963, just two days before President Kennedy was assassinated. On November 27, 1963, President Lyndon Johnson asserted his commitment to President Kennedyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legislative agenda, particularly civil rights legislation. The House of Representatives passed a final version of the Civil Rights Act on February 10, 1964. The bill came before the Senate in February 1964. Because the Senate Judiciary Committee failed to act on proposed civil rights legislation just seven years earlier, Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield filed a procedural motion to prevent the Civil Rights Act of 1964 from being referred to the Committee. Despite opposition to the motion from Senators opposed to the Civil Rights Act, Mansfield successfully 12

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

prevented the bill from being referred to the Committee. The Senate began debate on the proposal on March 30, 1964. Senator Edward Kennedy, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, dedicated his first speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate to the consideration of the Civil Rights Act. Senator Kennedy would go on to become the longest serving member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. After a 54-day filibuster of the legislation, a bipartisan group of Senators introduced a compromise bill. The legislation enjoyed enough Senate support to end the stalemate, and was ultimately passed on June 19, 1964, by a vote of 73 to 27. On July 2, 1964, the House voted to adopt the Senate-passed legislation, rather than insisting on a conference of the bill. President Johnson signed the bill into law that very afternoon. The Civil Rights Act paved the way for future anti-discrimination legislation, including the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

LIKE YOU, WE WEAR OUR NAME WITH PRIDE

The Johnson & Johnson Family of Consumer Companies proudly supports all the brave men and women of the United States Military who protect our freedom across the globe. Our portfolio of trusted brands provides the depth you demand to address the needs of your patrons, improve customer well-being and build stronger sales. As a partner in your success, we’ll continue to deliver the key customer insights, category drivers and the overall support you need to run even the most challenging business.

For further information, please contact your Johnson & Johnson Family of Consumer Companies Representative. Use all products only as directed. © Johnson & Johnson Sales & Logistics Company, LLC 2013 AVEENO,® BAND-AID,® NEOSPORIN,® CLEAN & CLEAR,® BENGAY,® and JOHNSON'S® are brands marketed by Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products Company Division of Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc. VISINE® and LISTERINE® are brands marketed by Johnson & Johnson Healthcare Products Division of McNEIL-PPC, Inc. NEUTROGENA® brand is marketed by Neutrogena Corporation.

2014

Black History Month The Golden Jubilee of the Civil Rights Act

Black History Month in 2014 celebrates people, places, and important occasions that prominently figure in the battle for civil rights in America.

ach year beginning on February 1st, an entire month of events are planned nationwide honoring the history and contributions of African Americans. The theme for Black History Month in 2014 is “ Civil Rights in America” chronicling the important milestones by African-Americans and others in the battle for civil rights and equal treatment under the law. 150 years ago, on January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation set the United States on the path of ending slavery. A century later, on August 27, 1963, hundreds of thousands of Americans, blacks and whites, joined the March on Washington to the memorial of Abraham Lincoln, the author of the Emancipation Proclamation, in pursuit of the ideal of equality of citizenship. It was also on this occasion that Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous speech, “I Have a Dream”. Since 1976, every American president has proclaimed February as Black History Month. Today, other countries such as Canada and the United Kingdom also devote an entire month to celebrating black history. The precursor to Black History Month was created in 1926 in the United States, when historian Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History announced the second week of February to be “Negro History Week.” This week was chosen because it marked the birthday of both 14

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. From the event’s initial phase, primary emphasis was placed on encouraging the coordinated teaching of the history of American blacks in the nation’s public schools. The first Negro History Week was met with a lukewarm response, gaining the cooperation of the Departments of Education of the states of North Carolina, Delaware, and West Virginia as well as the city school administrations of Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Despite this far from universal acceptance, the event was nevertheless regarded by Woodson as “one of the most fortunate steps ever taken by the Association,” and plans for a repeat of the event on an annual basis continued apace. The expansion of Black History Week to Black History Month was first proposed by the leaders of the Black United Students at Kent State University in February 1969. The first celebration of the Black History Month took place at Kent State one year later, in February 1970. In 1976 as part of the United States Bicentennial, the informal expansion of Negro History Week to Black History Month was officially recognized by the U.S. government. President Gerald Ford spoke in regards to this, urging Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”

Use of U.S. DoD imagery does not imply or constitute U.S. DoD endorsement.

A LEGACY OF SERVICE

L-3 honors the dedicated African American servicemen and women who have safeguarded our freedoms and those who continue to defend our nation. L-3com.com

Veterans for Others

Two students lead VeteransSuccess Club at UMUC

Gregory Barber

Terry Bowie

regory Barber and Terry Bowie took different paths from the U.S. military to leadership roles as students at University of Maryland University College (UMUC), but they share a common goal: to provide additional support to veterans, active-duty servicemembers, reservists and their families in overcoming obstacles that might hinder their educational journeys. Barber and Bowie are president and vice president, respectively, UMUC’s student-run VeteransSuccess Club. The club helps retiring servicemembers handle essential job-search tasks such as writing a resume, and guides them in translating skills developed in the military into competencies employers are looking for in a qualified candidate. Barber, Bowie and other veterans founded the club in September 2012 because they believe that while the military is getting better at helping servicemembers transition out of the service, many people leaving the military are not fully prepared to land civilian employment. Barber has finished a master’s degree in business administration and Bowie is closing in on his bachelor’s degree in business. “I want to make sure they are more prepared than I was,” says Barber, who retired in 2008 after 21 years in the Air Force. “I had earned my bachelor’s degree in information systems management while I was on active duty and already had been hired by Booz Allen Hamilton before I retired. I felt blessed because I had an effective resume and others who helped me navigate through finding employment before retiring.” Bowie took classes with UMUC while serving with Air Force in Japan in the 1980s, but left the military without a degree and started working. “With my electronics background, I got a job with IBM Rolm and was doing a lot of travel,” says Bowie. “As more time went by, it was harder to go back to school. But I knew I needed to go back and finish.” 16

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

People with military backgrounds may spend many years in the civilian workforce before returning to school, and it is important to remember that these students also need support, Bowie adds. The VeteransSuccess Club stands ready to help, he says. More than 360 students are signed up for the online club (most of UMUC’s courses are offered online), but members of the organization also get together in person—and the number who attend the monthly in-person meetings is growing. These sessions take place in a relaxed environment that is as conducive to discussions about concerns such as military transition, job opportunities or employment benefits as it is to informal conversation. In addition to serving as mentors and tutors, Barber and Bowie have brought in speakers and organized community service projects, including volunteer outings at homeless shelters and soup kitchens and delivering specialized meals directly to individuals’ homes. “We really have the best of both worlds,” Barber says. “We have the ability to communicate and support our fellow veterans and servicemembers, who can be located anywhere in the world, but we also get to see many of them in person. Either way, we hope we are making a positive influence in their lives.” Barber’s advice to those who are still serving in the military and someday will be a veteran like him? “Establish a plan early, earn a marketable degree,” he says. “We’ll also be here to help.”

VeteransSuccess Club Members

UMUC SALUTES AFRICAN AMERICAN VETERANS

of the U.S. Armed Forces and Honors Their Service Since its founding in 1947, University of Maryland University College (UMUC) has been serving the U.S. military and helping servicemembers transition to

civilian life by expanding their knowledge and skills. UMUC’s focus on removing barriers to higher education has also enhanced its appeal to busy professionals, including more African American undergraduates than any other four-year Maryland institution. UMUC thanks you for your service.

AT YOUR SERVICE SINCE 1947



Named a 2014 Best for Vets school by Military Times Edge



You’ve served your country. Find out how UMUC can serve you. 800-939-UMUC (8682) • military.umuc.edu

Soldiers from the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division in action near the Châ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ongchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;on River, Nov. 20, 1950.

The Military history of African-Americans spans from the arrival of the first black slaves during the colonial history of the United States to the present day. There has been no war fought by or within the United States in which African Americans did not participate, including the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the Civil War, the Spanish American War, the World Wars, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as other minor conflicts.

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

The

U.S. Military and

Desegregation A

REVOLUTIONARY WAR frican-Americans as slaves and free blacks, served on both sides during the war. Black soldiers served in northern militias from the outset, but this was forbidden in the South, where slave-owners feared arming slaves. Lord Dunmore,

the Royal Governor of Virginia, issued an emancipation proclamation in November 1775, promising freedom to runaway slaves who fought for the British; Sir Henry Clinton issued a similar edict in New York in 1779. Over 100,000 slaves escaped to the British lines, although possibly as few as 1,000 served under arms. Many of the rest served

Soldiers load trucks with rations bound for frontline troops. From left to right are Pvt. Harold Hendricks, Staff Sgt. Carl Haines, Sgt. Theodore Cutright, Pvt. Lawrence Buckhalter, Pfc. Horace Deahl and Pvt. David N. Hatcher. The troops were assigned to the 4185th Quartermaster Service Company, Liege, Belgium. Photo Courtesy Army Transportation Museum.

HONORING AFRICAN-AMERICAN SERVICE MEMBERS

Sergeant William Harvey Carney of New Bedford, MA, became the first African American awarded the Medal of Honor for “most distinguished gallantry in action” during the assault on Fort Wagner, South Carolina, on July 18, 1863. After being shot in the thigh, Carney crawled uphill on his knees, bearing the Union flag and urging his troops to follow.

as orderlies, mechanics, laborers, servants, scouts and guides, although more than half died in smallpox epidemics that swept the British forces, and many were driven out of the British lines when food ran low. Despite Dunmore’s promises the majority were not given their freedom. In response, and because of manpower shortages, Washington lifted the ban on black enlistment in the Continental Army in January 1776. All-black units were formed in Rhode Island and Massachusetts; many were slaves promised freedom for serving in lieu of their masters; another all-AfricanAmerican unit came from Haiti with French forces. At least 5,000 African-American soldiers fought as Revolutionaries, and at least 20,000 served with the British.

generally prohibited enlistment of blacks in the Army became the United States Army’s official policy until 1862. The only exception to this Army policy was Louisiana, which gained an exemption at the time of its purchase through a treaty provision, which allowed it to opt out of the operation of any law, which ran counter to its traditions and customs. Louisiana permitted the existence of separate black militia units that drew its enlistees from freed blacks. A militia unit, The Louisiana Battalion of Free Men of Color, and a unit of black soldiers from Santo Domingo offered their services and were accepted by General Andrew Jackson in the Battle of New Orleans, a victory that was achieved after the war was officially over.

WAR OF 1812 During the War of 1812, about one-quarter of the personnel in the American naval squadrons of the Battle of Lake Erie were black, and portrait renderings of the battle on the wall of the Nation’s Capitol and the rotunda of Ohio’s Capitol show that blacks played a significant role in it. Hannibal Collins, a freed slave and Oliver Hazard Perry’s personal servant, is thought to be the oarsman in William Henry Powell’s Battle of Lake Erie.[5] Collins earned his freedom as a veteran of the Revolutionary War, having fought in the Battle of Rhode Island. He accompanied Perry for the rest of Perry’s naval career, and was with him at Perry’s death in Trinidad in 1819. No legal restrictions regarding the enlistment of blacks were placed on the Navy because of its chronic shortage of manpower. The law of 1792, which

U.S. CIVIL WAR During the Civil War, Blacks enlisted in large numbers. They were mostly Southern slaves who escaped, although there were many northern black Unionists as well. Union Army setbacks in battles over the summer of 1862 led President Lincoln to emancipate all slaves in states at war with the Union. In September 1862 Lincoln issued his preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, announcing that all slaves in rebellious states would be free as of January 1. Recruitment of colored regiments began in full force following the Proclamation of January 1863. The United States War Department issued General Order Number 143 on May 22, 1863, establishing a “Bureau of Colored Troops” to facilitate the recruitment of African-American soldiers to fight for the Union Army. More than 180,000 freed blacks served with the Union Army and Navy during the

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

Civil War under the command of white officers. Regiments, including infantry, cavalry, engineers, light artillery, and heavy artillery units, were recruited from all states of the Union and became known as the United States Colored Troops (USCT). As with Army Militia’s, black naval service stretches back to the beginnings of our nation. Thousands of black men fought on the side of rebellious colonists in the American Revolutionary War, many in the new Continental Navy. Their names, accomplishments or total numbers are unknown because of poor record keeping. Blacks also participated in the Union Navy during the Civil War. Many were enslaved blacks that escaped to Union lines. About 18,000 blacks were sailors with Union Forces. They were recorded and are part of the National Park Service’s War Soldiers & Sailors System (CWSS). Upon entering office in 1912, President Woodrow Wilson segregated the United States Navy. Before this, the Navy had never been segregated. SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR After the Indian Wars ended in the 1890s, the regiments continued to serve and participated in the Spanish-American War (including the Battle of San Juan Hill), where five more Medals of Honor were earned.[12] They took part in the 1916 Punitive Expedition into Mexico and in the Philippine-American War. The SpanishAmerican War’s General Shafter preferred his “Buffalo Soldiers” to their white counterparts. WWI The U.S. armed forces remained segregated through World War I. Still, many African Americans eagerly volunteered to join the Allied cause following America’s entry into the war. By the time of the armistice with Germany on November 1918, over 350,000 African Americans had served with the American Expeditionary Force on the Western Front. While a handful of Blacks were commissioned as officers in World War I, white officers remained the rule in that conflict. WWII “Red Ball Express” was the Army code name for a truck convoy system that stretched from St. Lo in Normandy to Paris and eventually to the front along France’s northeastern borderland. The route was marked with red

balls. On an average day, 900 fully loaded vehicles were on the Red Ball route roundthe-clock with drivers officially ordered to observe 60-yard intervals and a top speed of 25 miles per hour. Nearly 75 percent of all Red Ball Express drivers were African American. During that time, the Army relegated blacks primarily to “safe” service and supply outfits, while the Navy assigned them as mess stewards. Because all Marines are combat troops – the Corps refused to take blacks at all until 1942. At the Red Ball’s peak, 140 truck companies were strung out with a round trip taking 54 hours as the route stretched nearly 400 miles to First Army and 350 to Patton’s Third. Convoys rolled all day every day regardless of the weather, with restrictive night driving due to black out rules. The Red Ball Express was was instrumental in facilitating the rapid advance of Allied forces across France shortly after D-Day. In the midst of the Battle of the Bulge in late 1944, General Dwight D. Eisenhower was severely short of replacement troops for existing military units – all of which were totally white in composition. Consequently, he made the decision to allow African-American soldiers to pick up a gun and join the white military units to fight in combat for the first time. This was the first step toward a desegregated United States military, even though Eisenhower’s decision in was strongly opposed by his own army chief of staff, Lt. Gen.Walter Bedell Smith.

KOREAN WAR At the end of June 1950, the Korean War broke out. The U.S. Army had accomplished little desegregation in peacetime and sent the segregated Eighth Army to defend South Korea. Most black soldiers served in segregated support units in the rear. The remainder served in segregated combat units, most notably the 24th Infantry Regiment. The first months of the Korean War were some of the most disastrous in U.S. military history. The North Korean People’s Army nearly drove the American-led United Nations forces off the Korean peninsula. Faced with staggering losses in white units, commanders on the ground began accepting black replacements, thus integrating their units. The practice occurred all over the Korean battle lines and proved that integrated combat units could perform under fire. The Army high command took notice. On July 26, 1951, the US Army formally announced its plans to desegregate, exactly three years after Truman issued Executive Order 9981. In 1948, President Harry S. Truman’s Executive Order 9981 ordered the integration of the armed forces shortly after World War II, a major advance in civil rights. Using the Executive Order (E.O.) meant that Truman could bypass Congress. Representatives of the Solid South, all white Democrats, would likely have stonewalled related legislation.

Soon Army officials required Morning Reports (the daily report of strength accounting and unit activity required of every unit in the Army on active duty) of units in Korea to include the line “NEM XX OTHER EM XX TOTAL EM XX”, where XX was the number of Negro and Other races, in the section on enlisted strength. The Form 20s for enlisted personnel recorded race. For example, the percentage of Black Enlisted Personnel in the 4th Signal Battalion was maintained at about 14% from September 1951 to November 1952, mostly by clerks’ selectively assigning replacements by race. Morning Report clerks of this battalion assumed that all units in Korea were doing the same. The Morning Reports were classified “RESTRICTED” in those years. In World War II, the US Navy first experimented with integrating the USCGC Sea Cloud, then later the USS Mason, (both commanded by Carlton Skinner) a ship with black crew members and commanded by white officers. Some called it “Eleanor’s folly”, after President Franklin Roosevelt’s wife. The Mason’s purpose was to allow black sailors to serve in the full range of billets (positions), rather than being restricted to stewards and mess men, as they were on most ships. The Navy had already been pressured to train black sailors for billets. Mrs. Roosevelt insisted that black sailors be given the jobs that they were trained to do. This experiment was a historic step on the long road to integration.

Company E, 4th United States Colored Infantry, assigned to guard the nation’s capital during the Civil War. Photo: Library of Congress

HONORING AFRICAN-AMERICAN SERVICE MEMBERS

President Barack Obama Commander and Chief

• • • • • • •

Economic stimulus legislation American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization Job Creation Act of 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010

Soldiers render honors to the President and First Lady Obama as they make their way to the podium at Fort Stewart to address the audience. Photo: Sgt. Uriah Walker, 3rd ID Public Affairs, U.S. Army 22

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

Photo: Courtesy USAF

arack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States, and the first African American to hold the office and be elected to a second term. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Obama is a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, where he was president of the Harvard Law Review. From 1992 to 2004 he worked as a civil rights attorney in Chicago and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School. He served three terms representing the 13th District in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004. In 2004, Obama received national attention during his campaign to represent Illinois in the United States Senate with his victory in the March Democratic Party primary, his keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in July, and his election to the Senate that November. In 2007 he began his presidential campaign, and in 2008 won the presidential nomination. Upon defeating Republican nominee John McCain in the general election, he was inaugurated as president on January 20, 2009. Nine months after his election, Obama was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize for his “extraordinary efforts” to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. The Norwegian Nobel Committee cited his promotion of nuclear nonproliferation and a “new climate” in international relations especially in reaching out to the Muslim world. Obama accepted the prize in Oslo on December 10, 2009. During his first two years in office Obama signed into law:

In foreign policy he ended U.S. military involvement in the Iraq War, increased U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan, signed the New START arms control treaty with Russia, ordered U.S. military involvement in Libya, and ordered the military operation that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden. Obama also became the first sitting U.S. president to publicly support same-sex marriage. In November 2010, the Republicans regained control of the House of Representatives as the Democratic Party lost a total of 63 seats, and after a lengthy debate over federal spending and whether or not to raise the nation’s debt limit, Obama signed the Budget Control Act of 2011 and the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. Obama was re-elected president in November 2012, defeating Republican nominee Mitt Romney, and was sworn in for a second term on January 20, 2013. During his second term in domestic policy, Obama has promoted policies related to gun control, has called for full equality for LGBT Americans, and his administration filed briefs which urged the Supreme Court to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996 and California’s Proposition 8 as unconstitutional. In foreign policy, Obama has continued the process of ending U.S. combat operations in Afghanistan.

Special savings for our country’s finest. To show our appreciation for your service, here’s 20% off for your next rental. Now you can catch up with friends and family, or maybe check out some place new. Just use BCD # V053905 when you book. Want more deals? Get Get $25 off a weekly rental (use MUWZ084) or a free weekend day (use (use TUSZ003).

Reserve today at budget.com/recgov or call 1-800-527-0700.

100371-01

$25 Off a Weekly Rental

Free Weekend Day

Terms and Conditions: Offer valid on a compact (group B) and above, excluding specialty (group X) vehicles. Dollars off applies to the time-and-mileage charges only on a minimum five-day rental period. Saturday night keep required. Taxes, concession recovery fees, vehicle license recovery fee, customer facility charges ($10/contract in CA) may apply and are extra. Optional products such as LDW ($29.99/day or less) and refueling are extra. Offer valid at participating Budget locations in the contiguous U.S. and Canada. One offer per rental. An advance reservation is required. May not be used in conjunction with any other coupon, promotion or offer, except your BCD discount. Offer subject to vehicle availability at time of reservation and may not be available on some rates at some times. For reservations made on budget.com, dollars off will be applied at time of rental. Renter must meet Budget age, driver and credit requirements. Minimum age may vary by location. An additional daily surcharge may apply for renters under 25 years old. Renter must present proof of U.S. Government affiliation at the time of rental. Rental must begin by 12/31/2013.

Terms and Conditions: Offer of one weekend day free applies to the time and mileage charges only of the third consecutive day of a minimum three-day weekend rental on a compact (group B) through a full-size four-door (group E) car. Maximum rental period is five days. Weekend rental period begins Thursday and car must be returned by Monday 11:59 p.m. or a higher rate will apply. A Saturday night keep is required. Offer valid at participating Budget airport and neighborhood locations in the contiguous U.S. (excluding the New York Metro area) and Canada. Taxes, concession recovery fees, vehicle license recovery fee, customer facility charges ($10/contract in CA) may apply and are extra. Optional products such as LDW ($29.99/day or less) and refueling are extra. Offer cannot be used for one-way rentals; one offer per rental. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other coupon, promotion or offer except your BCD discount. An advance reservation is required. Offer may not be available during holiday and other blackout periods. Offer subject to vehicle availability at the time of reservation and may not be available on some rates at some times. For reservations made on budget.com, free day will be applied at time of rental. Renter must meet Budget age, driver and credit requirements. Minimum age may vary by location. An additional daily surcharge may apply for renters under 25 years old. Rental must begin by 12/31/2013.

COUPON # MUWZ084

COUPON # TUSZ003

To save up to 20% every time you rent, use BCD # V053905.

U .

U.S. ARMY

S . A R

Motto: This Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll Defend

M Y

Colors: Black and Gold Established: June 14, 1775

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

Spc. Joy Odom, an aviation operations specialist from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, recites the Oath of Enlistment in the back of a UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter, Nov. 1, over Laghman province, Afghanistan. Photo: Capt. Peter Smedberg, USA

Colin Powell Respected Military Leader, Adviser, Statesman, Author, Businessman and Philanthropist

U . S . A R M Y

olin Luther Powell is a United States statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State (2001-2005), serving under President George W. Bush. He was the first African American appointed to that position. He was the first, and so far the only, African American to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Powell was raised in the South Bronx and educated in the New York City public schools, and graduated from Morris High School in 1954. It was at City College of New York, where Powell studied geology, and found his calling in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). He soon became commander of his unit, an experience that set him on a military career. After graduation in 1958, Powell was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. In 1962 he was one of 16,000 advisers sent to South Vietnam by President John Kennedy. In 1963, Powell was wounded by a punji-stick booby trap while patrolling the VietnameseLaotian border. During this first tour of duty, he was awarded a Purple Heart and, a year later, a Bronze Star. During his second tour in Vietnam he was awarded the Soldier’s Medal; in all, Powell has received 11 military decorations, including the Legion of Merit. Colonel Colin Powell served a tour of duty in Korea in 1973 as a battalion commander and after that, he obtained a staff job at the Pentagon. After study at the Army War College, he was promoted to brigadier general and commanded a brigade of the 101st Airborne Division. Serving Presidential Administrations Richard Nixon – Office of Management and Budget Jimmy Carter – Assistants to Deputy Secretary of Defense and Secretary of Energy. Was also promoted to Major General. Ronald Reagan – Senior military aide to Secretary of Defense and in 1987 became National Security Adviser. George H. W. Bush – Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staffs George W. Bush – Secretary of State Colin Powell retired from the Army in 1993. In 1995, he published a best-selling autobiography, My American Journey, which chronicles his life and its influences. From 1997 to 2000, he was chairman of America’s Promise, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering character and competence in young people. Powell and his 26

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

Powell as Secretary of State

wife, Alma, now co-chair the organization, which has a presence in more than 500 communities in all 50 states. In 2000, President George W. Bush appointed Powell secretary of state, and was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate. At that time, this was the highest rank in civilian government ever held by an AfricanAmerican. Powell left his position in 2004 and began his civilian life. Since his retirement he has been involved in business ventures as well as becoming a much sought after motivational speaker, having spent much of his life inspiring many with his leadership skills and life experiences. Powell and wife, Alma began America’s Promise Alliance, as part of their dedication to the wellbeing of children and youth of all socioeconomic levels and their commitment to seeing that young people receive the resources necessary to succeed.

Parsons

Serving those who serve us

Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Bostick STEM Education

Advocate

By U.S. Army

U . S . A R M Y

he Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Defense Education Activity chose an elementary school here to announce a new partnership meant to advance science, technology, engineering and math education in schools. Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Bostick, commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, or USACE, and Marilee Fitzgerland, director, Department of Defense Education Activity, or DoDEA, visited with students at the Ashurst Elementary School on Marine Corps Base Quantico, May 20, and also signed the agreement that signifies the new partnership. The purpose of the partnership is to advance science, technology, engineering and math, also known as STEM, education at DoDEA elementary and secondary schools around the world. Lt. Gen. Thomas Bostick, and Marilee Fitzgerald, DoDEA director, listen to students from W.W. Ashurst Elementary Bostick, who is the commanding general School’s third-grade STEM club explain their robotics projects. Photo: U.S. Army and chief of engineers with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, paid tribute to teachers and stressed the importance of education, especially in the STEM fields. He said the Army Corps of Engineers “Only 14 countries in the world produce a smaller percentage of is ready to be an active partner in the undertaking. engineers than the United States, including countries like Bangladesh, The general said the U.S. is falling behind in the science, technology, Cambodia and Cuba,” Bostick said. “Out of 100 U.S. college graduates, four engineering, and mathematics career fields. He said young students who are engineers. In Russia, that number is 10. In China, it’s 31.” chose to focus on STEM education with a goal of entering related career Fitzgerald expressed the enthusiasm and commitment of DoDEA’s fields as adults would help in keeping America competitive. teachers and staff for the program.

LT GEN THOMAS P. BOSTICK Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Bostick graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1978. He holds a master’s degree in civil engineering and mechanical engineering. Bostick was commanding general of the Gulf Region of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He served as executive officer to the Chief of Engineers, executive officer to the Army Chief of Staff, and deputy director of operations for the National Military Command Center, J-3, the Joint Staff in the Pentagon from May 2001 to August 2002. 28

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

“DoDEA is truly honored and grateful for the opportunity to partner with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to focus on preparing the next generation to develop the skills, capacity, flexibility and perseverance they will need to ensure our nation continues to be a world leader in the STEM fields,” she said. “This collaborative effort will form a team that will make an impact on the lives of our students, excite them about STEM’s potential and inspire them to pursue a STEM-related career,” Fitzgerald said. The program will include the development of a specific civil works project or other USACE function that directly relates to DoDEA’s STEM content and curriculum. The USACE interns and DoDEA students will collaborate on projects and their efforts will culminate in a competition and awards ceremony held two times each school year. The partnership’s focus aligns with the White House and Department of Education’s focus on educating global leaders and preparing students for STEM careers in the global economy. According to the Department of Education, careers in all STEM-related fields will increase 14 percent between now and 2020, with even more job growth expected in STEM-related areas such as mathematics, computer science, and the biomedical fields.

BECAUSE YOU FIGHT FOR OUR FREEDOM AND LIBERTY Thank you for all you do to protect our way of life and our future. We are proud to be supporting you and your mission.

For more than 65 years, we have provided the U.S. government with a complete range of services around the world. Rapid Response • Critical Infrastructure • Engineering, Procurement, Construction Management • Transportation • Supply Chain Management • Emergency Response to FEMA • Facilities Management • Logistics

U . S . A R M Y Lt. Col. Frank G. Davis, Joint Task Force Paladin-South commander, and members of the Kandahar Airfield Gospel Choir pose for a photo at the conclusion of the Black History Month Observance at Kandahar Airfield, Feb. 25, 2013. Davis was the guest. Photo: Sgt. Ashley Bell, USA

Regional Command-South

Celebrates Black History Month

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

Lt. Col. Frank G. Davis, Joint Task Force Paladin-South commander, speaks to service members at the Black History Month Observance at Kandahar Airfield on Feb. 25, 2013. Davis was the guest speaker at the event. Photo: Sgt. Ashley Bell, USA

ervice members from Regional Command-South gather for the annual Black History Month observance. Each February, the Army recognizes African-American soldiers and the contributions they have made to the service. Since the 1700’s African-Americans have contributed and played major roles in military operations. The event, which grew out of Negro History Week and was created by Carter G. Woodson and other African-American figures, has been celebrated since 1926 during the second week of February. The date was chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. In 2013, the guest speaker, Lt. Col. Frank G. Davis, Joint Task Force Paladin – South commander, was commissioned in the Army upon graduation from the University of West Georgia in 1991. His theme at the observance was “At the Crossroads of Freedom and Equality: The Emancipation Proclamation and the March on Washington.” The Vicksburg, Miss., native related his personal experience as an African-American Army officer.

“Today’s black history month observance is just another step along the way to gaining perspective and true understanding of just how far we have come as a country and just how far we still have to go,” said Davis. The Kandahar Airfield Gospel Choir performed a selection of spiritual songs inspired by the program theme following his speech. For many soldiers in attendance, his story, coupled with the performance from the choir, was inspiring. Spc. Destinee Hudson, a computer technician and KAF choir member, spoke of her father’s experience in the military. “My father is retired Sgt. 1st Class Frizell Means, who is 82 years old,” she said. “He served in the Army for approximately 36 years as a combat engineer. He also told of how difficult it was for a black soldier in those days. For example, they were given a one-quart canteen of water and the only time they could take a drink was when the sergeant in charge took a drink. So if he did not drink all day, they could not drink. In today’s Army, we have to wear the Camelbacks and stay hydrated or risk adverse action.” HONORING AFRICAN-AMERICAN SERVICE MEMBERS

U . S . A

The Kandahar Airfield Gospel Choir performs a gospel melody for service members during the Black History Month Observance at Kandahar Airfield on Feb. 25, 2013. Photo: Sgt. Ashley Bell, USA

R M Y

Hudson also talked about the why the choir chose to sing old spirituals such as “Down by the Riverside” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing”. “Negro spirituals were what sustained our great grandparents, grandparents, parents and elders while they faced these seemingly insurmountable struggles. Yet, they persevered and now we are able to stand even taller on their behalf,” said Hudson. In his speech, Davis said there are many famous African-Americans that are recognizable by all. However he wanted to highlight the less famous African-American Army leaders who have served or continue to serve in the military today, such as Command Sgt. Maj. Evelyn Hollis, the first African-American female of a combat arms unit and Gen. Larry R. Ellis, the second African-American to serve as the U.S. Army Forces commander (FORSCOM). “Racial equality is something that our nation’s military has long practiced within its ranks and by most accounts had done a much better job at it than most of society,” said Davis. “This does not mean that the military is without its own set of racial inequalities and other challenges, but there are systems in place such as Equal Opportunity and (Sexual Harassment and Assault Response Prevention) available to all personnel to help mitigate any potential or existing problems we may encounter.” According to the army.mil website, black soldiers made up 19.8% of the active duty Army, 13.3% of the National Guard and 22.1% of the Army Reserve in 2008 statistics. 32

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

Spc. Destinee Hudson, an information management officer, sings the National Anthem to service members at the Black History Month Observance at Kandahar Airfield on Feb. 25, 2013. Hudson is also a member of the Kandahar Airfield Gospel Choir. Photo: Sgt. Ashley Bell, USA

Thomas Edison sTaTE CollEgE

command Your education

serve your country Complete your college degree. Anytime. Anywhere. Ready to achieve your educational goals? Enroll in a military degree program developed specifically for service members. Complete your degree, prepare for a civilian career or advance your rank while serving your country. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll receive maximum credit for your military training and college-level knowledge. Our personalized degree programs have been developed to fit with your schedule, wherever your service takes you.

EnROLL nOw!

Learn how at military.tesc.edu, or call 866.446.1804.

Thomas Edison State College is one of the 11 senior public colleges and universities in New Jersey and is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (267-284-5000).

EXCLUSIVELY FOR ADULTS

Photo courtesy of www.navy.mil.

BuffaloSoldiers 1866 – 1951

U . S . A R M Y

Buffalo Soldiers were originally members of the U.S. 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, formed on September 21, 1866 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. This nickname was given to the “Negro Cavalry” by the Native American tribes they fought; the term eventually became synonymous with all of the African-American regiments (9th Calvary, 10th Calvary, 24th and 25th Infantries) formed in 1866.

lthough several African-American regiments were raised during the Civil War as part of the Union Army, the “Buffalo Soldiers” were established by Congress as the first peacetime all-black regiments in the regular U.S. Army. Sources disagree on how the nickname “Buffalo Soldiers” began. According to the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum, the name originated with the Cheyenne warriors in the winter of 1877, the actual Cheyenne translation being “Wild Buffalo.” However, writer Walter Hill documented

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

Buffalo Soldier, 9th Cavalry, 1890.

the account of Colonel Benjamin Grierson, who founded the 10th Cavalry regiment, recalling an 1871 campaign against Comanches. Hill attributed the origin of the name to the Comanche due to Grierson’s assertions. Some sources assert that the nickname was given out of respect for the fierce fighting ability of the 10th Cavalry. Other sources assert that Native Americans called the black cavalry troops “buffalo soldiers” because of their dark curly hair, which resembled a buffalo’s coat. Still other sources point to a combination of both legends. The term Buffalo Soldiers became a

At SUNY Empire State College, you may: • Earn credit for military training and experience • Request pre-application advising and unofficial review of military transcripts • Study online worldwide and at more than 35 New York state locations • Benefit from affordable state tuition

VETERAN AND MILITARY EDUCATION

For information call 888-372-3495. Visit us at choose.esc.edu/stf

9th Cavalry, World War I, Fort D.A. Russell, WY. Source: WY State Parks

U . S . A R M Y generic term for all African-American soldiers. It is now used for U.S. Army units that trace their direct lineage back to the 9th and 10th Cavalry units whose service earned them an honored place in U.S. history. In September 1867, Private John Randall of Troop G of the 10th Cavalry Regiment was assigned to escort two civilians on a hunting trip. The hunters suddenly became the hunted when a band of 70 Cheyenne warriors swept down on them. The two civilians quickly fell in the initial attack and Randall’s horse was shot out from beneath him. Randall managed to scramble to safety behind a washout under the railroad tracks, where he fended off the attack with only his pistol until help from the nearby camp arrived. The Cheyenne beat a hasty retreat, leaving behind 13 fallen warriors. Private Randall suffered a gunshot wound to his shoulder and 11 lance wounds, but recovered. The Cheyenne quickly spread word of this new type of soldier, “who had fought like a cornered buffalo; who like a buffalo had suffered wound after wound, yet had not died; who like a buffalo had a thick and shaggy mane of hair.” During the American Civil War, the U.S. government formed regiments known as the United States Colored Troops, composed of black soldiers. After the war, Congress reorganized the Army and authorized the formation of two regiments of black cavalry with the designations 9th and 10th U.S. Cavalry, and four regiments of black infantry, designated the 38th, 39th, 40th and 41st Infantry Regiments (Colored). 36

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

All of these units were composed of black enlisted men commanded by both white and black officers. These included the first commander of the 10th Cavalry Benjamin Grierson, the first commander of the 9th Cavalry Edward Hatch, Medal of Honor recipient Louis H. Carpenter, the unforgettable Nicholas M. Nolan, and the first black graduate of West Point, Henry O. Flipper. INDIAN WARS From 1866 to the early 1890s, these regiments served at a variety of posts in the Southwestern United States and the Great Plains regions. They participated in most of the military campaigns in these areas and earned a distinguished record. Thirteen enlisted men and six officers from these four regiments earned the Medal of Honor during the Indian Wars. In addition to the military campaigns, the “Buffalo Soldiers” served a variety of roles along the frontier from building roads to escorting the U.S. mail. In a lesser-known action, the 9th Cavalry’s participation in the fabled Johnson County War, an 1892 land war in Johnson County, Wyoming between small farmers and large, wealthy ranchers. It culminated in a lengthy shootout between local farmers, a band of hired killers, and a sheriff’s posse. The 6th Cavalry was ordered in by President Benjamin Harrison to quell the violence and capture the band of hired killers. Soon afterward, however, the 9th Cavalry was specifically called on to replace the 6th. The 6th Cavalry was swaying under the local political and social pressures and was unable to keep the peace in the tense environment.

1898–1918 After most of the Indian Wars ended in the 1890s, the regiments continued to serve and participated in the 1898 Spanish-American War (including the Battle of San Juan Hill) in Cuba, where five more Medals of Honor were earned. The men of the Buffalo soldiers were only some of the 5,000 Black men who served in the Spanish-American war. The regiments took part in the Philippine-American War from 1899 to 1903 and the 1916 Mexican Expedition. In 1918 the 10th Cavalry fought at the Battle of Ambos Nogales during the First World War, where they assisted in forcing the surrender of the federal Mexican and Mexican militia forces. Buffalo soldiers fought in the last engagement of the Indian Wars; the small Battle of Bear Valley in southern Arizona that occurred in 1918 between U.S. cavalry and Yaqui natives. PARK RANGERS Another little-known contribution of the Buffalo Soldiers involved eight troops of the 9th Cavalry Regiment and one company of the 24th Infantry Regiment who served in California’s Sierra Nevada as some of the first national park rangers. In 1899, Buffalo Soldiers from Company H, 24th Infantry Regiment briefly served in Yosemite National Park, Sequoia National Park and General Grant (Kings Canyon) National Parks. U.S. Army regiments had been serving in these national parks since 1891, but until 1899 the soldiers serving were white. Beginning in 1899, and continuing in 1903 and 1904, African-American regiments served during the summer months in the second and third oldest national parks in the United States (Sequoia and Yosemite). Because these soldiers served before the

Buffalo soldiers of the 25th Infantry, some wearing buffalo robes, Ft. Keogh, Mt, 1890. Photo: Library of Congress

The Buffalo Soldiers responded within about two weeks from Nebraska, and moved the men to the rail town of Suggs, Wyoming, creating “Camp Bettens”. One soldier was killed and two wounded in gun battles with locals. Nevertheless, the 9th Cavalry remained in Wyoming for nearly a year to quell tensions in the area.

National Park Service was created (1916), they were “park rangers” before the term was coined. A lasting legacy of the soldiers as park rangers is the Ranger Hat (popularly known as the Smokey Bear Hat). Although not officially adopted by the Army until 1911, the distinctive hat crease, called a Montana Peak, HONORING AFRICAN-AMERICAN SERVICE MEMBERS

U .

U.S. 10th Cavalry Regiment who were taken prisoner during the Battle of Carrizal, Chihuahua, Mexico in 1916. Photo: Library of Congress

S . A R M Y

(or pinch) can be seen being worn by several of the Buffalo Soldiers in park photographs dating back to 1899. Soldiers serving in the Spanish American War began to re-crease the Stetson hat with a Montana “pinch” to better shed water from the torrential tropical rains. Many retained that distinctive “pinch” upon their return to the U.S. The park photographs, in all likelihood, show Buffalo Soldiers who were veterans from that 1898 war. One particular Buffalo Soldier stands out in history: Captain Charles Young who served with Troop “I”, 9th Cavalry Regiment in Sequoia National Park during the summer of 1903. Charles Young was the third African American to graduate from the United States Military Academy. At the time of his death, he was the highest-ranking African-American in the U.S. military. He made history in Sequoia National Park in 1903 by becoming Acting Military Superintendent of Sequoia and General Grant National Parks. Charles Young was also the first African-American superintendent of a national park. During Young’s tenure in the park, he named a Giant Sequoia for Booker T. Washington. Recently, another Giant Sequoia in Giant Forest was named in Captain Young’s honor. Some of Young’s descendants were in attendance at the ceremony. In 1903, 9th Cavalrymen in Sequoia built the first trail to the top of Mount Whitney, the highest mountain in the contiguous United States. They also built the first wagon road into Sequoia’s Giant Forest, the most famous grove of Giant Sequoia trees in Sequoia National Park. In 1904, 9th Cavalrymen in Yosemite built an arboretum on the South Fork of the Merced River in the southern section of Yosemite National Park. Yosemite’s arboretum is considered to be the first museum in the National Park System. Unfortunately, the forces of developers, miners and greed cut the boundaries of Yosemite in 1905 and the arboretum was nearly destroyed. 38

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

In the Sierra Nevada, the Buffalo Soldiers regularly endured long days in the saddle, slim rations, racism, and separation from family and friends. As military stewards, the African-American cavalry and infantry regiments protected the national parks from illegal grazing, poaching, timber thieves, and forest fires. In total, 23 “Buffalo Soldiers” received the Medal of Honor during the Indian Wars. SPANISH – AMERICAN WAR The outbreak of the Mexican Revolution in 1910 against the long-time rule of President Porfirio Díaz initiated a decade-long period of high-intensity military conflict along the U.S.-Mexico border as different political/military factions in Mexico fought for power. The access to arms and customs duties from Mexican communities along the U.S.-Mexico boundary made border towns important strategic assets. As the various belligerents in Mexico vied for power, the U.S. Army, including the Buffalo Soldier units, was dispatched to the border to maintain security. The Buffalo Soldiers played a key role in U.S.-Mexico relations as the maelstrom that followed the ouster of Díaz and the assassination of his successor Francisco Madero intensified. The 9th and 10th Cavalries were deployed and small-scale confrontations in the communities of Parral and Carrizal nearly brought about a war between Mexico and the United States in the summer of 1916. And while the capture of Pancho Villa was still unsuccessful, President Woodrow Wilson felt the U.S. should turn its attention toward Germany and World War I. The Punitive Expedition exited Mexico in early 1917, just before the U.S. declaration of war against Germany in April 1917. WWI The Buffalo Soldiers did not participate with the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) during World War I, but experienced non-commissioned officers

Buffalo Soldiers in Dyea, Alaska (1899) prepare halibut for a fresh army meal. Photo: AK State Library William Norton Collection

were provided to other segregated Black units for combat service. The Soldiers of the 92nd and the 93rd Infantry Division (United States) were the first Americans to fight in France. The four regiments of 93rd fought under French command for the duration of the war. Despite some official resistance and administrative barriers, black airmen were trained and played a part in the air war in Europe, gaining a reputation for skill and bravery (see Tuskegee Airmen). In early 1945, after the Battle of the Bulge, American forces in Europe experienced a shortage of combat troops so the embargo on using black soldiers in combat units was relaxed. KOREAN WAR AND INTEGRATION The 24th Infantry Regiment saw combat during the Korean War and was the last segregated regiment to engage in combat. The 24th was deactivated in 1951, and its soldiers were integrated into other units in Korea. On December 12, 1951, the last Buffalo Soldier units, the 27th Cavalry and the 28th (Horse) Cavalry, were disbanded. The 28th Cavalry was inactivated at Assi-Okba, Algeria in April 1944 in North Africa, and marked the end of the regiment. There are monuments to the Buffalo Soldiers in Kansas at Fort Leavenworth and Junction City. Then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell, who initiated the project to get a statue to honor the Buffalo Soldiers when he was posted as a brigadier general to Fort Leavenworth, was guest speaker for the unveiling of the Fort Leavenworth monument in July 1992.

The museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Historian is Dr. Franklin D.B. Jackson, a highly decorated Vietnam veteran. Currently, Major Charles Williams, Historian and former member of the United States Army, serves as the Museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chief Docent. The Buffalo Soldiers National Museum is the only Museum dedicated primarily to preserving the legacy and honor of the African-American soldier, in the United States of America. For more information, visit www. buffalosoldiersmuseum.com.

Buffalo Soldier Memorial of El Paso, in Fort Bliss, depicting CPL John Ross, I Troop, 9th Cavalry.

BUFFALO SOLDIERS NATIONAL MUSEUM The Buffalo Soldiers National Museum, located in Houston, Texas, was founded in 2000 by a Vietnam veteran and African American military historian, Captain Paul J. Matthews. HONORING AFRICAN-AMERICAN SERVICE MEMBERS

Rising through Story courtesy of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

the

Ranks

Alumnus Makes Transformation from Enlisted Soldier to General Officer

Afghanistan and earning, among others: or Major General Larry D. Wyche, Texas A&M Universitytwo Army Distinguished Service Medals; Corpus Christi is all about two Legions of Merit; and a Bronze beginnings. Star Medal. As a young boy working alongside After attending a professional his grandfather in the tobacco fields of development session at the Naval Air Virginia, Wyche dreamed of being the Station in September 2009, Wyche first in his family to earn a college degree. experienced a new beginning with That pursuit began in 1979, he discovered Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Corpus Christi State University, now Impressed by the university’s growth, he returned for Homecoming 2010 Texas A&M -Corpus Christi, while on a and spent time with the Islander ROTC weekend pass from nearby Fort Hood. He Battalion, talking with the cadets. enrolled as a Business Management major That night, he was the guest speaker following his discharge from the Army. at the battalion’s annual ball. Four years later, diploma in hand, he “When I left, never in my wildest began another journey that would take Major General Larry D. Wyche dreams did I think I’d return as a general him further in life than he had dreamed officer,” says Wyche. “The university was possible. Rather than use his Business good to me and my family. In return, Management degree in the private sector, I want to give as much time as possible back, especially to the the former enlisted soldier was commissioned into the Army as a cadets who are the future leaders of our country.” Second Lieutenant. Wyche received his commission in the office In 2011, Dr. Flavius C. Killebrew, President & CEO of Texas of University President B. Alan Sugg, who personally pinned the A&M-Corpus Christi, afforded Wyche the opportunity to come lieutenant bars on the new graduate’s uniform. Today, Wyche back and provide remarks to several thousand students and credits Sugg, and Dr. Paul Cameron, a B-52 pilot during the family members at a commencement ceremony. Cold War, with setting the course that would ultimately lead “I challenge them to use their education and experiences to him to become the commanding general of the Combined do great things,” he said. “Even though the road ahead may seem Arms Support Command, Fort Lee, Va. CASCOM is the Army’s uncertain, they have what it takes to make a difference and to Logistics Think Tank and premier learning institution. succeed. You have to find your purpose and once you do – don’t “They changed my life,” states Wyche. “They urged me to go look back.” back in the military because of the many opportunities the Army offers. From the president to the faculty and everyone on the “For me, it was selfless service,” Wyche said. “I wanted to be Island campus, they wanted to help all the students and provide a a soldier…to serve my country and give back to this great nation. great environment to go to school.” Whatever career choice or path someone takes, they need to During subsequent years, Wyche rose through the remember to follow their dreams, reflect on those who have commissioned ranks serving in several theatres including stood by their side and blaze a trail for others to follow.” 40

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

The Texas A&M University System

is proud to be the choice of

African American leaders and scholars. Major General Larry D. Wyche Commanding General U.S. Army Combined Arms Support Command

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The nation that makes a great distinction between its scholars and its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting done by fools.â&#x20AC;? -----Thucydides, Greek Historian

Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi Veteran Affairs Office vets.tamucc.edu Marquis Alexander '13 United States Marine Corps 2012-13 Commander, Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets

Texas A&M University Veteran Services Office veterans.tamu.edu

WillaEducator, BrownAviator, Chappell Activist W

U . S . A R M Y

illa Beatrice Brown Chappell was born on January 22, 1906 in Glasgow, KY. During her lifetime she made significant contributions to both politics and the field of aviation. Willa graduated in 1927 from the Indiana State University with a degree in education. With her degree in hand, she began her career teaching High School in Gary, Indiana, which she continued until 1932. While it seemed that she was fulfilling her goals as a teacher, she still felt the need to do more with her life. Having been recently divorced from her first husband, Willa sought greater challenges and adventures, especially if they could be found outside the limited career fields normally open to African Americans. With nothing holding her back she set out in search of a new life and made the move to Chicago. Influenced by the aviatrix Bessie Coleman, Willa began taking flying lessons in 1934. Soon she became a member of the flying club, the Challenger Air Pilot’s Association, and the Chicago Girls Flight Club. She also purchased her own airplane and in 1937 she received her pilot’s license. Also in that same year, she received a master’s degree from Northwestern University. In Chicago she met Cornelius R. Coffey, a certified flight instructor and expert aviation mechanic at one of Chicago’s racially segregated airports. In 1939, together with Cornelius and Enoch P. Waters, Willa established the National Airmen Association of America, an organization whose mission was to get African Americans into the United States Air Force, in 1937. Three years later, she and Lieutenant Cornelius R. Coffey started the Coffey School of Aeronautics, where approximately 200 pilots were trained in the next seven years. Some of those pilots later became part of the 99th Pursuit Squadron 42

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

at Tuskegee Institute – also known as the legendary “Tuskegee Airmen”, including her husband, Cornelius, whom she married in 1939. Willa’s efforts were directly responsible for the squadron’s creation, which led to the integration of the military in 1948. As the National Airmen Association of America’s national secretary and the president of the Chicago branch, Willa became an activist for racial equality and lobbied Congress for the racial integration of the U.S. Army Air Corps. In 1941, she became the first AfricanAmerican officer in the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), and the U.S. government named her federal coordinator of the CAP Chicago unit. By adding her mechanic’s license in 1943, Willa became the first woman in the United States to have both a mechanic’s license and a commercial pilot’s license. With her flying service and aviation credentials, she was ranked an officer in this first integrated unit. Her efforts were directly responsible for the creation of the renowned Tuskegee Airmen, which led to the integration of the U.S. military services in 1948. She was instrumental in training more than 200 students who went on to become Tuskegee pilots, including her husband, Cornelius. By adding her mechanic’s license in 1943, Willa became the first woman in the United States to have both a mechanic’s license and a commercial pilot’s license. She continually lobbied the government for integration of black pilots into the segregated Army Air Corps and the federal Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP), the system established by the Civil Aeronautics Authority to provide a pool of civilian pilots for use during national emergencies. Subsequently, when Congress finally voted to allow separate-but-equal participation of blacks in civilian flight training programs, the Coffey School of Aeronautics was chosen for participation in the CPTP.

Brown became the coordinator for the CPTP in Chicago. Later, her flight school was also selected by the U.S. Army to provide black trainees for the Air Corps pilot training program at the Tuskegee Institute. Willa Brown eventually became the coordinator of war-training service for the Civil Aeronautics Authority and later was a member of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Women’s Advisory Board. In 1955, Brown married Rev. J.H. Chappell and became very active in the West Side Community Church in Chicago.

Photos: Courtesy of Army Air Corps Archives

She was appointed to the Federal Aviation Administration Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Advisory Board in 1972 in recognition of her contributions to aviation in the United States as a pilot, an instructor, and an activist. She died on July 18, 1992 at the age of 86. Willa Brown Chappell was inducted into the Aviation Hall of Fame for her native state of Kentucky in 2003. In 2009, Ms. Brown was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award by the Indiana State University Alumni Association. HONORING AFRICAN-AMERICAN SERVICE MEMBERS

General Dennis L. Via Commanding General U.S. Army Materiel Command

U . S . A R

M Y

eneral Dennis L. Via assumed duties as the 18th Commander of the U.S. Army Materiel Command Aug. 7, 2012. AMC is the Army’s premier provider of materiel readiness to ensure dominant land force capability for the U.S. War fighter and our allies. General Via’s prior assignment was as AMC’s Deputy Commanding General. He deployed to Southwest Asia in October 2011 as the Commander, AMC Responsible Reset Task Force with the mission of leading the strategic integration of the Materiel Enterprise for the Retrograde of equipment and materiel out of Iraq at the conclusion of Operation New Dawn. Prior to that, he served as Director for Command, Control, Communications and Computer Systems, J-6, The Joint Staff, Washington, D.C. A native of Martinsville, Va., General Via was commissioned on May 18, 1980 in the Signal Corps after graduating as a Distinguished Military Graduate from Virginia State University. He holds a Master’s Degree from Boston University, and is a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College (class of 1991) and the U.S. Army War College (class of 1999). The General’s command assignments include the 82nd Signal Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; 3rd Signal Brigade, III Armored Corps, Fort Hood, Texas; 5th Signal Command, United States Army Europe and 7th Army, Mannheim, Germany; and the United States Army Communications-Electronics Life Cycle Management Command and Fort Monmouth, Fort Monmouth, N.J. His key staff assignments include Aide-de-Camp to the Chief of Staff, Allied Forces Southern Europe, Naples, Italy; Operations Officer, J-6, Armed Forces Inaugural Committee, Washington, DC; Division Chief, Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC), Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-8, United States Army, Washington, DC; Principal Director for Operations, Defense Information Systems Agency/Deputy Commander, 44

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

Joint Task Force-Global Network Operations, United States Strategic Command, Arlington, Va. His awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal; the Distinguished Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster; Defense Superior Service Medal; Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster; Defense Meritorious Service Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters; Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster; Joint Service Achievement Medal; and the Army Achievement Medal. He is authorized to wear the Master Parachutist Badge, Joint Staff Identification Badge, and Army Staff Identification Badge. Gen. Via is married to the former Linda A. Brown of Warsaw, Va. They have two sons, Brian and Bradley.

U . S . A R M Y Advanced instruction turned student pilots into fighter pilots at Tuskegee Army Airfield, Ala. Photo: U.S. Air Force

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

The Tuskegee

Airmen

Courtesy of the Tuskegee Airmen Association

In spite of adversity and limited opportunities, African Americans have played a significant role in U.S. military history over the past 300 years. They were denied military leadership roles and skilled training because many believed they lacked qualifications for combat duty. Before 1940, African Americans were barred from flying for the U.S. military. Civil rights organizations and the black press exerted pressure that resulted in the formation of an all AfricanAmerican pursuit squadron based in Tuskegee, Alabama, in 1941. They became known as the Tuskegee Airmen. HONORING AFRICAN-AMERICAN SERVICE MEMBERS

U .

other officer fields. Enlisted members were trained to be aircraft and engine mechanics, armament specialists, radio repairmen, parachute riggers, control tower operators, policemen, administrative clerks and all of the other skills necessary to fully function as an Army Air Corp flying squadron or ground support unit. The black airmen who became singleengine or multi-engine pilots were trained at Tuskegee Army Air Field (TAAF) in Tuskegee Alabama. The first aviation cadet class began in July 1941 and completed training nine months later in March 1942. Thirteen started in the first class. Five successfully completed the training, one of them being Captain Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., a West Point Academy graduate. The other four were commissioned second lieutenants, and all five received Army Air Corps silver pilot wings. From 1942 through 1946, nine hundred and ninety-two pilots graduated at TAAF, receiving commissions and pilot wings. Black navigators, bombardiers and gunnery crews were trained at selected military bases elsewhere

S . A R M Y 332nd Fighter Briefing 1945

he Tuskegee Airmen were dedicated, determined young men who enlisted to become Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first black military airmen, at a time when there were many people who thought that black men lacked intelligence,

skill, courage and patriotism. They came from every section of the country, with large numbers coming from New York City, Washington, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia and Detroit. Each one possessed a strong personal desire to serve the United States of America at the best of his ability. Those who possessed the physical and mental qualifications were accepted as aviation cadets to be trained initially as singleengine pilots and later to be either twin-engine pilots, navigators or bombardiers. Most were college graduates or undergraduates. Others demonstrated their academic qualifications through comprehensive entrance examinations. No standards were lowered for the pilots or any of the others who trained in operations, meteorology, intelligence, engineering, medicine or any of the 48

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

Artist Roy LaGrone, who depicted the Tuskegee Airmen through illustrations, was himself one of the group during World War II.

Pilot trainees get physical instruction at Tuskegee Army Air Field. Photo: U.S. Air Force

in the United States. Mechanics were trained at Chanute Air Base in Rantoul, Illinois until facilities were in place in 1942 at TAAF. Four hundred and fifty of the pilots who were trained at TAAF served overseas in either the 99th Pursuit Squadron (later the 99th Fighter Squadron) or the 332nd Fighter Group. The 99th Fighter Squadron trained in and flew P-40 Warhawk aircraft in combat in North Africa, Sicily and Italy from April 1943 until July 1944 when they were transferred to the 332nd Fighter Group in the 15th Air Force. The 332nd Fighter Group consisted originally of the 100th Fighter Squadron, 301st Fighter Squadron and 302nd Fighter Squadron. They prepared for combat at Selfridge Air Base, Michigan from March 1943 until December 1943. Training was conducted in the P-40 Warhawk and P-39 Airacobra aircraft. The Group began overseas combat operations near Naples, Italy in February 1944 with the 12th Air Force, flying air patrols over Naples Harbor and the Mediterranean Sea. In April 1944, the 332nd Fighter Group transferred to the Adriatic Sea side at Ramitelli Air Strip, near Foggia, Italy and began conducting long-range heavy bomber escort missions for the 15th Strategic Air Force. In July 1944, the 99th Fighter Squadron was transferred to Ramitelli and the Group became the only foursquadron fighter group performing bomber escort missions in the 15th Air Force. This was a significant factor in the effectiveness and success of the Group as it established the incredible and unprecedented record of flying 200 of its 205 bomber escort missions (Never Lost a Bomber is a myth that started because of the very low bomber losses when the Tuskegee Airmen were escorting. No other escort group can claim such low losses.) without the loss of a single bomber to enemy aircraft. The 99th Fighter Squadron received two Presidential Unit Citations (June-July 1943 and May 1944) for outstanding tactical

air support and aerial combat in the 12th Air Force before joining the 332nd Fighter Group. The 332nd Fighter Group received the Presidential Unit Citation for its longest bomber escort mission to Berlin, Germany, March 24, 1945. They destroyed three German ME-262 jet fighters and damaged five additional jet fighters without losing any of the bombers or any of its own fighter aircraft to enemy aircraft. The 332nd Fighter Group also distinguished themselves in June 1944 when two of its pilots flying P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft discovered a German destroyer in the harbor at Trieste, Italy. One of the pilots, Lieutenant Gynne Pierson of the 302nd Fighter

Armorers and other ground personnel were trained at Chanute Field, Ill. Photo: U.S. Air Force HONORING AFRICAN-AMERICAN SERVICE MEMBERS

U .

Lt.Col. Lee Archer: Tuskegee Airman. He and his unit were brought to life in the George Lucas film “Red Tails.”

S . A R M Y

Squadron, using only the aircraft’s 50-caliber machine guns, strafed the destroyer, causing it to explode and sink. This was another unprecedented aerial gunnery feat of World War II. The tenacious bomber escort cover provided by the 332nd “Red Tail” fighters often discouraged enemy fighter pilots from attacking bombers they escorted. This resulted, however, in fewer enemy fighter challenges with resultant fewer enemy aircraft destroyed or damaged by the Group, as compared with other 15th Air Force fighter escort groups. The successful escort record did result in frequent expressions of appreciation from the bomber crews. The outstanding record of black airmen in World War II was accomplished by men whose names will forever live in hallowed memory. Each one accepted the challenge, proudly displayed his skill and determination while suppressing internal rage from humiliation and indignation caused by frequent experiences of racism and bigotry, at home and overseas. These airmen fought two wars – one against a military force overseas and the other against racism at home and abroad. The airmen who did not go overseas and trained at Selfridge Field, Michigan as bomber crew in the 477th Medium Bombardment Group experienced a great deal of racism. These highly trained military officers were treated as “trainees” and denied access to the base officers’ club, an act contradictory to Army regulations. There was a rather heated reaction and the Group was transferred to Godman Field, Kentucky. The unfair treatment and hostility continued at Godman Field and in early 1945, the group was transferred to Freeman Field, Indiana where the hostilities finally reached a climax. When black officers tried to enter the Freeman 50

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

Field Officers’ Club, against direct orders for them to stay out, one hundred and three officers were arrested, charged with insubordination and ordered to face court martial. The court martial proceedings were quickly dropped against one hundred of the officers; two officers eventually had their charges dropped and one officer, Lt. Roger “Bill” Terry, was convicted. Fifty years later, on August 12, 1995, at the Tuskegee Airmen National Convention in Atlanta, Georgia, fifteen of the original one hundred and three officers that were arrested received official notification that their military records had been purged of any reference to the Freeman Field incident. Also, Mr. Terry’s court martial conviction had been reversed and his military record cleared. The remaining officers received instructions for clearing their records. After the war in Europe ended in 1945, black airmen returned to the United States and faced continued racism and bigotry despite their outstanding war record. Tuskegee Army Air Field continued to train new airmen until 1946, with women entering the program in several support fields. Large numbers of black airmen elected to remain in the service but because of segregation their assignments were limited to the 332nd Fighter Group or the 477th Composite Group, and later to the 332nd Fighter Wing at Lockbourne Air Base, Ohio. Opportunities for advancement and promotion were very limited and this affected morale. Nevertheless, black airmen continued to perform superbly. In 1949, pilots from the 332nd Fighter Group took first place in the Air Force National Fighter Gunnery Meet at Las Vegas Air Force Base, Nevada. During this period, many white units were undermanned and needed qualified people but were unable to get the experienced black personnel because of the segregation policy. The newly formed U.S. Air Force initiated plans to integrate its units as early as 1947. In 1948, President Harry Truman enacted Executive Order Number 9981, which directed equality of treatment and opportunity in all of the United States Armed Forces. This order, in time, led to the end of racial segregation in the military forces. This was also the first step toward racial integration in the United States of America. The positive experience, the outstanding record of accomplishment and the superb behavior of black airmen during World War II, and after, were important factors in the initiation of the historic social change to achieve racial equality in America.

Benjamin O. Davis Jr.: Commanded “Red Tails,” an all-black combat flying squadron during World War II.

General Vincent K. Brooks African-American West Point Cadet Brigade Commander

First G

eneral Vincent K. Brooks is the commanding general of Third Army/US Army Central (ARCENT), the Army service component of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM). The command exercises administrative control over all US Army forces in the CENTCOM area of responsibility (AOR), conducts sustainment of ground operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and performs theater engagement with 18 countries throughout North Africa, Southwest Asia and Central Asia. On June 3rd, 2011 he took command of Third Army and Army Forces Central. The command is home-based at Shaw Air Force Base near Sumter, South Carolina with portions of the command continuously deployed to the Middle East countries of Kuwait, Qatar, Afghanistan and Iraq. Brooks graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1980. Brooks became the first African American cadet in the school’s history to be named cadet brigade commander (the top-ranking cadet). In this position, which is somewhat like the president of a college class, he led more than 4,000 cadets during his senior year. After which, Brooks graduated first of his class. During his 31 years as a commissioned officer, he served in command and staff positions in the United States; in Germany during the Cold War; in Korea; in Kosovo; and in the Middle East. His tours of duty with fighting units include the 82d Airborne Division as a lieutenant; the 1st Infantry Division (Forward) as a captain; the 1st Cavalry Division as a major and again as a brigadier general; the 2d Infantry Division as a lieutenant colonel; the Third Army Central (with duty in Headquarters, Coalition Joint Task Force – Kuwait) and the 3d Infantry Division (with duty in North Atlantic Treaty Organization-Kosovo Forces) as a colonel; Headquarters, United States Central Command; Headquarters, 1st Cavalry Division (with duty as Headquarters, Multi-National DivisionBaghdad) and Headquarters, III Corps and Fort Hood as a brigadier general; and the 1st Infantry Division (with duty as Headquarters U.S. Division – South) as a major general.

General Brooks served at the national-level in the Pentagon. Within Headquarters, Department of the Army, he fulfilled staff duties as aide-decamp to the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, and later as the Army’s Chief of Public Affairs. Within The Joint Staff, he fulfilled duties as Deputy Director (J5) for Political-Military Affairs for the Western Hemisphere, and later as the Deputy Director (J5) for the War on Terrorism. General Brooks holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Military Academy; a Master of Military Art and Science from the School of Advanced Military Studies at the United States Army Command and General Staff College; and an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the New England School of Law in Boston. He also served as a National Security Fellow at the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government. General Brooks is married. Both the general and his wife are from career military families. HONORING AFRICAN-AMERICAN SERVICE MEMBERS

Marcia M. Anderson African-American Army’s Female Major General

First

By Andrea Wales, U.S. Army Human Resources Public Affairs Office

U U . S . A R M Y

.S. Army Human Resources Command’s deputy commanding general became the Army’s first-ever female AfricanAmerican officer to obtain the rank of major general during her promotion and departure ceremony at the Lt. Gen. Timothy J. Maude Complex in 2011.    Those who attended the proceedings were each “a witness to history,” said Lt. Gen. Benjamin Freakley, commanding general of the U.S. Army Accessions Command and Fort Knox, who co-hosted the ceremony with HRC commander Maj. Gen. Gina Farrisee.    “We honor a leader, an officer, a lawyer, a wife, a mother and a grandmother – summed up, a great American,” Freakley said.   Major generals lead major formations across the Army. They are the bridge between the operational and the tactical aspects of the Army, Freakley said. They run centers like Human Resources Command and command Army divisions of up to 16,000 Soldiers. They perform major tactical operations and conduct sustained battles and engagements. “They build our Army, and that’s no easy task!” Freakley said. “Marcia has assisted in the huge responsibility of moving three separate HRC commands to Fort Knox and combining their efforts into one great command.”   The HRC commander lauded Anderson for her being an untiring advocate for consolidating the Active and Reserve Component functions at HRC.   “She has been very much the force behind the integration itself,” Farrisee said. “She has worked diligently on total-force solutions while at the same time not letting the command forget the unique needs of the Reserve Component Soldiers we serve. Marcia’s tenacity for integration extends into cyberspace. One of our top priorities has been for the HRC website to reflect virtually the integration we’ve turned into reality.”   Anderson served the informational needs of the Soldiers to ensure that the most relevant information was available to them, Farrisee said.   Anderson’s journey to becoming the Army’s first female AfricanAmerican major general was made up of things that were largely unplanned.   “I firmly believe that we are never in control of very much,” she said. “The most we can do is have a set of values and beliefs, and adhere to them as closely as possible.”   Anderson said she valued curiosity, tolerance and striving for excellence.   “Be a lifelong learner. Accept people for who they are. Accept change because it is inevitable,” she said. “Do not expect to be rewarded just because you show up on time, do what is expected of you and leave at the same time every day, because that is merely C-grade work.”    Anderson said she learned from peers and senior officers what it means to be a good leader, and she incorporated their advice into her personal leadership style:

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

“Good leadership is not about telling people what to do or how to do it – it is knowing how to listen, when to delegate, how to provide space and resources to your staff, making sure they get the praise for a job well done,” she said, “and that YOU take the responsibility when a plan fails.”    Anderson’s time at HRC has been a pivotal year. Anderson helped guide HRC as it completed the base realignment and closure, or BRAC, process months ahead of the congressionally mandated September 2011 deadline.    Continuing to communicate with HRC customers during BRAC was crucial to successfully combining HRC’s three main elements in Alexandria, Va.; St. Louis and Indianapolis at one location at Fort Knox. Updating the hrc. army.mil website to reflect HRC’s new location and contact information was just the beginning.   “My major project since I’ve been here has been to completely redesign the HRC website to make it more informative, more current and as interactive as possible for Soldiers, families and the public. There will be a completely

new look, a brand-new search engine, podcasts. We’ve added the Facebook link,” Anderson said. “My vision is that someday new Soldiers will be handed a smart phone with apps (software applications) available from the Army to help them manage their careers.”   BRAC caused many changes at HRC. Many civilian employees took the opportunity to retire and stay in their communities. New employees were hired to take their places.   “It brought a lot of energy, but we were losing some of the institutional knowledge,” Anderson said. “That required us to do some digging on processes that were already being done. It compelled us to look for more efficient and effective ways of doing things.”   To accomplish that, HRC uses Lean Six Sigma, the Army’s processimprovement methodology to support business transformation. LSS methods can improve any process, including those in a service-oriented organization like HRC.    “New employee training includes certification at the lowest level of LSS (white belt),” Anderson said. “We are not afraid of change. We embrace it. We are constantly working to find more efficient ways to improve the way we serve Soldiers and families of all components – Active Duty, Army Reserve and National Guard.”  Anderson stressed that all components are part of the Army family. What reminds her of that fact is a row of clocks: Kuwait, Afghanistan, Europe, Korea.    “When I see those, it makes me think of the Soldiers. They have a name on one side (of their uniforms), and the other side just says, ‘U.S. Army.’ Adversaries see that you are a member of the U.S. Army. By the same token, when Soldiers give an Afghan child a soccer ball or send a medical team out, all those people know is they’re being helped by a member of the U.S. Army,” she said. “If that’s all they see, then that’s all we should see, too.”   Sept. 11, 2001, revealed how all components should always interact.   “Since 9/11, they’ve worked together. They didn’t ask, ‘What component are you from?’ It didn’t matter who you were. It was just about what you brought to the table. It was just about Soldiers getting the job done,” Anderson said. “We use the talents of everyone to the fullest extent.”   Anderson’s background sculpted her into the personable, successful woman she is today.

Anderson attended an all-girl Catholic school in East St. Louis, Ill. It fostered excellence in young women that might be otherwise masked in a co-ed educational environment.   “Going to an all-girl high school definitely formed part of who I am today. You weren’t trying to impress any boys. Excellence was valued. You were just doing what everybody else was doing. You were trying to excel,” she said. “The faculty every day encouraged you to excel, and you just did. There were a lot of great role models among the faculty – all very accomplished. They spent a lot of personal time with you.”   Anderson said that experiencing that type of support leads to fulfilling your role models’ expectations.    “You want to validate their faith and confidence in you, and it makes you excel,” she said.   Family life, too, enhanced her search for knowledge.   “You were encouraged to be more aware of the world around you and curious. I never grew out of asking, ‘Why?’ The news was part of my house every evening. My mother took me to the library every Saturday,” Anderson said.   Asking “Why are we doing that?” is still a big part of the way she does business, Anderson said.   As a child, Anderson was very shy. It was the Army that changed her. In her Reserve Officer Training Corps, or ROTC, course (which she only took to fulfill a science requirement), she was told, “Today, you’re the platoon leader,” and she had to starting talking to people.   “You couldn’t sit in the corner anymore and observe,” Anderson said.   A milestone in her personal development – going from shy to outgoing – was when a professor of hers told Anderson that if you’re giving the speech, you’re the subject-matter expert.   “You know more (about that subject) than anyone else in the room so don’t worry about it,” he said.   One by one, your life experiences make you who you are.   “You just get better and better,” Anderson said. “It’s not about the grades you get in school. It’s what you do with it AFTERWARD that counts.”   For more information about U.S. Army Human Resources Command, visit: www.hrc.army.mil

MAJOR GENERAL MARCIA M. ANDERSON – DEPUTY CHIEF, ARMY RESERVE Major General Marcia M. Anderson has commanded at the Company level through General Officer. She has also served in a variety of staff positions at Battalion, Brigade, and Division level to include S-1, S-3, S-4, and G-1, as well as an Assistant Division G-3. In July 2005, she assumed Command of the 6th Brigade, 95th Division (Institutional Training), where she was responsible for the 95th Division (Institutional Training) Drill Sergeant School located at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, as well as the conduct of Intermediate Level Education (ILE) and Combined Arms Exercise courses for officer professional development over an eight state area. In June 2006, General Anderson was appointed acting Assistant Division Commander-Operations for the 95th Division (Institutional Training) in Oklahoma City, Okla. In April 2007, she was confirmed for promotion to Brigadier General and in October 2007, assumed command of the 85th Support Command (Regional Support Group West), Arlington Heights, Ill., which supports the collective training efforts of First Army. General Anderson was later named Deputy Commanding General-Support of First Army West. She assumed responsibility as Deputy Commander of

the U.S. Army Human Resources Command 1 October 2010. Effective 1 October 2011, Major General Anderson was assigned as the Deputy Chief, Army Reserve with duty at the Pentagon. Her military education includes the Adjutant General Basic and Advance courses, Basic and Intermediate Government Auditing, Command and General Staff College Course, Advanced Joint Professional Military Education, Capstone, and the United States Army War College, where she was awarded a Masters Degree in Strategic Studies. General Anderson has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Creighton University and a Juris Doctorate degree from Rutgers University School of Law. Her military awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal (with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters), Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Parachutist Badge, and Physical Fitness Badge. As a citizen-Soldier, General Anderson is employed by the United States Courts, where she serves as the Clerk of Bankruptcy Court, Western District of Wisconsin, located in Madison, WI. She is married to Amos Anderson. HONORING AFRICAN-AMERICAN SERVICE MEMBERS

U .

U.S. NAVY

S . A R

Motto: Non Sibi Sed Patriae â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Not Self but Country

M Y

Colors: Blue and Gold Established: October 10, 1775

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

Chief Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician Orren Ford presents the BMCM Sherman Byrd plaque in honor of Master Chief Boatswainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mate Sherman Byrd, the first African American to complete Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal School. Photo: Mass Comm Spc 2nd Class Elizabeth Simmons, USN

Cook Third Class Doris Miller, USN and Epitome of

Bravery Honor

U . S . N A V Y

oris Miller, known as “Dorie” to shipmates and friends, was born in Waco, Texas, on 12 October 1919, to Henrietta and Conery Miller. He had three brothers, one of which served in the Army during World War II. While attending Moore High School in Waco, he was a fullback on the football team. He worked on his father’s farm before enlisting in the U.S Navy as Mess Attendant, Third Class, at Dallas, Texas, on 16 September 1939, to travel, and earn money for his family. He later was commended by the Secretary of the Navy, was advanced to Mess Attendant, Second Class and First Class, and subsequently was promoted to Cook, Third Class.  Following training at the Naval Training Station, Norfolk, Virginia, Miller was assigned to the ammunition ship USS Pyro (AE-1) where he served as a Mess Attendant, and on 2 January 1940 was transferred to USS West Virginia (BB-48), where he became the ship’s heavyweight boxing champion. In July of that year he had temporary duty aboard USS Nevada (BB-36) at Secondary Battery Gunnery School. He returned to West Virginia and on 3 August, and was serving in that battleship when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. Miller had arisen at 6 a.m., and was collecting laundry when the alarm for general quarters sounded. He headed for his battle station, the antiaircraft battery magazine amid ship, only to discover that torpedo damage had wrecked it, so he went on deck. Because of his physical prowess, he was assigned to carry wounded fellow Sailors to places of greater safety. Then an officer ordered him to the bridge to aid the mortally wounded Captain of the ship. He subsequently manned a 50-caliber Browning anti-aircraft machine gun until he ran out of ammunition and was ordered to abandon ship. Miller described the experience of firing a machine gun during the battle that he had not been trained to operate: “It wasn’t hard. I just pulled the trigger and she worked fine. I had watched the others with these guns. I guess I fired her for about fifteen minutes. I think I got one of those Jap planes. They were diving pretty close to us.” During the attack, Japanese aircraft dropped two armored piercing bombs through the deck of the battleship and launched five 18-inch aircraft torpedoes into her port side. Heavily damaged by the ensuing explosions, and suffering from severe flooding below decks, the crew abandoned ship while West Virginia slowly settled to the harbor bottom. Of the 1,541 men on West Virginia during the attack, 130 were killed and 52 wounded. Subsequently refloated, repaired, and modernized, the battleship served in the Pacific theater through to the end of the war in August 1945. Miller was commended by the Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox on 1 April 1942, and on 27 May 1942 he received the Navy Cross, which Fleet Admiral (then Admiral) Chester W. Nimitz, the Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet personally presented to Miller on board aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) for his extraordinary courage in battle. Speaking of Miller, Nimitz remarked: ‘This marks the first time in this conflict that such high tribute has been made in the Pacific Fleet to a member of his race and I’m sure that the future will see others similarly honored for brave acts.’

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

Doris Miller, Mess Attendant Second Class, USN (1919-1943) Just after being presented with the Navy Cross by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, on board USS Enterprise (CV-6) at Pearl Harbor, 27 May 1942. The medal was awarded for heroism on board USS West Virginia (BB-48) during the Pearl Harbor Attack, 7 December 1941. Photo: U.S. Navy, National Archives collection

On 13 December 1941, Miller reported to USS Indianapolis (CA-35), and subsequently returned to the west coast of the United States in November 1942. Assigned to the newly constructed USS Liscome Bay (CVE-56) in the spring of 1943, Miller was on board that escort carrier during Operation Galvanic, the seizure of Makin and Tarawa Atolls in the Gilbert Islands. Liscome Bay’s aircraft supported operations ashore between 20-23 November 1943. At 5:10 a.m. on 24 November, while cruising near Butaritari Island, a single torpedo from Japanese submarine I-175 struck the escort carrier near the stern. The aircraft bomb magazine detonated a few moments later, sinking the warship within minutes. Listed as missing following the loss of that escort carrier, Miller was officially presumed dead 25 November 1944, a year and a day after the loss of Liscome Bay. Only 272 Sailors survived the sinking of Liscome Bay, while 646 died. In addition to the Navy Cross, Miller was entitled to the Purple Heart Medal; the American Defense Service Medal, Fleet Clasp; the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal; and the World War II Victory Medal.

Commissioned on 30 June 1973, USS Miller (FF-1091), a Knox-class frigate, was named in honor of Doris Miller. On 11 October 1991, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority dedicated a bronze commemorative plaque of Miller at the Miller Family Park located on the U.S. Naval Base, Pearl Harbor. Article courtesy of Naval History and Heritage.

Adm Chester W. Nimitz pins Navy Cross on Doris Miller on board warship in Pearl Harbor, May 27, 1942. Photo: U.S. Navy, National Archives collection

Doris Miller, Mess Attendant First Class, USN Speaking during a visit to the Naval Training Station, Great Lakes, Illinois, on 7 January 1943. He is wearing the Navy Cross medal, awarded for heroism during the Pearl Harbor Attack, 7 December 1941. Photo: U.S. Navy, National Archives collection

Doris Miller, Mess Attendant Second Class, USN Receives the Navy Cross from Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, at an awards ceremony held on the flight deck of USS Enterprise (CV-6) at Pearl Harbor, 27 May 1942. The medal was awarded for heroism on board USS West Virginia (BB-48) during the Pearl Harbor Attack, 7 December 1941. Photo: U.S. Navy, National Archives collection HONORING AFRICAN-AMERICAN SERVICE MEMBERS

A Brief History of The Navy’s Black

Admirals

In 1971, Samuel L. Gravely, Jr. became the first African American promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral. Since that time, 46 other African Americans have reached this rank including Lillian Fishburne selected in 1998. Presently, there are 17 active duty Admirals and 30 retired.

U . S . N A V Y VICE ADMIRAL SAMUEL L. GRAVELY  Promoted to Rear Admiral in 1971  Promoted to Vice Admiral in 1976 Vice Admiral Samuel Lee Gravely was born in Richmond, VA in 1922, enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserves in 1942, and was commissioned as an Ensign in 1944. In 1971, he was selected for promotion to Rear Admiral, becoming the first Black naval officer in the nation’s history to earn this recognition. He was later promoted to Vice Admiral in the summer of 1976 on board the USS JOUETT, one of the Navy’s most sophisticated guided missile cruisers and one of the ships he had previously Commanded. Vice Admiral Gravely’s awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit Medal with one gold Star in lieu of a second award, Bronze Star Medal, and the Navy Commendation Medal. 58

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

Vice Admiral Samuel L. Gravely

hese 35 Admirals exemplify the progress Blacks have made in the Navy, which until late 1940’s maintained strict segregation policies. In 1940, there were 4,000 African-American enlisted sailors in the Navy. They were limited to serving as cooks. The first Black officers were commissioned in 1944 and were nicknamed “The Golden 13”. In 1949, Wesley A. Brown, a Maryland native, became the first Black to graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland. Several of the Admirals featured in this exhibit followed in his footsteps, and received their commissions from the Academy including:

REAR ADMIRAL LAWRENCE C. CHAMBERS USNA Class of 1952

Rear Admiral Lawrence C. Chambers

He was the first African American to command a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier and the first African American graduate of the Naval Academy to reach flag rank. While in command of the USS Midway during Operation Frequent Wind, Chambers gave the controversial order to push overboard millions of dollars worth of UH-1 Huey helicopters so South Vietnamese Air Force Major Buang-Ly could land on the aircraft carrier in a Cessna O-1 Bird Dog with his wife and five children, thereby saving their lives. ADMIRAL J. PAUL REASON USNA Class of 1965 Promoted to Rear Admiral in 1986 Reason was selected for promotion to Rear Admiral (lower half ) on June 26, 1986. He served as Commander, Naval Base, Seattle, Washington from July 1986 to September 1988, where he was

Admiral J. Paul Reason

responsible for all naval activities for Washington, Oregon, and Alaska. Returning to sea duty, he commanded Cruiser-Destroyer Group 1 until November 1990, then, was promoted to Rear Admiral (upper half ). At the same time, he commanded Battle Group Romeo in operations in the Pacific, Indian Ocean, and Persian Gulf regions. Following his selection to Vice Admiral in 1991, He commanded Naval Surface Forces, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, from January 1991 to July 1994. From August 1994 to November 1996, Reason served as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, Plans, Policy, and Operations (N3/ N5). In November 1996, he was selected for promotion to four-star admiral and assigned as Commander in Chief, United States Atlantic Fleet until he retired from active duty in 1999. Earlier in his career, as a commander, he was naval aide to the President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, from December 1976 to June 1979. In 1996, Reason became the first African-American officer in the United States Navy to become a four-star admiral. HONORING AFRICAN-AMERICAN SERVICE MEMBERS

LILLIAN E. FISHBURNE Promoted to Rear Admiral in 1998

Lillian E. Fishburne

Commanding Officer of the Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station, Key West, Florida. Commander of the Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station in Wahiawa, Hawaii. Rear Admiral Fishburne was promoted to Flag rank in February 1998, becoming the Navy’s nineteenth African-American and the nation’s first African-American woman to earn this recognition. Her numerous military awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, and the Legion of Merit Medal. BARRY C. BLACK Promoted to Rear Admiral in 1998

U . S . N A V

Barry Black was promoted to rank of Rear Admiral in February 1998 and became the Navy’s twentieth African-American to reach this top leadership position. He served as a Chaplain for over 27 years, and in August 2000, he was selected to serve as the Chief of Chaplains responsible for the religious needs of the Navy’s 384,000 Sailors and their families. His numerous military decorations include the Legion of Merit Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal (two awards), and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (two awards). Black was elected to this position of the 62nd Chaplain of the United States Senate on June 27, 2003, becoming the first African American and the first Seventh-day Adventist to hold this office. The Senate elected its first chaplain in 1789. He officially retired from the Navy on August 15, 2003.

Today, there are 78,000 enlisted African-American men and women and an additional 3,000 African-American officers serving in the Navy.

USNA GRADUATES Admiral J. Paul Reason, Class of 1965 Rear Admiral Anthony J. Watson, Class of 1970 Vice Admiral Andy Winns, Class of 1978

Barry C. Black

Vice Admiral Melvin G. Williams, Class of 1978 Vice Admiral Derwood C. Curtis, Class of 1976 Rear Admiral Arthur J. Johnson, Class of 1979 Rear Admiral Victor G. Guillory, Class of 1978 Admiral Cecil D. Haney, Class of 1978 Rear Admiral Julius S. Caesar, Class of 1977 Rear Admiral Bruce E. Grooms, Class of 1980 Vice Admiral Michelle J. Howard, Class of 1982 Rear Admiral Earl L. Gay, Class of 1980 Rear Admiral Charles K. Carodine, Class of 1982

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

Study at the only New York City university ranked in the top 25 “veteran friendly” colleges and universities by Military Times magazine. For more information, visit www.fordham.edu/vets

Rose Hill • Lincoln Center • Westchester

Fordham was one of the first universities in the country to commit to full participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program, which removes any financial obstacles between eligible post-9/11 service members and a Fordham education. And today, even in the face of a new national cap, we have reaffirmed our Yellow Ribbon commitment to cover all tuition and mandatory fees for eligible post-9/11 veterans and dependents. That guarantee applies to any of our three campuses and to any of the 10 schools to which you are admitted.

2013

Fordham is proud to be a Yellow Ribbon University. eeo/aa

Admiral Cecil D. Haney Commander, U.S. Strategic Command

U . S . N A V

ormer Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Navy Adm. Cecil D. Haney, was nominated by President Barack Obama in 2013 to head U.S. Strategic Command. His confirmation by Senate made it official, and the Admiral returned to Stratcom. The 35-year military veteran previously served as Stratcom’s deputy commander prior to his command of the Pacific Fleet. Stratcom is responsible for coordinating with other combatant commands on global operations that seek to identify and prevent strategic attacks against the U.S. and its allies. As commander of Stratcom, Haney presides over global operations in tandem with appropriate government agencies to detect and prevent strategic attacks against the U.S. and its allies. A Washington D.C. native, Haney graduated the U.S. Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree in ocean engineering in 1978. He also holds master’s degrees from the Naval Post Graduate School and the National Defense University. Haney has been recognized for distinguished naval service though special awards such as the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal. In 1998 Haney was the Vice Admiral James Bond Stockdale Leadership Award recipient. Haney completed operational assignments in USS John C. Calhoun (SSBN 630) in various division officer assignments and in USS Frank Cable

Y Gen. C. Robert Kehler, commander, U.S. Strategic Command, presents Vice Adm. Cecil Haney, deputy commander, USSTRATCOM, with the Defense Superior Service Medal Dec. 20. Admiral Haney was selected for promotion as a four-star admiral and has been reassigned as commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii. Photo: Staff Sgt. Daniel Martinez 62

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

(AS 40), where he completed Surface Warfare qualifications while serving as radiological controls officer. He served as engineer in USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN 709), executive officer in USS Asheville (SSN 758), and assistant squadron deputy at Submarine Squadron 8 before taking command of USS Honolulu (SSN 718) in June 1996. Admiral Haney commanded Submarine Squadron 1 from June 2002 to July 2004, and Submarine Group 2 from October 2006 to March 2008. Haney’s shore duty tours have included administrative assistant for enlisted affairs at Naval Reactors, and congressional appropriations liaison officer for the Office of the Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), Deputy Chief of Staff of Plans, Policies and Requirements, U.S. Pacific Fleet (N5N8) and Director, Submarine Warfare Division (N87); Director, Naval Warfare Integration Group (N00X) and Deputy Commander, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.

GI Bill Scholarships Available for Veterans! For more information visit www.richmond.ac.uk

Und e rg r a d uate Ma jo r s American Studies

Earn Your Degree in

Art, Design, and Media

London

Art History and Visual Culture Business Administration : Entrepreneurship Business Administration: Fashion Marketing Business Administration : Finance

Undergraduate & Graduate Programs

Business Administration : International Business Business Administration : Marketing Communications Development Studies Economics Film Studies Financial Economics History International and Development Economics International Journalism and Media International Relations Performance and Theatre Arts Political Science

A Truly International Experience GI Bill Schol arship – Worth up to $15,000 per academic year towards the cost of undergraduate tuition. Students who are eligible for education or training benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs can apply. Please consult our current Prospectus for further details.

Psychology Postgra d uate De g re es MA Art History and Visual Culture MA Visual Arts Management and Curating MA International Relations

Small Cl ass Size – Average class size is 15–20 students Dual Accreditation – Richmond degrees are accredited in the U.S. and validated in the UK Choice of Majors – The Richmond curriculum is modeled after the American Liberal Arts system for a well-rounded education. Richmond offers 20 undergraduate majors and 5 Postgraduate degrees

MA International Development

International Student Body – The Richmond student body is made up of students from over 100 countries, making it a diverse and culturally rich environment

MBA

Internships – From British Parliament to CNBC to the UN – there’s something for everyone

U . S . N A V

Vice Adm. Michelle Janine Howard, center, has her shoulder boards replaced by her husband, Wayne Cowles and her sister, Lisa Teitleman, during a promotion ceremony at Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads. Photo: Mass Comm Spc 1st Class Rafael Martie, USN.

Vice Admiral Michelle Janine Howard Female Three-Star Officer Navy’s

First

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Phil Beaufort, U.S. Fleet Forces Public Affairs

ice Adm. Michelle Janine Howard has been a trailblazer throughout her entire career. She was the first AfricanAmerican woman to command a U.S. Navy warship, the first female graduate of the Naval Academy to achieve the rank of rear admiral, and the first African-American woman to command an Expeditionary Strike Group at sea.   Howard reached another milestone Aug. 24, when she became the first African-American woman promoted to three-star rank in the U.S. Armed Forces

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

with the assumption of her new job as deputy commander, U.S. Fleet Forces headquartered here.   With a career highlighted by firsts, the path to Howard’s current assignment as a Navy vice admiral initially began with an obstacle. It is an obstacle that taught her to embrace change, find strength in the challenges she faced, and to not be afraid to lean on others.   Howard said her Navy career began as a chance encounter while watching television. It was a documentary about one of the military service academies that

opened Howard’s eyes to a possible future career as an officer in the military. But as Howard learned, not all opportunities were available to women at that time.   The 12-year-old Howard went to her older brother to get his opinion on her becoming an officer. He informed her that U.S. military academies were not open to women.  Undeterred, she spoke to her mother who told her that if she really wanted to join the military as an officer, she would have to wait until she was old enough. Hopefully by that time, society would change, and if it does; then she should go after it. And go for it Howard did.   Four years after that discussion, the federal law concerning the acceptance of women into the nation’s service academies changed. At 17, Howard applied and was accepted into the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.   In 1978, Howard entered the Naval Academy as a freshman. She was in only the third class to accept women. At that time women made up only five percent of the Navy. With more than 200 years of naval history and traditions, there was some resistance to change.   With a self-deprecating laugh Howard said that the Academy wasn’t easy. In retrospect, she’s realized that expecting a smooth sail wouldn’t have been very realistic.   “When you look at where society was at the time, this was before there was even a woman on the Supreme Court, before Sally Ride was an astronaut, and it was also only five or six years after we became an all volunteer force in the military, so our society was still going through a lot of changes.”   She says the one person who was incredibly helpful in putting her experiences in context was Wesley Brown. Brown was the first black Naval Academy graduate, Class of 1949. They met when Howard was a lieutenant commander.   “He talked about how great this country is and how much it has changed; that as the country changed, people changed. And even though he was the only African-American to attend Annapolis in the 1940s, when he attended reunions he was a member of that class,” said Howard. “What I really learned from him was that he was a man who could forgive and go on with his life. There is a lot of strength in that.”

Change is inevitable, and Howard rode a wave of it as she moved through her career.   “In the 1980s when the Navy opened the logistics ships to women, that was huge, because it allowed a lot of opportunities for women to serve at sea. Then it was just a few years later that we were engaged in Operation Desert Storm. So even though women weren’t serving on warships, women were still serving in a combat arena, and that started a national conversation.  ‘What is a woman’s role in the military?’ So coming out of that time frame, the combat exclusion law was repealed and that meant that women were going to serve on combat ships and fly combat aircraft,” said Howard.  After serving sea tours aboard several ships, Howard fulfilled her dream in 1999 of commanding a Navy warship at sea. She took command of the amphibious dock landing ship USS Rushmore (LSD 47), becoming the first African-American woman in such a role.   “The crew was wonderful. To this day that’s what I think about. When you are going into command you think it’s going to be challenging, you believe it’s going to be fun, and it definitely was fun, but there are always challenges you don’t expect. At the same time you go in with the expectation that Sailors can do anything, and that was the ship that proved it. We are so lucky that we have the people who not only have the talent, but who care and want to get it right.”   Howard was selected for the rank of rear admiral lower half in 2006, making her the first admiral selected from the United States Naval Academy class of 1982 and the first woman graduate of the United States Naval Academy selected for flag rank.   In 2009, Howard put on her second star and assumed command of Expeditionary Strike Group 2 and deployed in the Gulf of Aden to conduct anti-piracy operations. Within one week of checking aboard her flag ship, amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4), she was immersed in the rescue of Capt. Richard Phillips, commanding officer of the MV Maersk Alabama.   “That’s an eye-opening way to start a new job. Very quickly we had several ships, special forces, aircraft and it seemed like everyone in the world was focused on one American and trying to make sure he didn’t end up on shore in Somalia. Synchronizing

that kind of might and capability was pretty amazing.”   Not including the 3,000 Sailors and Marines in her task force, Howard said they also had support from reconnaissance aircraft out of Djibouti, intelligence support from the United States, and she was in constant communication with the staff at U.S. 5th Fleet in Bahrain.   “When you think about it that’s a lot of people, and I’m going to say that’s the right call. The Department of Defense is there to protect America’s interest, America’s property and America’s citizens. And in the end there is a deterrence factor. You want the average pirate to look at an American ship and say, ‘we’ll just let that one go by.’”   For the women who are following in her footsteps, Howard has this advice.   “You have to keep your sense of humor. You have to develop stamina and you need to be adaptable. Finally, you need to stay connected to women. It’s important to be able to share experiences and to be able to tap into those shared experiences.”   During her career, Howard has seen dramatic changes in the Navy and the nation, but there is one more change she’d like to witness.   “I would like to see our nation appreciate the importance of the Navy. We are blessed to live in a time where the average citizen really appreciates their Sailors; when we walk anywhere in a uniform we get thanked. If I could change anything I’d like to have Americans understand who they are thanking and why. How do you convince a nation this big that they are a maritime nation? Our founding fathers got it; they understood the importance of international commerce and that is why they said maintain a Navy in the Constitution. And ironically enough, we are even more dependent on maintaining safe water ways now than they were then.”   Howard may get her wish. As the newest vice admiral in the Navy and deputy commander of U.S. Fleet Forces she will have the opportunity to reach a much larger audience than ever before. As she has proven time and again, there is a first for everything.   For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy

HONORING AFRICAN-AMERICAN SERVICE MEMBERS

Montel Williams Retired Navy Lieutenant, Servicemember

Advocate

U . S . N A V Y

illiams enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps upon graduating high school in 1974. He went to boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina, where he was promoted to platoon guide. After basic training, he was sent to the Desert Warfare Training Center at Twentynine Palms, California. While at Twentynine Palms, his superiors became impressed with his leadership skills, and he was recommended for, and accepted to, the Naval Academy Preparatory School at Newport, Rhode Island. He completed the one-year course, and was accepted to the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. When he arrived at Annapolis on July 6, 1976, he was honorably discharged as a Corporal from the Marines, and was appointed as a Midshipman in the Navy. While at Annapolis, Williams studied Mandarin Chinese and graduated with a degree in general engineering and a minor in International Security Affairs. It was at Annapolis that Williams first began to shave his head. Upon his graduation in 1980, he became the first black enlisted marine to complete and graduate both the Academy Prep School and Annapolis. Williams planned to return to the Marines as an officer after graduating from Annapolis, but he suffered a severe reaction when he was Photo: Courtesy of U.S. Navy

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

Photo: Mass Comm Spc 2nd Class Kitt Amaritnant

one of 100 seniors who received the wrong dose of an immunization. Williams was in the hospital for 2Â˝ weeks and lost the vision in his left eye. He eventually made a partial recovery and could serve as a naval intelligence officer, specializing in languages.

Capt. Kenneth J. Braithwaite, Director, Joint Public Affairs Support Element Reserve, presenting the award to Williams in 2008. Photo: Lt. Mark Duehmig , USN

Commissioned a Lieutenant, he spent the next one and a half years in Guam as a cryptologic officer for naval intelligence, where he served at sea and ashore. In 1982 he was transferred to Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, where he studied the Russian language for one year. In 1983 he was transferred to Ft. Meade in Maryland, where he worked with the National Security Agency. What Williams did there is vague, due to the sensitive nature of intelligence work, but he performed various intelligence missions. He was offshore aboard ship during the invasion of Grenada. After three years aboard submarines, Williams, now a full Lieutenant, was made supervising cryptologic officer with the Naval Security Fleet Support Division at Ft. Meade. It was while counseling his crew that he discovered a gift for public speaking. In 1988, he began

conducting informal counseling for the wives and families of the servicemen in his command. He was later asked to speak to a local group of kids in Kansas City, MO about the importance of leadership and how to overcome obstacles on the road to success—thus beginning a three-year career in motivational speaking. Williams traveled the country talking to more than three million teenagers nationwide and gave up his naval commission to pursue speaking fulltime. He left the navy with the rank of lieutenant, and received the Navy Achievement Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Navy Commendation Medal. Williams retired after 22 years of service as a Lieutenant Commander in the US Navy Reserve. In addition, he reached out to thousands of parents, educators and business leaders, encouraging them to work together to address youth issues, trends and to inspire

youngsters to reach their highest potential. These efforts to reach out to the community eventually led to the Montel Williams Show on television IN 2008, the Department of the Navy recognized Williams for his continuous support and recognition of sailors, Marines and their families throughout his 17 years on television. The Navy presented its Superior Public Service Award to Williams during the taping of his longrunning program’s final show, which took place in New York City. Navy Capt. Kenneth J. Braithwaite II, a rear admiral selectee and director of Joint Public Affairs Support Element Reserve, presented the award to Williams on behalf of Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead. The Superior Public Service Award is the second-highest award presented to civilians by the Department of the Navy.

HONORING AFRICAN-AMERICAN SERVICE MEMBERS

U .

U.S. AIR FORCE

S . A R

Motto: Aim High...Fly-Fight-Win

M Y

Colors: Ultramarine Blue and Air Force Yellow Established: September 18, 1947

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

Staff Sgt. Issac Kendrick, 336th Training Squadron won the Dragon Award for outstanding military training leader for May 2013. The award is intended to raise the level of adherence to military training standards and military excellence set for technical training students. Photo: Kemberly Groue, USAF

Daniel ‘Chappie’ James, Jr. African-American Air Force Four-Star General

First U . S . A I R F O

R C E

aniel James Jr., was the first African-American promoted to the rank of Air Force four-star general. He was another of the great Tuskegee Airmen, but didn’t see action until the Korean War. His career spanned three wars and 30 years, and he was a recognized civil rights pioneer. He was an eloquent speaker for the Air Force known for his thoughts on Americanism and patriotism. James was born in February 1920, in Pensacola, Fla., where he graduated from Washington High School in June 1937. He attended Tuskegee Institute at Tuskegee, Ala., where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education and completed civilian pilot training under the government-sponsored Civilian Pilot Training Program. He remained at Tuskegee as a civilian instructor pilot in the Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet Program until January 1943, when he entered the program as a cadet and received his commission as second lieutenant in July 1943. Throughout the remainder of World

His career spanned three wars and 30 years, and he was a recognized civil rights pioneer. 70

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

War II he trained pilots for the all-African-American 99th Pursuit Squadron and worked in other assignments. In September 1949 James went to the Philippines and was assigned to the 18th Fighter Wing, at Clark Field. In July 1950 he went to Korea where he flew 101 combat missions in F-51 and F-80 Shooting Star aircraft during the Korean War. James returned to the United States and in July 1951 went to Otis Air Force Base, Mass., where he was assigned as an all-weather jet fighter pilot, and later as the squadron commander. After assignments in England and Arizona, James went to Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, in December 1966. He flew 78 combat missions into North Vietnam, many in the Hanoi/ Haiphong area, and led a flight in the Bolo MiG sweep in which seven Communist MiG-21s were destroyed, the highest total kill of any mission during the Vietnam War.

He was named vice commander of the 33rd Tactical Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., in December 1967. While stationed at Eglin AFB, the Florida State Jaycees named him as Florida’s Outstanding American of the Year for 1969; and he received the Jaycee Distinguished Service Award. He was transferred to Wheelus Air Base in the Libyan Arab Republic, in August 1969, as commander of the 7272nd Fighter Training Wing. General James became Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) on March 31, 1970, and was designated Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) on April 20, 1973. General James was promoted to four-star grade and assigned as commander in chief, NORAD/ADCOM, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., Sept. 1, 1975. In these dual capacities, he had operational command of all United States and Canadian strategic aerospace defense forces. His last position was special assistant to the Air Force chief of staff. He was awarded the George Washington Freedom Foundation Medal in 1967 and again in 1968. He received the Arnold Air Society Eugene M. Zuckert Award, in 1970, for outstanding contributions to Air Force professionalism. His citation read “…fighter pilot with a magnificent record, public speaker, and eloquent spokesman for the American Dream we so rarely achieve.” James retired from active service on Feb. 1, 1978 and died later that month on Feb 25. Sources compiled from Air Force News Agency and Air Force History Support Office. HONORING AFRICAN-AMERICAN SERVICE MEMBERS

Maj. Gen. Samuel A. Greaves Deputy Director Missile Defense Agency

U . S . A I R F O R C E

ajor General Greaves was commissioned in 1982 through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program after he graduated from Cornell University. He has held a variety of assignments in operational, acquisition and staff units, including assignments at Headquarters Air Combat Command; the National Reconnaissance Office; and on the Air Staff within the Directorate of Operational Requirements and the Air Force Colonel Matters Office. Greaves also commanded the 45th Launch Group, Patrick AFB, Fla., the Launch and Range Systems Wing and Military Satellite Communications Systems Wing at Los Angeles AFB, Calif. The general also served as Vice Commander, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB. Prior to his current assignment, he was Director, Strategic Plans, Programs and Analyses, Headquarters Air Force Space Command, Peterson AFB, Colo. He has operational launch crew experience in the space shuttle, Titan, Atlas and Delta space-launch systems. He wears the Command Space Badge. In August 2012, Major General Greaves took his position as Deputy Director of the Missile Defense Agency. The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is a research, development, and acquisition agency within the Department of Defense. MDAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s workforce includes government civilians, military service members, and contractor personnel in multiple locations across the United States. MDA is firmly committed to developing and sustaining a culture and fostering an environment where diversity is valued and leveraged, all employees are treated with dignity and respect, and have equal access to

Near-Field Infrared Experiment (NFIRE) research satellite. Photo: Courtesy USAF 72

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

opportunity. Moreover, the MDA believes their workforce should be reflective of society as a whole. The MDA values every bright mind that helps the agency meet its goals. For that reason, an environment has been cultivated where each applicant and employee is offered an opportunity for equal advancement and recognition, regardless of gender, cultural background, or disability. The MDA works closely with combatant commands (e.g. Pacific Command, Northern Command, etc.) in the development, testing, and fielding of an integrated Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS), as they rely on the system to protect the United States, our forward deployed forces, and our friends and allies from hostile ballistic missile attack. Every day, the MDA works with many businesses to develop innovative technologies on behalf of the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s defense. But these innovations can also be beneficial in the private sector and are currently utilized in a variety of applications. For more information on MDA visit www.mda.mil.

rom propulsion and satellite systems supporting missile defense, GPS and operational responsive space to missile-warning solutions, state-of-the-art precision strike weapon and ammunition technology, our products are developed to give Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s warfighter the technology edge. But our commitment to military members goes beyond cutting-edge technology. Our devotion to veterans and their families is demonstrated through a community giving program tailored to meet veteransâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; needs. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re honored to support those who so bravely serve to protect our cherished freedoms.

Serving those who serve. Always.

Minotaur 1 ORS 1 Launch Photo Courtesy of Orbital Sciences Corporation

U . S .

Maj. Gen. Alfred K. Flowers, poses for a portrait July 16, 2012. Photo: Staff Sgt. Vernon Young Jr., USAF

A I R F O

Maj. Gen. Alfred K. Flowers

R C E

Longest-Serving Airman in Air Force History A

lfred K. Flowers is a retired United States Air Force Major General who served in many roles, culminating as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Budget. At the time of his retirement, Flowers had served more than 46 years on active duty, making him the longest-serving airman in Air Force history and the longest serving African American in the history of the United States Department of Defense. Prior to his retirement, the enlisted members of Air Education and Training Command presented Flowers with the Order of the Sword, the Air Force enlisted forceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highest honor for officer leadership. Born in Jones County, North Carolina on December 29, 1947, Flowers was raised in rural Jones County near Phillips Crossroads. At the

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

age of ten, he started working in the fields with his grandparents, who were sharecroppers. He graduated from Jones High School in 1965. As he could not afford to attend college after graduating, he decided to enlist in the Air Force. Because he was only seventeen, his grandmother had to sign a release allowing him to enlist and he entered the Air Force on August 5,1965. After completing basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, Flowers was assigned to duty as a supply warehouseman at Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota. After two years at Grand Forks, he was retransferred into the air transportation career field and sent to Da Nang Air Base, Republic of Vietnam. At Da Nang, Flowers was responsible for collecting casualties, hauling

An early military photo of Maj. Gen. Flowers. Photo: U.S. Air Force

Honoring African-American Servicemembers

Southern Illinois University Carbondale congratulates alumnus Maj. Gen. Alfred K. Flowers, Class of 1975, for 46 years of distinguished service to his country. Completing 25 assignments during his career, Flowers retired in 2012 as the longest-serving airman in U.S. Air Force history and the longest-serving active-duty African American in U.S. Department of Defense history. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been in partnership with military bases since 1973. Take SIU Carbondale courses with SIU faculty on base and online.

618-453-3430 distanceeducation.siu.edu

U . S . A I R F O R C E

wounded and deceased soldiers out of the jungle at night. When his tour in Vietnam was completed, Flowers was reassigned at Norton Air Force Base, California. While at Norton, he met his wife, who was also serving in the Air Force. Two weeks after they were married, she was transferred to Clark Air Base in the Philippines. Six months later, Flower secured a joint-spouse assignment at Clark. During his tour in the Philippines, Flowers began working toward a college degree. When he returned from his overseas assignment, Flower was retrained as an accounting specialist and assigned to Lackland Air Force Base and then to Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina. When he completed his bachelor’s degree in 1975, Flowers applied for Air Force Officer Training School and was accepted. Shortly after his acceptance, his wife (who was still enlisted) was reassigned to Iraklion Air Base in Greece. Because there was no guarantee of a joint assignment after officer training, he gave up his officer-training slot and went with his family to Greece. In 1976, Flowers finished his master’s degree and re-applied to the officer training; however, his application was denied. He applied again in 1977 and was denied again. In the meantime, he was reassigned to Travis Air Force Base, California and selected for promotion to master sergeant, the Air Force’s third highest enlisted grade. While he was waiting to pin on his new rank, he applied for officer training once again. This time he was accepted. In 1978, Flowers was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the financial management career field. His first officer assignment was at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. During that three year tour Flowers served as deputy accounting and finance officer, then accounting and finance officer, and finally as the base’s budget officer. He then went to headquarters Tactical Air Command at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, serving as a command level budget officer for three years. In July 1985, Flowers was selected for an assignment at Air Force headquarters in The Pentagon. He served three years there, first as a budget officer and the as an executive officer. He attended the Armed Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Virginia from July 1989 until January 1990. After graduating from that joint military education program, he was assigned to headquarters Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base, as chief of the command’s Budget Operations Division. 76

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

In August 1993, Flowers was selected to attend the Industrial College of the Armed Forces at Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington, receiving a Master of Science degree from the college in June 1994. This was followed by a budget officer assignment in the office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon. In December 1996, Flowers was again assigned to headquarters Air Combat Command, where he served as the command’s budget chief. During the assignment, he was promoted to colonel. In June 1999, Flowers returned to the Pentagon for another tour, this time as director of Budget Programs in the office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management and Comptroller. Three years later, he was sent to headquarters Air Education and Training Command at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas as the command’s comptroller. He was then assigned to headquarters United States Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. While at MacDill, he was promoted to brigadier general. Flowers took command of the Air Force Officer Accession and Training Schools in January 2007. He served as the organization’s commander until May 2008. During that tour, Flowers was promoted to major general. Flowers was then transferred to Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi where he took command of 2nd Air Force. In October 2009, he returned to the Pentagon for his final assignment. He served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Budget until his

retirement on 1 January 2012. During this tour, he was responsible for planning and executing a $119 billion annual budget that financed all Air Force operations including support for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Flowers also served on the board of directors for Army and Air Force Exchange Service and the Air Force Aid Society. Prior to his retirement, Flowers was awarded the Order of the Sword, the Air Force enlisted force’s highest honor for officer leadership. Several hundred people attend the Order of the Sword ceremony held at the Pentagon’s Airman Hall. At the time of his retirement, Flowers was the longest serving active duty member in Air Force history. He was also the longest serving African American in the history of the United States Department of Defense. His retirement ceremony was held at on 16 November 2011 at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington. The Secretary of the Air Force, Michael B. Donley and the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management and Comptroller, Jamie M. Morin both attended his retirement ceremony. The effective date of his retirement was January 1, 2012. After retiring from the Air Force, Flowers and his wife moved to San Antonio, where he works with military and veterans groups as a volunteer and a speaker. He also helped develop an enlisted heritage museum. According to Flowers, when he experiences military withdrawal pains, he visits Lackland Air Force Base to watch 700 new airmen march in their basic training graduation parade.

Maj. Gen. Flowers retirement ceremony. Pictured here with Sec of the Air Force Michael Donley on Nov. 16, 2011. Photo: Jim Varhegyi, USAF

You’ve served Your countrY, now we’re here to serve You.

You gained experience and knowledge during your military service. Continue your education where you will be best prepared for your next career. Over 100 award-winning, innovative programs of study including: • Education, Nursing, Business, Criminal Justice, Network Administration, Computer Science, Sport and Exercise Science • Recognized as a leader in preparing educators • Top ranked Nursing program Military supportive campus that offers: • Full-time Veterans Services office located in the middle of campus • Dedicated team to assist with transitional and educational needs • Free services such as tutoring and counseling • Student-led veterans organization

Yellow Ribbon Program participant– uncapped amounts on both students and allotments.

For more information, visit www.unco.edu/veteransservices

Office of Veterans Services • Roudebush Cottage, Campus Box 6, Greeley, CO 80639 • veterans.services@unco.edu • (970) 351-1403

facebook.com/UNCVeteranServices

General Edward A. Rice, Jr. Commander of the Air Education and Training Command

U . S . A I

“T

R F O R C E

he Air Force is almost a small country,” explains General Edward A. Rice, Jr. “In order to operate, we need a variety of skills including engineering, science, and research and development on new technologies.” Rice is commander of the Air Education and Training Command (AETC, Randolph Air Force Base, TX). “We educate and train, but we also do recruiting,” he says. “I call what we do ‘force development.’ We develop talent for the Air Force. That involves finding the right people, giving them their indoctrination and initial skills training and sending them out to their first assignments. “Over their careers, we bring them back for additional developmental education or training. We do it all, from basic military skills that all airmen need, to hard technical skills. We give bachelors and masters degrees. We even confer PhDs,” Rice says. Some people enter the USAF as officers and others as enlisted personnel. “Most airmen come in on the guaranteed enlistment program, meaning that they are matched up with a job before they make their final commitment so they know what they’re going to do,” he explains. “Others come in not locked into a particular job and will do whatever the Air Force asks of them. Once they’re in basic training, we see where we need them and match them up.” LEADERSHIP AND REFLECTION Rice joined the Air Force as an officer after attending the U.S. Air Force Academy (Colorado Springs, CO) where he earned a BS in engineering sciences in 1978. He finished his masters degree in aeronautical science and technology from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Daytona Beach, FL) in 1986. “The great thing about my job is that I don’t have any ‘typical days,’” he says with a smile. “I attend meetings to get feedback on initiatives going on within the command. I do try to clear an hour of my time in the morning and again in the afternoon to think about what I, and others, need to be doing to move the organization forward. In a job like this, you can spend all your time 78

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

reacting to what’s going on. I’ve found that it is useful to free space on my schedule to ensure that I’m actually leading actions. “I have a management and administrative staff that works directly for me. I also have a deputy commander. Operationally, my command has almost 70,000 people in it, divided among recruiting, flight training, technical training, and education. Each of the four commanders reports directly to me.” Rice believes that his leadership approach is “focused and objectiveoriented with high standards. I hope my staff would say I’m someone who thinks a lot about the requirements of the future. I’m a good listener, interested in what people have to say, and I’m someone to whom bad news can be told when necessary.” AIR FORCE ACADEMY-BOUND AT NINE General Rice was born in Albuquerque, NM. His father was an Air Force scientist and the family moved around before settling in western Ohio. “Being

Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, left, presents Gen. Edward A. Rice with the AETC colors during a change of command ceremony. Gen. Rice succeeded Gen. Stephen R. Lorenz, right. Photo: Richard McFadden, USAF

around the military as much as I was, I was very comfortable with it,” he remembers. “By the time I was nine or ten years old, I wanted to go to the Air Force Academy. That was the dream I had for my life. “I didn’t lock into engineering until I got to the academy. I found I liked the discipline of engineering and problem solving. Actually, I liked the whole academic and intellectual package the academy offered. It gave me a very strong education as well as the ability to fly aircraft.” Rice has significant experience in combat and contingency operations. He commanded bomber operations in the first four months of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. In 2004, he served as deputy commander for the joint task force providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to victims of the tsunami in Southeast Asia. The general is a command pilot with almost 4,000 flying hours. He’s a member of the Air Force Association (Arlington, VA), the Fraternal Order of Daedalians (JBSA-Randolph, TX) and the Tuskegee Airmen (Tuskegee, AL). Rice has never considered leaving the Air Force. “It has provided me with great challenges, opportunities and range. You get good at something and then you move on to something else. Here you don’t spend thirty or forty years doing the same thing.

Gen. Edward A. Rice Jr., presents the Purple Heart and Air Force Combat Action Medals to Sr. Airman Erik J. Schadler who was awarded the medals for wounds received in combat action against a hostile enemy force in Afghanistan. Photo: Russell Fritz, USAF

“I serve at the pleasure of the Air Force Chief of Staff and the Secretary of the Air Force. I’ll be happy to do this job as long as they would like me to, until it comes time to move aside and let other people have opportunities for leadership. “One way or the other, I’m coming to the end of my active duty military career and, after that, I don’t know,” General Rice admits. “I’m not ready to retire just yet, but the future is wide open.” General Rice officially retired on December 1, 2013. HONORING AFRICAN-AMERICAN SERVICE MEMBERS

General Larry O. Spencer USAF’s African-American Shares Ties to Civil Rights Movement

Highest Ranking

By Master Sgt. Jess D. Harvey, Air Force Public Affairs Agency

U . S . A I R F O

R C E

t was standing room only as hundreds gathered to hear General Larry O. Spencer, Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, deliver the 2013 Martin Luther King Jr. Address on Saturday, January 12th at the Moton Museum in Farmville, Virginia. General Spencer, the second highest ranking U.S. Air Force official, is the son of 1951 Moton Student Striker Selma Gaines Spencer. It was nearly six decades ago when she, along with her fellow R.R. Moton High classmates, staged the strike that produced the largest and only studentinitiated lawsuit among the five (5) combined “Brown v. Board cases,” thus catapulting Farmville and rural Prince Edward County, Virginia to the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement. On April 23, 1951, more than 450 students collectively walked out the front doors of the all-black, R. R. Moton High School in Farmville, Va., and marched to the home doorsteps of school-board members in the community. “I am reminded of Dr. King’s words, ‘Courage is an inner resolution to go forth despite obstacles. Cowardice is submissive surrender to circumstances,’” said Spencer as the keynote speaker at Robert Russa Moton Museum in Farmville. “What happened here at Moton High School is something that we all should be proud of … because it changed history. It changed where this country was going. It woke this country up. It led to de-segregating our schools.” Fueled by conditions at the school, the walkout was organized by a classmate of Selma’s. “The overcrowding was so bad that there was a broken-down school bus where they also taught students,” the general said. At that point, the students weren’t asking for desegregation. Instead they were simply demanding a better school. Moton High was only built to accommodate 150 students. 80

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

“The students at the time were more interested in the separate-butequal issue. They wanted better accommodations,” said Spencer. The term separate but equal was a legal ruling used at the time that justified segregation as long as each group was given its own, equal facility. In addition to being overcrowded, the school was also missing key facilities that white schools had, such as a gym. So, the students, led by 16-year-old Barbara Johns, decided to do something about it. “Nearly all of the students walked out that day and marched to homes of school board members, starting a two-week strike where students refused to return to school,” said Spencer.

Technology

Answering the call with confidence. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in our power.â&#x201E;˘

Readiness

Reliability

Dependability

There are powerful reasons why 29 armed services across the globe employ 8,500 of our engines to deliver when it really counts. Learn more at www.pw.utc.com. Military Engines

U . S . A I R F O R C

The walkout got the attention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, who stepped in to help the students. “An NAACP organizer convinced the parents of the striking students that the strike would only succeed if students attacked segregation head on,” Spencer said. The students’ actions evolved into the only student-initiated lawsuit of its kind, adding momentum to an ongoing movement to end segregation in America. Their lawsuit, Dorothy Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward, was later incorporated into the Brown v. Board of Education case where the Supreme Court ruled segregation was unconstitutional. Selma told the crowd at the museum she isn’t bitter about events of that time, but instead is thankful for her experiences. “I cannot say, at this point in time, that I am angry about anything that happened during that time,” she said. “I have been able to see so many wonderful things in my life. I thank God for the journey he has taken me on.” The connection between what Spencer has accomplished in his career and what his mother and more than 400 other students did that day in 1951 isn’t lost on him. “My mother, her classmates and countless others during the civil rights movement are a key reason why I wear this Air Force uniform

Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Larry Spencer speaks at a Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration at the Robert Russa Moton Museum in Farmville, Va. Photo: Lt. Col. John Sheets, USAF

today,” he said. “Many people sacrificed a lot back then to change a country that now allows me and others to graciously and happily sacrifice for it.” As Vice Chief, General Spencer presides over the Air Staff and serves as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Requirements Oversight

E Selma Gaines Spencer speaks of her experience as student striker in 1951. Photo: Lt. Col. John Sheets, USAF 82

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

Council and Deputy Advisory Working Group. He assists the Chief of Staff with organizing, training, and equipping of 690,000 activeduty, Guard, Reserve and civilian forces serving in the United States and overseas. General Spencer was born in Washington, D.C. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering technology from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, and was commissioned through Officer Training School in 1980 as a distinguished graduate. General Spencer has commanded a squadron, group and wing, and he was Vice Commander of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center. He was also the first Air Force officer to serve as Assistant Chief of Staff in the White House Military Office. He served as the Comptroller and then Director of Mission Support (A7) at a major command; and held positions within the Air Staff and Secretary of the Air Force. Prior to his current assignment, the general was Director, Force Structure, Resources and Assessment, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. The Moton School Civil Rights Learning Center, located at 900 Griffin Blvd, Farmville, Virginia is Virginia’s sole National Historic Landmark of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. For more info, call 434-315-8775.

Colonel Benjamin Alvin Drew, Jr. NASA Astronaut

U . S . A I R F O R C E

olonel Benjamin Alvin Drew, Jr. is a retired United States Air Force officer and a NASA astronaut. He has been on two spaceflights; the first was the Space Shuttle mission STS-118 to the International Space Station, in August 2007. The second spaceflight took place in March 2011 on STS-133, another mission to the International Space Station. STS-133 was Space Shuttle Discovery’s final mission. Drew took part in two spacewalks while docked to the station, and was the final African-American to fly on board a Space Shuttle, as the final two Space Shuttle missions, STS-134 and STS-135, had no AfricanAmerican crewmembers. Selected as a mission specialist by NASA in July 2000, Drew reported for training in August 2000. Following the completion of two years of training and evaluation, he was assigned technical duties in the Astronaut Office Station Operations Branch. He served in technical assignments until he took a sabbatical to the U.S. Air Force’s Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, attending a Master’s Degree program at their Air War College. After his first successful spaceflight, STS-118, he worked as CAPCOM officer in Mission Control for the Mission of STS-123. Drew then spent almost a year in Russia as the Director of Operations overseeing the US operations at Yuri Gagarin Cosmonauts Training Center in Star City. On February 28, 2011, Drew became the 200th person to walk in space, when he conducted the first spacewalk of the STS-133 mission with fellow astronaut Steve Bowen. Drew received his commission as a Second Lieutenant from the United States Air Force Academy in May 1984. He completed

Astronauts Alvin Drew and Nicole Stott, STS-133 flight day 2 making their way toward the International Space Station. Photo: Courtesy of NASA 84

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

Undergraduate Helicopter Pilot Training at Fort Rucker, Alabama, in 1985. His initial assignment was to the HH-3E, flying combat rescue missions. He later transitioned to the MH-60G and was assigned to the Air Force Special Operations Command. There, he flew combat missions in operations Just Cause, Desert Shield, Desert Storm and Operation Provide Comfort. He completed USAF Fixed-Wing Qualification in 1993, and the United States Naval Test Pilot School in June 1994. He has commanded two flight test units and served on Air Combat Command staff. Drew graduated from Gonzaga College High School in Washington, DC, and went on to earn a dual B.S. degree in physics and aeronautical engineering from the United States Air Force Academy in 1984, and a M.S. degree in aerospace science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Drew’s decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster; Air Medal; Aerial Achievement Medal with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters; Air Force Commendation Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters; Air Force Achievement Medal; Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters; Combat Readiness Medal with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters; National Defense Service Medal; Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal; and the Southwest Asia Service Medal, with 3 service stars. As a Command Pilot he logged over 3,000 hours of flying time and has flown in over 30 types of aircraft. He retired from the Air Force in September 2010, after more than 25 years of service.

From combat to the classroom, Embry-Riddle is the university for your post military career. Embry-Riddle is the best choice for military personnel who seek fulfilling and distinguished careers in global security and intelligence, cyber security, aerospace, unmanned aircraft systems, business, aviation, and engineering. If you believe you have what it takes to be number one–to be a leader–don’t settle for anything less. Come learn with the best at the top aerospace university in the country.

No. 1 Ranking in the Nation by U.S. News & World Report Aerospace Engineering program

www.embryriddle.edu

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Astronauts

NASA’s African-American

U . S . A I R

CHARLES F. BOLDEN JR., NASA ADMINISTRATOR Born August 19, 1946, in Columbia, SC. Graduated from C.A. Johnson High School in Columbia, SC, in 1964. Received a Bachelor of Science in electrical science from the United States Naval Academy in 1968 and a Master of Science in systems management from the University of Southern California in 1977. Selected by NASA in May 1980. Bolden is a veteran of four spaceflights, with over 680 hours in space. Served as Pilot on STS-61C and STS-31 and Commander on STS-45 and STS-60. Bolden began his duties as the 12th NASA administrator and first African-American administrator in July 2009. As Administrator, he leads the agency to achieve NASA’s missions and goals.

F O R C E

MICHAEL ANDERSON Born December 25, 1959, in Plattsburgh, NY. Graduated from Cheney High School in Cheney, WA, in 1977. Received a Bachelor of Science in physics/astronomy from University of Washington in 1981 and a Master of Science in physics from Creighton University in 1990. Selected by NASA in December 1994, Anderson flew on STS-89 and STS-107, logging over 593 hours in space. Died on February 1, 2003, when Space Shuttle Columbia and the crew perished during reentry. GUION S. BLUFORD JR. Born in Philadelphia, PA, on November 22, 1942. Received a Bachelor of Science in aerospace engineering from Pennsylvania State University in 1964; a Master of Science with distinction in aerospace 86

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 1974; a doctorate of philosophy in aerospace engineering with a minor in laser physics from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 1978; and a Master in Business Administration from the University of Houston-Clear Lake in 1987. Became a NASA astronaut in August 1979. Bluford is a veteran of four spaceflights and was a Mission Specialist on STS-8, STS-61-A, STS-39 and STS-53. YVONNE DARLENE CAGLE, M.D. Born in West Point, NY. Received a Bachelor of Arts in biochemistry from San Francisco State University in 1981 and a doctorate in medicine from the University of Washington in 1985. Received certification in aerospace medicine from the School of Aerospace Medicine at Brooks Air Force Base, TX, in 1988. Completed residency in family practice at Ghent FP at Eastern Virginia Medical School in 1992. Received certification as a senior aviation medical examiner from the Federal Aviation Administration in 1995. Cagle was selected by NASA in April 1996 and is qualified for flight assignment. Cagle is currently stationed at Ames Research Center (ARC). She leads the ARC Astronaut Science Liaison and Strategic Relationships, and is the Strategic Relationships Manager for Google and other Silicon Valley programmatic partnerships. ROBERT L. CURBEAM JR. Born March 5, 1962, in Baltimore, MD. Graduated from Woodlawn High School, Baltimore County, MD in 1980. Received a Bachelor of Science in aerospace engineering from the United States Naval Academy in 1984 and a Master of Science in aeronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate

School in 1990. Earned a degree in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in 1991. Curbeam was selected by NASA in December 1994. He flew on STS-85, STS-98 and STS-116, logging over 593 hours in space, including over 19 spacewalk hours during three spacewalks. BENJAMIN ALVIN DREW Born November 5, 1962, in Washington, DC. Graduated from Gonzaga College High School in Washington, DC, in 1980. Received a Bachelor of Science in astronautical engineering and a Bachelor of Science in physics from the United States Air Force Academy in 1984, and a Master of Science in aerospace science from Embry Riddle University in 1995. Drew was selected as a Mission Specialist by NASA in July 2000 and attended a master’s degree program at Maxwell Air Force Base’s Air War College. Flew on STS-118 in 2007 and STS133 in 2011. JEANETTE J. EPPS Born in Syracuse, NY. Graduated from Thomas J. Corcoran High School, Syracuse, NY, in 1988. Received a Bachelor of Science in physics from LeMoyne College in 1992 and Master of Science and doctorate of philosophy in aerospace engineering from the University of Maryland in 1994 and 2000, respectively. Epps was selected in July 2009 as one of 14 members of the 20th NASA astronaut class. She recently graduated from Astronaut Candidate Training, which included scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in International Space Station systems, Extravehicular Activity (EVA), robotics, physiological training, T-38 flight training and water and wilderness survival training.

FREDERICK D. GREGORY Born January 7, 1941, in Washington, DC. Graduated from Anacostia High School, Washington, DC, in 1958. Received a Bachelor of Science from the United States Air Force Academy in 1964 and a master’s degree in information systems from George Washington University in 1977. Selected as an astronaut in January 1978. A veteran of three shuttle missions, he has logged over 455 hours in space. Served as Pilot on STS-51B and was the Commander on STS-33 and STS-44. Gregory led the agency’s Safety and Mission Assurance effort and later the Office of Space Flight. Retired as NASA’s Deputy Administrator in 2005. BERNARD A. HARRIS JR. Born June 26, 1956, in Temple, TX. Graduated from Sam Houston High School, San Antonio, TX, in 1974. Received a Bachelor of Science in biology from University of Houston in 1978 and a doctorate in medicine from Texas Tech University School of Medicine in 1982. Completed a residency in internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic in 1985. Trained as a Flight Surgeon at the Aerospace School of Medicine, Brooks Air Force Base, in 1988 and also received a master’s degree in biomedical science from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston in 1996. Harris was selected by NASA in January 1990 and is a veteran of two spaceflights, with more than 438 hours in space on STS-55 and STS-63. JOAN E. HIGGINBOTHAM Born in Chicago, IL. Graduated from Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, Chicago, IL, in 1982. Received a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in 1987, a master’s degree in management from the Florida Institute of Technology in 1992, and a master’s degree in space systems from the Florida Institute of Technology in 1996. Selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in 1996 and flew on STS-116 in 2006. Higginbotham was assigned to fly on

STS-126, but retired from NASA in November 2007 to pursue a career in the public sector.

development and implementation of NASA’s educational programs.

MAE C. JEMISON, M.D. Born October 17, 1956, in Decatur, AL. Graduated from Morgan Park High School, Chicago, IL, in 1973. Received a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering (and fulfilled the requirements for a Bachelor of Arts in African and Afro-American studies) from Stanford University in 1977 and a doctorate degree in medicine from Cornell University in 1981. Jemison was selected for the astronaut program in June 1987 and was the science Mission Specialist on STS-47 Spacelab-J with over 190 hours in space.

BOBBY SATCHER Born and raised in Hampton, VA. Attended Denmark-Olar High School in Denmark, SC. Received a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and earned a doctorate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Satcher went to medical school at Harvard University, came to NASA from a research post at Northwestern University in Illinois, and was an orthopedic surgeon in Chicago. NASA selected Satcher in 2004, and he flew as a Mission Specialist on STS-129 in 2009.

RONALD E. MCNAIR, PH.D. Born October 21, 1950, in Lake City, SC. Graduated from Carver High School, Lake City, SC, in 1967. Received a Bachelor of Science in physics from North Carolina A&T State University in 1971 and a doctorate of philosophy in physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1976. Presented an honorary doctorate of laws from North Carolina A&T State University in 1978. McNair was selected as an astronaut candidate in January 1978 and first flew on STS 41-B, logging 191 hours in space, before he died aboard Challenger. LELAND D. MELVIN Born February 15,1964 in Lynchburg, VA. Graduated from Heritage High School, Lynchburg, VA, in 1982. Received a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from the University of Richmond in Richmond, VA, in 1986, and a Master of Science in materials science engineering from the University of Virginia in 1991. Melvin was selected by NASA in June 1998 and flew on STS-122, which delivered the European Space Agency’s Columbus Laboratory to the International Space Station. He flew on STS-129 in 2009. Melvin was named Associate Administrator for the Office of Education. He is responsible for the

WINSTON E. SCOTT Born August 6, 1950, in Miami, FL. Graduated from Coral Gables High School, Coral Gables, FL, in 1968. Received a Bachelor of Arts in music from Florida State University in 1972 and a Master of Science in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in 1980. Selected by NASA in 1992. Scott flew on STS-72 in 1996 and STS-87 in 1997. He logged a total of 24 days, 14 hours and 34 minutes in space, including three spacewalks totaling 19 hours and 26 minutes. STEPHANIE D. WILSON Born in 1966 in Boston, MA. Graduated from Taconic High School, Pittsfield, MA, in 1984. Received a Bachelor of Science in engineering science from Harvard University in 1988 and a Master of Science in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas in 1992. Wilson was selected by NASA in April 1996. She completed her first spaceflight on STS-121 in 2006. Wilson flew again on STS-120 in October 2007 and STS-131 in 2010. National Aeronautics and Space Administration Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center Houston, Texas 77058 www.nasa.gov

HONORING AFRICAN-AMERICAN SERVICE MEMBERS

Auburn University Executive MBA Programs In 21 months, Auburn University’s Executive MBA Program will enhance your leadership skills. Accredited, highly ranked and recognized worldwide as a leader in executive education, the Auburn EMBA combines innovative distance learning technologies with short on-campus residencies and an international study trip. It’s a challenging, but flexible program that can adapt to your schedule. “Auburn’s EMBA program has strengthened my ability to think quantitatively, analyze objectively, and lead effectively in an Army that needs flexible thinkers, adaptive staff officers, and strong leaders.” COL Meg Foreman Auburn EMBA Graduate

Learn from the best, study with the best, become the best. Distinguish yourself with an Auburn University Executive MBA.

www.AubEMBA.org or 1.877.AUB.EMBA

Auburn University is an equal opportunity educational institution/employer.

Distinguish

Yourself

C O L L E G E

O F

B U S I N E S S

Executive MBA Programs business.auburn.edu

Brig. Gen. Stayce D. Harris Air Force Reserves African-American Female Aviator

Highest-Ranking

U . S . A I R F O R C E

rig. Gen. Stayce D. Harris is the Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, 18th Air Force, Scott Air Force Base, Ill. As Air Mobility Command’s sole war fighting numbered air force, 18th Air Force is responsible for the command’s worldwide operational mission of providing rapid, global mobility and sustainment for America’s armed forces through airlift, aerial refueling, aero-medical evacuation, and contingency response. With more than 39,000 active-duty Airmen, Reservists and civilians and approximately 1,300 aircraft, the 18th Air Force manages the global air mobility enterprise through the 618th Air and Space Operations Center (Tanker Airlift Control Center), 11 wings and two stand-alone groups. General Harris received a commission in the Air Force through the University of Southern California’s Air Force ROTC program. She served on active duty until joining the Air Force Reserve in 1991. Her staff assignments include serving as a mobility force planner for the Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Operations and as the Individual Mobilization Augmentee to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force. She has commanded an airlift squadron, an expeditionary operations group and an air-refueling wing. As a Citizen Airman in the Air Force Reserve, Harris continues to leave her mark in the military and civilian sectors. Not only was she the first black female to command an operational flying wing in the Air Force, but she’s also a commercial airline pilot flying routes to Asia and the Middle East. Her forward thinking skills and technical savvy developed from a humble but diverse history. Harris said her love of country and service began early as an “Air Force brat” traveling the world with her father, an enlisted technical sergeant and her mother, a banker. The Los Angeles, Calif., native explained that her wanderlust was the result of extensive childhood travel and relocations to include the United States, Japan, England and beyond. Harris was only casually familiar with the Tuskegee Airmen and their contributions to the Air Force when a fellow officer alerted her to a Tuskegee Airmen conference in New York in 1983 In 2008, then Lt. Col. Stayce Harris stands in front of a – a few months later, she was off to pilot training. C-141 Starlifter aircraft at March Air Reserve Base, CA. 90

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

“To meet the Tuskegee Airmen — people who paved the way for diversity — was just a phenomenal inspiration,” Harris said. “I remember thinking ‘I will not let them down’ because they worked so hard to integrate the Air Force so that any participating man or woman can achieve the goals they want – which is really civil rights.” Harris explained her philosophy of servant leadership style allowed her to appreciate all talent and walks of life. Despite the fact that she carved her niche in history, she said she sees her responsibility as more than simply being “the first” based on race or gender. “Every day I wake up I’m a black woman, so I couldn’t let that alone be what brought significance to the wing and being in a leadership position,” Harris said. “I believe in taking care of people, and they will in turn take care of the mission, take care of each other and take care of you.”

DEDICATION. COMMITMENT. SERVICE.

The Air Force Reserve offers a variety of part-time job opportunities with full-time benefits including tuition assistance and low-cost health insurance. And, for specific part-time jobs, you may be eligible for a signing bonus of up to $20,000. The Air Force Reserve allows you to serve your country at a base close to where you live, giving you the opportunity to continue your civilian career or further your education. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an ideal option for those who have never been in the military as well as for those with prior military service in any branch.

Call 800-237-8279 or go to AFReserve.com/prior

Lt. Gen. Ronnie Hawkins, Jr. Director, DISA

U . S . A

I R F O R C E

orn in 1951, Hawkins hails from a family legacy of military service. His grandfather, Charlie Hawkins, was a Buffalo Soldier in the 10th Calvary Regiment. Hawkins’ father, Ronnie Hawkins, Sr., served in Vietnam and retired as a chief master sergeant, the highest noncommissioned officer rank in the Air Force. It was the inspiration of his father, and his own work ethics that led him to a career in the Air Force. Because his father was in the military, Hawkins’ family, as are most military families, was on the move. They lived in Peshawar, Pakistan, before eventually moving to San Angelo, Texas, home of Goodfellow Air Force Base. Hawkins is a 1973 graduate of San Angelo Central High School. As he looked toward attending college at the Air Force Academy, but was unable to pass the physical due to high school football injuries. Although he had offers from the University of Hawaii and the University of Houston, Hawkins chose a track scholarship at Angelo State University. In 1977 he earned a B.A. in Business Administration with an emphasis on information technology. This enabled his commission as an officer through the Air Force ROTC program. He continued his education by earning his M.S. in Management and Human Relations at Abilene Christian University in 1985 and an M.S. in National Resource Strategy at the National Defense University in 1997. After earning his second M.S. degree at the National Defense University in 1997, Hawkins served two command assignments at Air Combat Command at Langley AFB in Virginia, first as commander of the Computer Systems Squadron from July 1997 to June 1998 and then as commander of the Communications Group from July 1998 to March 1999. He then served a series of directorships, including director of Command, Control, Communications and Computer Systems at the Joint Task Force-Southwest Asia from April 1999 to April 2000; director of Communications and Information, at the Headquarters of Pacific Air Forces at Hickam AFB in Hawaii, from May 2000 to April 2003; and as director of Communications Operations at the Office of the Deputy 92

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

Chief of Staff for Installations and Logistics, in Washington, D.C., from May 2003 to June 2005. After almost a year and a half as commander of Air Force Officer Accession and Training Schools, Air University, at Maxwell AFB, from June 2005 to November 2006, Hawkins served as deputy chief of staff of Communications and Information Systems at the Multi-National ForceIraq in Baghdad, Iraq, from December 2006 to December 2007. Hawkins’s early career assignments exploited his technical education, including service as a computer systems analyst at the Strategic Air Command at Offutt Air Force Base (AFB) in Nebraska from January 1978 to July 1981; as chief of the Data Automation Division of the 96th Bomb Wing, and later as chief of Operations Division of the 1993rd Information Systems Squadron, both at Dyess AFB in Texas from July

OUR VISIONARY CLOUD INFRASTRUCTURE HELPS YOUR AGENCY SHINE. With CenturyLink as your trusted technology partner, your agency can shine every day. We are a visionary cloud provider and leader in hosted IT solutions, with data centers around the world. We also provide you with a global broadband network. And our dedicated, responsive support is designed to free you to focus on being more efficient and meeting your mission.

centurylink.com/gov

1981 to June 1985; and as inspector and later executive officer to the vice commander, at the Air Force Communications Command at Scott AFB in Illinois from June 1985 to June 1988. He then served four years at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, first as commander of Cadet Squadron 24 and later as executive officer to the superintendent, from June 1988 to July 1992. After a year of studying at the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell AFB, Hawkins served at

the Air Force Joint Staff at the Pentagon, first as support manager for command, control, communications and computer systems, and then as action officer for the Defense Information Systems Network and Integrated Data Systems, from July 1993 to July 1996. Returning to the Pentagon, Hawkins served as deputy director for Policy and Resources (and later as director of Infrastructure Delivery) at the Office of Warfighting Integration, and as chief information officer

in the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, from January 2008 to September 2009. He was first assigned to DISA in September 2009, serving as vice director until July 2011, and then as deputy director for Command, Control, Communications and Computer Systems at the Joint Staff from July 2011 to January 2012, when he returned to DISA as director. Hawkins married his high school sweetheart, Maria Garcia, and they have two sons and a daughter.

ABOUT DISA

U .

The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), known as the Defense Communications Agency (DCA) until 1991, is a United States Department of Defense (DoD) combat support agency. DISA is a global organization of military and civilian personnel who plan, develop, deliver, and operate joint interoperable command and control capabilities and a global enterprise infrastructure in direct support of the President, Secretary of Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Combatant Commanders, Department of Defense Components, and other mission partners across the full spectrum of operations. DISA provides information technology (IT) and communications to these offices and departments, as well as any individual or system contributing to the defense of the United States. While DISA does not establish specific partnerships with businesses, DISA’s office of small business programs meets with local small businesses weekly to discuss their business capabilities and their relation to DISA’s mission. DISA also particpates in various business events including the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce and

S . A I R F O

BRAC Business Initiative (BBI). DISA also offers a Pathways Internship Program. This Program is designed to provide students enrolled in a wide variety of educational institutions, from high school to graduate level, with opportunities to work in agencies and explore Federal careers while still in school and while getting paid for the work performed. Students who successfully complete the program may be eligible for conversion to a permanent job in the civil service. DISA’s Recent Graduates Program affords developmental experiences in the Federal Government intended to promote possible careers in the civil service to individuals who have recently graduated from qualifying educational institutions or programs. Successful applicants are placed in a dynamic, developmental program with the potential to lead to a civil service career in the Federal Government. The program lasts for one year. DISA’s vision is “Information superiority in defense of our Nation.”

R C

For more information, visit www.disa.mil.

Photo: Courtesy of DISA

E 94

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

Adobe salutes the Department of Defense

Adobe supports the mission critical operations of the Department of Defense through, Defense https://www.dco.dod.mil/

Connect Online (DCO), Adobe Experience Manager, and Creative Cloud. Learn more about these solutions here: www.adobe.com/government

ADOBE EXPERIENCE MANAGER

ADOBE CREATIVE CLOUD

Adobe, the Adobe logo, Creative Cloud, and the Creative Cloud logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ÂŠ 2013 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA. 12/13

U.S. MARINES U . S . A

Motto: Semper Fi â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Always Faithful

R M

Colors: Scarlet and Gold

Established: November 10, 1775

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

Second Lt. David Hunter is among 300 Charlie Co. Marines participating in a training exercise at the Military Operations Urban Terrain Town at Marine Corps Base Quantico, VA. Photo: Lance Cpl. Samuel Ellis, USMC

Bolden congratulates the Orbital Sciences Corporation launch team and management in the Range Control Center at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility after the successful launch of the Orbital Sciences Antares rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) in Virginia, Sunday, April 21, 2013. Photo: NASA/Bill Ingalls

U . S . M A R I N E S

Maj. Gen. Charles Frank Bolden, Jr. 12th NASA Administrator

aj. Gen. Charles Frank Bolden, Jr., (USMC-Ret.) was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the 12th Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. He began his duties as head of the agency on July 17, 2009. As Administrator, Bolden leads a nationwide NASA team to advance the missions and goals of the U.S. space program. At NASA, Bolden has overseen the safe transition from 30 years of space shuttle missions to a new era of exploration focused on full utilization of the International Space Station and space and aeronautics technology development. He has led the agency in developing a Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will carry astronauts to deep space destinations, such as an asteroid and Mars. He also established a new Space Technology Mission Directorate to develop cutting-edge technologies for the missions of tomorrow. During Boldenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tenure, the agencyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s support of commercial space transportation systems for reaching low-Earth orbit have 98

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

enabled successful commercial cargo resupply of the space station and significant progress toward returning the capability for American companies to launch astronauts from American soil by 2017.

MISSION

+ TECHNOLOGY CONNECTIONS THAT WORK. SAIC proudly salutes the brave African American men and women who have served around the world to ensure our freedom. We are committed to our diverse workforce.

14-0662

We’re the next generation SAIC. saic.com

NYSE: SAIC

U . S . M A R I N E S

Bolden has also supported NASA’s contributions toward development of developing cleaner, faster, and quieter airplanes. The agency’s dynamic science activities under Bolden include an unprecedented landing on Mars with the Curiosity rover, launch of a spacecraft to Jupiter, enhancing the nation’s fleet of Earthobserving satellites, and continued progress toward the 2018 launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. Bolden’s 34-year career with the Marine Corps also included 14 years as a member of NASA’s Astronaut Office. After joining the office in 1980, he traveled to orbit four times aboard the space shuttle between 1986 and 1994, commanding two of the missions and piloting two others. His flights included deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope and the first joint U.S.-Russian shuttle mission, which featured a cosmonaut as a member of his crew. Born in Columbia, S.C., Bolden graduated from C. A. Johnson High School in 1964 and received an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical science in 1968 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps. After completing flight training in 1970, he became a Naval Aviator. Bolden flew more than 100 combat missions in North and South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, while stationed in Namphong, Thailand between 1972 - 1973. In 1977, he earned a Master of Science degree in systems management from the University of Southern California and in 1978, he was assigned to the Naval Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, Md., where he completed his training in 1979. While working at the Naval Air Test Center’s Systems Engineering and Strike Aircraft Test Directorates, he tested a variety of ground attack aircraft until his selection as an astronaut candidate in 1980. Bolden’s NASA astronaut career included technical assignments as the Astronaut Office Safety Officer; Technical Assistant to the Director of Flight Crew Operations; Special Assistant to the Director

During acceptance speech of the Candle in Military Service and Aeronautical Science Award from Morehouse College, Atlanta, Feb. 16, 2013. The award recognizes exceptional achievement in a field by an African-American man. 100

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

Bolden talks as NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Robert Cabana looks on during a media briefing in front of the ULA Atlas-V rocket, Feb. 10, 2013 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. Photo: NASA/Bill Ingalls

of the Johnson Space Center in Houston; Chief of the Safety Division at Johnson (where he oversaw efforts to return the shuttle to flight safely after the 1986 Challenger accident); lead astronaut for vehicle test and checkout at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida; and Assistant Deputy Administrator at NASA Headquarters. After his final shuttle flight in 1994, he left NASA and returned to active duty with Marine Corps operating forces as the Deputy Commandant of Midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy. In 1997, Bolden was assigned as the Deputy Commanding General of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force in the Pacific. During the first half of 1998, he served as Commanding General of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Forward in support of Operation Desert Thunder in Kuwait. He was promoted to his final rank of major general in July 1998 and named Deputy Commander of U.S. forces in Japan. He later served as the Commanding General of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, Calif., from 2000 - 2002. He retired from the Marine Corps in 2003. Bolden’s many military decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in May 2006.

Gratitude isn’t enough. That’s why the University of Iowa offers unique educational and employment opportunities for veterans. • Named the nation’s sixth-best college for veterans by U.S. News & World Report

• Resident undergraduate

tuition for vets and dependents

• Top-notch health care,

disability, and career services

• Veterans Center serving

students, faculty, and staff

• A Servicemembers Opportunity

College and Yellow Ribbon School

• Named to G.I. Jobs’ list of Military Friendly Schools for the fifth year in a row

diversity.uiowa.edu/cde/veterans www.uiowa.edu

DeLoyce McMurray WWII Veteran Congressional

Gold Medal Recipient

U . S

. M

orld War II U.S. Marine Corps veteran, DeLoyce McMurray of Springfield, Illinois, was lauded as a hero at the age of 87 during a hometown ceremony in which he was presented with the Congressional Gold Medal. Mr. McMurrayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s son, Dru, and daughter, Neyna, helped coordinate the July 2013 presentation in Springfield after McMurray was unable to attend a group ceremony in 2012 held in Washington, D.C., during which President Obama presented the medal to more than 300 other Montford Point Marines.

A R I N E S Cpl. Deloyce McMurray speaks during his Congressional Gold Medal ceremony. Photo: Cpl. Erik S. Brooks Jr., USMC 102

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

In 2012 Congress declared that all Montford Point Marines were eligible for the Congressional Gold Medal. McMurray was unable to attend due to health concerns. His daughter, Neyna Johnson of Springfield, saw a news story about another member of the group who couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make it to Washington having a hometown ceremony, Durbin said. An Edwardsville, IL, native, McMurray joined the Marines in 1944, after graduating from Lincoln High, which was at the time a black segregated school. McMurray was one of nearly 20,000 men who got their training at Montford Point, near Camp Lejeune, N.C. From 1942 to 1949 Montford Point was a training facility for AfricanAmerican Marines when the military was still segregated.

Sen. Dick Durbin shakes the hand of Cpl. (ret) Deloyce McMurray during a Montford Point Marine ceremony. Photo: Cpl. Erik S. Brooks Jr., USMC

Sen. Dick Durbin and Maj. Gregory Gordon present Cpl. (ret) Deloyce McMurray with Congressional Gold Medal at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. Photo: Cpl. Erik S. Brooks Jr., USMC

Upon enlistment, Mr. McMurray was assigned to an all-black Service Battalion in the 2nd Marine Division. During boot camp and advanced training at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina, he was given an administrative assignment and was assigned to the Headquarters of the 11th Service Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, comprised entirely of black troops. After a train trip to California, he was deployed to the Pacific Theater. Following a brief stop at bare Eniwetok Atoll, he landed at Wake Island where he kept records, mostly payroll and personnel. While white and black troops performed their duties there together, they ate and slept in separate facilities. Stationed at Wake Is., he helped evacuate wounded troops from Iwo Jima. From Wake, Mr. McMurry was sent for a brief period to Saipan following the battle there.

Following the war, he was posted briefly to Guam, and eventually back to Camp Pendleton where he was discharged. Using his administrative skills, he went to work for the government as a computer operator in the days of punch cards. Back home in Edwardsville he met and married his wife, Aleen. He used the GI Bill to continue his education at Illinois State University, and later at Shurtleff College in Alton, Illinois. McMurray continued in this profession through many advances in computer technology, eventually working in the Office in Charge of Construction. At one time he received an assignment in Thailand and was able to take Aleen and their two children there. He retired from government service after 34 years and now lives with Aleen in Alton. “As a Montford Point Marine, he proved himself in training and battle and he helped pave the way for future generations of African-Americans,” Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., of Springfield, said at the ceremony at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. “In doing so, he and the Montfort Point Marines helped to redeem President Lincoln’s promise of a new birth of freedom, which has inspired America and the world.” The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian honor the nation can bestow, and has gone to others including George Washington, Robert Kennedy, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela. The ceremony for McMurray included a Marine honor guard and the singing of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” by The Four Sopranos, a Springfield gospel group including McMurray’s daughter. Also in attendance was Maj. Greg Gordon, commanding officer of the Marine Corps recruiting station in St. Louis, who spoke of McMurray’s “rare combination of both physical and moral courage.” HONORING AFRICAN-AMERICAN SERVICE MEMBERS

103

The Branch Marine Corps Leadership

Scholarship

U .

he Branch Scholarship is a Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps scholarship available to students who are currently attending or have received letters of acceptance to one of 17 historically black colleges and universities that have NROTC programs on campus or cross town affiliates. Some of the schools included are Clark Atlanta, Howard, Hampton, Texas Southern, Tuskegee and Xavier universities. The scholarship is available in four, three and two year installments. The scholarship is named after Capt. Frederick C. Branch, who on Nov. 10, 1945, became the first African-American to be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps. “Captain Branch became an officer at a time where the Marine Corps and country as a whole was a segregated place,” said Capt. Joseph Wydeven, diversity officer, MCRC. “He fought to become an enlisted Marine at Montford Point and took it a step further by fighting to become an officer. His story is one of perseverance and Marine triumph and we continue to ask our officers today to show the same courage and mettle that he did.” Though students must attend a participating HBCU to receive the Branch

S . M A R I N E S 104

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

Scholarship, students of any race who meet the moral, mental and physical qualifications to be Marine officers may receive the scholarship. “The selection for four-year scholarships was very competitive this year,” said Wydeven. “We expect that to increase as word spreads about the scholarship.” Some of those qualifications include a 22 or higher on the ACT, a 1000 or higher combined math and reading on the SAT, the physical and mental fortitude to make it through the rigors of Officer Candidate School and outstanding moral character. For those selected, the scholarship pays for tuition and gives a monthly subsistence allowance of $250 for freshman, $300 for sophomores, $350 for juniors and $400 for seniors among other benefits. For their part, some of the responsibilities for students attending school on the scholarship are participation in their school’s NROTC program and a four year service requirement to the Marine Corps after earning their commission as second lieutenants. If you are interested in following in the footsteps of legendary Marine officers like Capt. Frederick C. Branch, contact your local officer selection officer, visit www. MarineOfficer.com or call 1-800-MARINES.

Frederick C. Branch African-American USMC Commissioned officer

First F

rederick C. Branch was the first African American commissioned officer of the U.S. Marine Corps. Born May 31, 1922, in Hamlet, N.C., the fourth of seven sons of a minister, Branch studied at Johnson C. Smith University and had transferred to Temple University in Philadelphia when he was drafted into the Marine Corps in May of 1943. Branch went to boot camp at Montford Point Camp, N.C., today known as Camp Johnson. Montford Camp was a segregated Marine Corps training facility near Jacksonville, created in 1942 to train African American Marines. As one of 20,000 black Marines to serve in World War II, Branch earned his second lieutenant’s bars Nov. 10, 1945, on the 170th birthday of the Marine Corps becoming the first African American to graduate from Marine Corps officer training. The landmark promotion did not come easily, as initially his first application for Officer Candidate School was denied. The Marine Corps had barred blacks until President Franklin D. Roosevelt forced the opening of ranks with a 1941 executive order. Nevertheless, boot camp remained segregated until 1949. Branch and other black wartime Marines were trained at Montford Point, five miles from the white recruits’ training fields at Camp Lejeune, N.C. They became known as the Montford Point Marines. Serving in the South Pacific, however, Branch impressed his commanding officer enough to earn his recommendation. In 1944, Branch got his opportunity for officer’s training – with the Navy’s V-12 program at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. The only black in a class of 250 future officers, Branch made the dean’s list. With the war ended by the time he was commissioned, Branch went into the Reserves. He completed a degree in physics at Temple and established a science department at Philadelphia’s Dobbins High School, where he taught until his retirement in 1988. Reactivated during the Korean War, he was sent to Camp Pendleton in San Diego County. The Marine Corps had envisioned black officers for black troops. “As it turned out,” Branch told CNN in 1997, “my first command had one Negro and 79 whites.” Discharged in 1952, Branch returned to the Reserves, as a reserve officer, served on active duty and was a battery commander with an anti-aircraft unit at Camp Pendleton, CA., where he was promoted to captain. However, he became disillusioned by the continuing covert discrimination and promises of advanced training that never materialized, he told the Raleigh News & Observer in 1999, and he resigned from the military in 1955. The Marine Corps, which in later years came to honor Branch as a pioneer in integration, in 1997 named a training building for him at Marine Officers Candidate School at Quantico, VA.

Branch with his wife of 55 years, Camille. Photo: USMC archives

In November 1995, the fiftieth anniversary of his commissioning, Senate Resolution 195 honored Branch for his contributions in the face of racial segregation. More recently, the city of Philadelphia honored Branch at the annual NAACP convention with a proclamation from the Mayor of Philadelphia to honor his service and recognize him as a pioneer. A Congressional Resolution submitted for consideration in February commemorates the service to the Nation during World War II of the African American members of the US Marine Corps like Branch, who came to be known as the Montford Point Marines. The Montford Point Marine Association, Inc. is a nonprofit Veteran’s organization, established to perpetuate the legacy of the first African Americans who entered the United States Marine Corps from 1942 to 1949, at Montford Point Camp, North Carolina. The Association has 28 Chapters nationwide. In civilian life Branch founded the science department at Dobbins High School in North Philadelphia, where he taught for 35 years. Captain Branch died in 2005 at the age of 82 and was buried at the Quantico base with full military honors. The contributions of Branch laid the groundwork for change in the Marine Corps that has led to the successful military careers of many. HONORING AFRICAN-AMERICAN SERVICE MEMBERS

105

Hamilton Brothers make USMC a Family

Tradition

U . S . M A R I N E S

said Capt. Harold C. Hamilton. “The advice I’ve given Marcus is to be authentically himself and not allow detractors to dampen his spirits.” Marcus remembers all the advice his brothers gave him. Looking up to their example and competitiveness, he joined the Marine Corps. “They always talked to me. They would tell me Pfc. Marcus J. Hamilton and his two brothers, Captain and Sergeant Hamilton, stand together after I needed to take care of business,” said Marcus, a graduation aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot. Photo: Lance Cpl. Pedro Cardenas, USMC New Orleans native. “They didn’t want me to fail in life and end up in jail.” The 21-year-old is on a different path since his fc. Marcus J. Hamilton Platoon 2145, Company G, 2nd teenage years. Even though Marcus has a quiet demeanor, people Recruit Training Battalion, has carried on his family notice he has the traits of a leader in him. legacy by enlisting in the Marine Corps. He is now the “He was a very smart but also reserved, he would open up once third Marine in his family. he got to know you as time would progress,” said Harold. “Very deep Though now a Marine, he was not always on the right path. He but deceptive, people are thrown off by his charm and he is very dropped out of high school to leave his family home and spend his popular and his friends still look to him as a leader.” time with people on the street. Finally, he became tired of the street One of Marcus’ drill instructor noticed his leadership abilities. lifestyle and moved back in with his parents. “He has a personality people gravitate toward and has a strong “My childhood was kind of hard. I was on the street a lot and influence in his peers. That is why I placed him in a leadership billet would not have anywhere to stay,” said Marcus. “I was doing stupid as a squad leader,” said Staff Sgt. Jason H. Scott, senior drill instructor, things: fighting and hanging out with the wrong crowd.” Plt. 2145, Co. G, 2nd RTBn. “He is going to go far because people who Needing a drastic lifestyle change, Marcus, decided to finish go through adversity, who are given a second chance, always prove high school. According to Marcus, during his first attempt, he would themselves.” always get in trouble and had problems concentrating in school. With recruit training completed, Hamilton is continuing to However, hard work and commitment to his goal paid off, he setting himself up for success by establishing personal goals. graduated high school. “I’m really competitive, I would like to rank up quickly and just Marcus then began working on a college degree, but according be better than they are,” said Marcus. “I want to progress faster than to him, he knew college wasn’t for him. they did; it’s my goal.” He turned to his two brothers for advice. One a captain and the Marcus now gets the opportunity to show his family, his two brothers in particular, that he can handle his business. After earning other a sergeant in the Marine Corps. They both had an influence in the title “Marine,” Marcus now moves on to other harder, bigger guiding Marcus in the same path as them. challenge as he continues his family journey in the United States “He had the potential to do great things and still does right Marine Corps. now. You want to be dependable, someone people can count on,”

106

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

While you commit to your country, let us commit to you.

ONLINE. ACCREDITED. CONTACT US AFFORDABLE. The University of South Dakota offers an extensive selection of online programs: Business – Health Care – Education Addiction Studies and Many More

APPLY NOW –

www.usd.edu/cde

Division of Continuing and Distance Education

414 E. Clark St. • Vermillion, SD 57069 605-677-6240 | 800-233-7937 cde@usd.edu

Petty Officer 2nd Class Marlon Best Religious Program Specialist Camp Dwyer, Afghanistan

U . S . M A R I N E S

108

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

Photo: Lance Cpl. Mel Johnson, USMC

eing a religious program specialist in the Navy is an important role filled with many responsibilities – from assisting the chaplains with their daily duties to coordinating different religious services. They also function as bodyguards for chaplains, who are noncombatants. Petty Officer 2nd Class Marlon Best, a 22-year-old native of Cleveland, originally joined the Navy to be a flight crewman, but soon found a different job – religious program specialist. “I really had my heart set on being a part of a flight crew,” Best said. “But sometimes things happen for the better, and getting the rate of RP was one of those things.” After receiving orders to a Marine unit, Best attended a course at Field Medical Training Battalion on Camp Lejeune, N.C., to learn the necessary skills and competencies to serve with the Marine Corps. “Combat Religious Expeditionary Skills Training taught me a lot about Marines and living in the field, but (the School of Infantry) really prepared me the most to bodyguard the chaplain,” Best said. Now Best is serving in Afghanistan on his first deployment with the Marines of 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 7, and said his job is much more than just guarding the chaplain. “I assist the chaplain with multiple things, the biggest being worship services and Bible studies,” said Best. “I also handle and distribute care packages and materials throughout the battalion, whether it’s here on Camp Dwyer, Camp Leatherneck or (Forward Operating Base) Geronimo.” Best said the job can also be spiritually demanding. “I have to cater to the needs of people of all religions,” Best said. “It doesn’t matter to me if they’re Catholic, Quakers or Presbyterians. Everyone’s equally important, and I do what I can to best facilitate.” With his mild temperament and engaging personality, Best has proven to be an asset to the religious ministry team. “What we have in Best is an amazing team member,” said Navy Lt. Richard Bristol, the battalion chaplain with 2nd Bn., 8th Marines. “He’s the one that makes sure we have all the beans, (bandages) and bullets (for the religious team).” “He’s also better prepared by the Navy and the command than most RPs,” Bristol explained. “He is the first one in our division – the first one I’ve heard of in an extremely long time to go through SOI.” Becoming a religious program specialist allowed Best many opportunities not normally afforded to many Marines and sailors, such as being the first RP to go to SOI since 1998 and learning to speak Pashto and Dahri. “Honestly, RP is probably the best rate – not in the Navy or Marine Corps – in the entire (Department of Defense),” said Best. “I enjoy myself. I love helping Marines and other service members, and I wouldn’t give that up for anything.”

Best talks with Navy Lt. Richard Bristol, the battalion chaplain about their upcoming trip to Camp Leatherneck. “What we have in Best is an amazing team member,” said Bristol, a native of Apple Valley, Calif. “He’s the one that makes sure we have all the beans, (bandages) and bullets (for the religious team).” Photo: Lance Cpl. Mel Johnson, USMC

Vernice Armour African-American Female Combat Pilot

U .

Photo: Lance Cpl. Chelsea Flowers

First S . M A R I N E S

etired Marine Corps officer Vernice Armour was the first African-American female naval aviator in the Marine Corps and the first African American female combat pilot in the U.S. Armed Forces. She flew the AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopter in the 2003 invasion of Iraq and eventually served two tours in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 1993, while a student at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), Armour enlisted in the Army Reserves and later the Army ROTC. In 1996, she took time off from college to become a Nashville police officer (her childhood dream). She became the first female African-American on the motorcycle squad. Armour graduated from MTSU in 1997. In 1998, Armour became the first African American female to serve as a police officer in Tempe, Arizona before joining the U.S. Marines as an Officer Candidate in October 1998. Commissioned a Second Lieutenant on December 12, 1998 Armour was sent to flight school at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas and later Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. Earning her wings in July 2001, Armour was not only number one in her class of 12, she was number one among the last two hundred graduates. She became the Marine Corps’ first AfricanAmerican female pilot. After flight school, Armour was assigned to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton near San Diego, California for training in the AH-1W SuperCobra. While at Camp Pendleton, she was named 2001 Camp Pendleton Female Athlete of the Year, twice won the Camp’s annual Strongest Warrior Competition, and was a running back for the San Diego Sunfire women’s football team.

110

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

In March 2003, she flew with HMLA-169 during the invasion of Iraq becoming America’s first African-American female combat pilot. Armour deployed twice during her enlistment, protecting the men and women on the ground as an AH1 W SuperCobra attack helicopter pilot. She completed two combat tours in the Gulf. Afterwards, she was assigned to the Manpower and Reserve Affairs Equal Opportunity Branch as program liaison officer. Leaving the U.S. Marine Corps in June 2007, Armour began a career as a professional speaker and expert on creating breakthroughs in life. In 2011 her book Zero to Breakthrough: The 7-Step, Battle-Tested Method for Accomplishing Goals that Matter, was published.

GI E D

Yellow Ribbon

T AN IP

ON PART ATI IC UC

Accredited Associate, Bachelor & Master Degree Programs Associate Programs Agribusiness Biblical Studies Business Management Information Technology NEW! Interdisciplinary Studies Pastoral Ministry

Military Friendly, Affordable, & Online! ★ Attend class once a week or earn your degree online ★ Flexible ONLINE programs - work on your degree anytime, anywhere ★ 14 campus locations in Ohio & Georgia ★ College credit for military training

Business Management Disaster Management and Relief NEW! Healthcare Management Information Technology NEW! Interdisciplinary Studies Leadership & Ministry Logistics Management Organizational Leadership Psychology RN to BS in Nursing NEW! Substance Abuse Counseling

Master Programs

★ Affordable tuition rate for veterans, active duty, and dependents ★ Tuition Assistance (TA) and other military benefits typically cover 100% of costs

ocuonline.com 1-855-OCU-GRAD

Bachelor Programs

Master of Arts in Ministry Master of Business Administration (MBA) NEW! Master of Management NEW!

Enroll Today!

Decades later, Marine Awarded for By Sgt. Jeffrey Cordero

Heroism

U . S . M A R I N E S

early 50 years separate his actions in Vietnam from his award, but the wait was well worth it. Family, friends and dozens more gathered at the 24th Marine Regiment drill hall to witness the awarding of the Bronze Star Medal to former Pfc. Robert L. Rimpson. The award was presented for combat actions on Aug. 18, 1965 in support of Operation Starlite, in the Republic of Vietnam. Although that day was almost half a century ago, Rimpson, a Kansas City, Mo. native, remembers it like it was yesterday. “That day makes me cry,” Rimpson said. “I’ve seen a lot of misery and pain in my life and that was the most heartache I’ve ever had; something I put behind me for a while.” Rimpson, who was 19 at the time, and his fellow squad members advanced on an entrenched enemy near An Cu’ong village when suddenly they received intense small arms fire. He and members of his squad, to include Sgt. Robert O’Malley, his squad leader, advanced in an effort to clear the trench line. Rimpson assaulted the trench line with rifle and grenade fire. O’Malley was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions that day. After clearing the trench line, the squad moved to assist a nearby unit, Rimpson, who suffered shrapnel wounds from enemy mortar fire, moved forward with fellow squad members to assist in moving wounded personnel to a helicopter landing zone for evacuation, according to the award citation. During this time, Rimpson delivered accurate suppressive fire from his grenade launcher on the enemy position, which in turn enabled the helicopters to land and evacuate casualties. “When we hit the trench line, we opened fire to save my brothers from harm,” Rimpson modestly recalls of the day-long engagement, which saved several lives. Rimpson was recommended for an award while he was still on active duty, but once off active duty lost contact with Marine Corps officials and didn’t hear much more about his award. He was once again recommended for an award by retired Col. John A. Kelly 112

F E B R UA R Y 2 01 4

in May 2010. It was further approved by Headquarters Marine Corps to be awarded in February. Although more than 40 years after his service, Rimpson is proud to wear the award and be a part of the Marine Corps brotherhood. “I couldn’t believe it,” said Rimpson, surprised when he learned of the approval. “I’ve never been more proud to be a Marine.” According to the Department of Defense Manual, the Bronze Star Medal is awarded to any person who, while serving in the capacity with the U.S. Armed Forces, distinguishes himself or herself by heroic or meritorious achievement or service… while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States. Rimpson is authorized to wear the Combat “V” device, denoting personal hazard during direct participation in combat operations. “When giving a medal like this, especially a combat valor award, unlike an athlete, this is probably that Marine’s worst day of his life,” said Col. Charles Sides, the commanding officer of 24th Marine Regiment. Rimpson is currently a resident of Kansas City and also wears a Purple Heart for wounds he sustained during the Vietnam War.

HONORING AFRICAN AMERICAN SERVICE MEMBERS

HONORING

Buffalo Soldiers 1866 – 1951 The Branch Marine Corps Leadership Scholarship The Tuskegee Airmen A Brief History of The Navy’s Black Admirals NASA’s African-American Astronauts

FEBRUARY 2014

TODAYTOMORROWBEYOND

SALUTE TO FREEDOM •

For more than 230 years, African Americans have served in our

INSIDE:

From the Buffalo Soldiers to our present day leaders: history-making African-American’s serving our country with dedication and honor.