Frank E. Petersen
Frank Emmanuel Petersen Jr. (March 2, 1932 – August 25, 2015) was a United States Marine Corps lieutenant general. He was the first African-American Marine Corps aviator and the first African-American Marine Corps general.
Frank E. Petersen Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 2, 1932 Topeka, Kansas |
| Died | August 25, 2015 (aged 83) Stevensville, Maryland |
| Place of burial | |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/ | United States Navy United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1950-1952 (USN), 1952-1988 (USMC) |
| Rank | Lieutenant general |
| Commands held | 1st Marine Aircraft Wing VMFA-212 VMFA-314 |
| Battles/wars | Korean War Vietnam War |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Medal Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit with Combat "V" Distinguished Flying Cross Purple Heart Medal |
| Other work | DuPont DeNemours Inc., VP of Corporate Aviation National Marrow Donor Program, Chairman |
Petersen retired from the Marine Corps in 1988 after 38 years of service. "At the time of his retirement he was by date of aviator designation the senior ranking aviator in the U.S. Marine Corps and the United States Navy with respective titles of 'Silver Hawk' and 'Gray Eagle'. His date of designation as an aviator also precedes all other aviators in the U.S. Air Force and Army."
In 2010, President Obama appointed Petersen to the Board of Visitors to the United States Naval Academy.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.