March 2, 1932 Frank E. Petersen, Jr., the first African American Marine Corps aviator and the first African American Marine Corps general, was born in Topeka, Kansas. Petersen enlisted in the United States Navy in 1950 as a seaman apprentice.
Tag Archives | Korean War
February 22nd in African American History – Lawrence Joel
February 22, 1928 Lawrence Joel, Medal of Honor recipient, was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Joel joined the United States Army in 1946 and served in the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
January 10th in African American History – James Forman
January 10, 2005 James Forman, civil rights leader, died. Foreman was born October 4, 1928 in Chicago, Illinois. He served in the United States Air Force in Okinawa during the Korean War and was discharged in 1952. Forman earned his undergraduate degree from Roosevelt University in 1957 and spent most of the late 1950s working [...]
November 24th in African American History – Webster Anderson
November 24, 1969 Webster Anderson received the Medal of Honor, America’s highest military decoration, from President Richard M. Nixon. Anderson was born July 15, 1933 in Winnsboro, South Carolina. He joined the United States Army in 1953 and served during the Korean War. By October 15, 1967, he was serving as a staff sergeant in [...]
October 13th in African American History – Jesse LeRoy Brown
October 13, 1926 Jesse LeRoy Brown, the first African American naval aviator in the United States Navy, was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Brown enlisted in the Naval Reserve in 1946. After attending Navy pre-flight school and flight training, he was designated a naval aviator in October, 1948. He received his commission as ensign in April, [...]
August 2nd in African American History – William Henry Thompson
August 2, 1951 William Henry Thompson was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, the military’s highest decoration, for his actions during the Korean War. Not much is known of Thompson’s early life other than he was born August 16, 1927 in New York City. On August 6, 1950, he was serving as a private first [...]
April 19th in African American History – Joseph B. Williams, Sr.
April 19, 1992 Joseph B. Williams, Sr., the first African American graduate of the United States Merchant Marine Academy, died. Williams was born in Annapolis, Maryland and graduated from Hampton Institute in 1942. In 1942, he graduated from the academy and served in the U. S. Navy during World War II and the Korean War.