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In this photo, African American veterans of the Vietnam and Korean wars, all of whom received a Purple Heart during their service, stand together during a ceremony in Virginia honoring their sacrifice. (Photo Credit: Courtesy Max OdenThe News Advance)
Historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) have produced numerous officers with a record of outstanding service.
Daniel "Chappie" James Jr. (1920 – 1978) graduated from Tuskegee University in 1942. During the Second World War, James trained pilots for the all-black 99th Pursuit Squadron. In 1975, he became the first African American to reach the rank of four-star general.
A 1974 graduate of Savannah State University's Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) Program, Lt. Gen Walter Gaskin retired in 2013.
Retired Maj. Gen. LaWarren Patterson graduated from Norfolk State University in 1982, receiving a commission as a second lieutenant in the Signal Corps.
Retired Army chief information officer Lt. Gen Ferrell enlisted in the Army and attained the rank of sergeant before enrolling at Hampton University. Upon graduation in 1983, he was commissioned into the Signal Corps.
Retired Lt. Gen Larry Wyche received his commission as a Quartermaster officer from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi ROTC in 1983.
Gen. Darrell K. Williams is a graduate of the Hampton Institute ROTC program. He was commissioned into the Army Quartermaster Corps in 1983.
Gen. Craig Crenshaw earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Southern University, Baton Rouge. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps in 1984 through the NROTC Program and began his career as a logistics officer with 3d Force Service Support Group, Okinawa, Japan.
In 1985, retired Rear Admiral Willie Metts graduated from Savannah State University with bachelor’s degree in electronics engineering technology and was commissioned via the NROTC. He last served at the U.S. Cyber Command as director of intelligence.
Gen. Mark A. Brown, commander, Second Air Force, was commissioned through the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program at Tuskegee in 1986 with bachelor’s degree in accounting.
1988 Morgan State University alum Raymond Scott Dingle was promoted to Brigadier General September 2015, making him the 16th General Officer to graduate from the school.
Lt. Gen. Michael X. Garrett, commanding general, U.S. Army Central Coalition Forces Land Component Command, holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Xavier University.
Gen. Patrick Burden, deputy program executive officer, Ammunition, and senior commander, Picatinny Arsenal, holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Alabama A&M University.
Brig. Gen. Donna Williams, deputy commanding general, - Support at the 412th Theater Engineer Command, also holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from an HBCU. She graduated from Jackson State University.
Brig. Gen. David Hamlar attended Howard University College of Dentistry as a National Health Corps scholarship recipient.
Historically Black Colleges and University and Names of African- American General Officers
Alabama A&M
Alcorn State University
Bowie State University MG (Ret.) Robert Harding
Central State University MG (Ret.) Fredric Leigh MG Fred C. Sheffey
Elizabeth City State University
Florida A&M University MG Eugene Cormartie MG William Russ
Fort Valley State University MG Jerome Johnson
Grambling State University
Hampton University MG (Ret.) Wallace Arnold LTG Robert Ferrell MG Rudolph Francis MG (Ret.) Arthur Holmes MG Charles Hood MG Darrell K. Williams
Howard University MG Cunningham Bryant BG Melvin Byrd BG Nowell V. Coots MG Frederick Davison MG (Ret.) Robert Gaskill, Sr MG Michael Harrison, Sr GEN (Ret.) John Hawkins BG Guthrie Turner
Jackson State University BG Eddie Cain BG (Ret.) Robert Crear MG (Ret.) Reuben Jones
Lincoln University BG Donald L. Scott BG Julius F. Johnson
Mississippi Valley State University MG (Ret.) Everett H. Thomas
Morgan State University BG George M. Brooks LTG Allen E Chandler MG (Ret.) Arthur Dean GEN Larry R. Ellis BG Avon C. James BG Talmadge J. Jacob MG (Ret.) Thomas Levi Prather MG Jackson Rozier* LTG (Ret.) William “Kip” Ward MG Bennie Williams
Norfolk State University RADM Evelyn Fields MG LaWarren Patterson LTG Michael Rochelle
North Carolina A&T State University BG (Ret.) Clara Adams-Ender MG Charles D. Bussey MG Reginal G. Clemmons BG (Ret.) Voneree Deloatch MG (Ret.) Hawthorne Proctor
Prairie View A&M University LTG (Ret.) Marvin D. Brailsford LTG (Ret.) Julius W. Becton, Jr. Vice Admiral (Ret.) Dave Brewer BG (Ret.) James Cheatham BG (Ret.) Johnnie Forte, Jr. MG (Ret.) Julius Parker, Jr. LTG (Ret.) Billy K. Solomon LTG (Ret.) Calvin Augustine Hoffman Waller*
Saint Augustine’s College
South Carolina State BG (Ret) Nolen Bivens MG George Bowman BG Bruce Crawford BG Richard Dix LTG (Ret.) Henry Doctor* MG Arnold Fields BG (Ret) Amos M. Gailliard BG Norman Green BG Kenneth Hubbard BG (Ret) Frederick Johnson MG (Ret.) James Klugh MG Larry Knightner BG (Ret) Julius Lawton MG (Ret) Harold Mitchel BG Ervin Pearson BG (Ret.) George Price RADM John Smith MG (Ret) Clifford Stanley MG (Ret) Abraham Turner MG Stephen Twitty
Southern University and A&M College LTG (Ret.) Joe Ballard BG (Ret.) Sherian Cadoria BG (Ret.) Don Delandro LTG (Ret.) Edward Honor* MG (Ret.) Charles Honore’ LTG (Ret.) Russel Honore’ BG Jude Patin MG Gregory Rountree MG (Ret.) Isaac D. Smith
Tuskegee University MG (Ret.) Oliver Dillard MG Ernest Harrell MG Charles Williams
Virginia State University BG Alfred F. Abramson III BG Shelia Baxter BG (Ret.) Leo Brooks BG (Ret.) Alfred J. Cade BG Charles R. Hamilton BG (Ret.) Bert Holmes MG (Ret.) Ernest R. Morgan LTG (Ret.) Alonzo E. Short, Jr. GEN Dennis Via MG W. Montague Winfield
West Virginia State College BG Frank Bacon, Jr. BG Dallas Brown MG Kenneth Gray MG Edward Greer BG Walter Johnson, III MG James Monroe MG Charles Rogers BG (Ret.) Earl Simms BG Robert Stephens, Jr. MG (Ret.) Harvey Williams MG Joseph Turner
Source: ROCKS Inc.
Did You Know? 1. The first professor of Naval Science at Florida A&M University, Benjamin Hacker, went on to earn the rank of rear admiral. 2. In 2000, Hampton University commissioned the first African American female to enter the surface nuclear power community, Renee Reynolds. 3. The first graduating class from Prairie View A&M produced Adm. David Brewer, who went on to wear three stars before retiring. 4. By the end of the war, the Tuskegee Airmen would be credited with 15,500 combat sorties and earn over 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses for their achievements. The successes of the Tuskegee Airmen helped pave the way for the integration of the U.S. armed forces.