Retired Lt. Gen. Frank E. Petersen Jr., the first African-American aviator for the Marine Corps. and eventually its first African-American general, succumbed to lung cancer at the age of 83 years old.
Petersen, who braved death as he flew over 350 combat missions within Vietnam and Korea, has now embraced it as his body gave way to the complications caused by the disease in his home in Maryland.
Upon Petersen's retirement in 1988 as a lieutenant general, he was the senior ranking aviator for both the Marines and the Navy, where he served prior to joining the Marines. Petersen also held the honorary titles of the Silver Hawk and the Grey Eagle at the same time.
After serving two years for the Navy, Petersen was commissioned to become a second lieutenant in the Marines back in 1952, making history as the first African-American aviator for the Marines. Petersen then went on to commanding a fighter squadron, an aircraft group, an amphibious brigade and an aircraft wing.
Petersen's promotion to brigadier general occurred in 1979, once again making history as the first African-American to serve the Marines in such a capacity. After his service as the special assistant to the chief of staff of the Marines, Petersen retired as the commanding general of the Combat Development Command of the Marines, which located in Quantico, Virginia.
Gen. John M. Paxton, the Marines assistant commandant, described Petersen as a pioneer and a role model, along with being a stellar leader, aviator and Marine officer.
"He was a man who had very strong character, strong goals and a lot of determination to achieve what he wanted to do," said Petersen's wife Alicia of her late husband. "And very early on he decided that he wanted to be a pilot."
"He's what everybody in Topeka should strive to be," added Laurence Park of Petersen, a retired gunnery sergeant of the Marines and a resident of Petersen's home town.
Petersen penned an autobiography that was released in 1998. Entitled Into the Tiger's Jaw: America's First Black Marine Aviator, the book chronicled Petersen's encounters of opposition and racism as he worked his way up the Marine ranks.
Upon his entry into the military back in 1950, Petersen wrote that he already felt racism, including how he received hate mail even from starred Marine officers.
