General Lloyd W. ‘Fig’ Newton is a retired U.S. Air Force four-star general who made history within the military branch. In 1974, General Newton became the first African-American member of the Air Force’s air demonstration squad, The Thunderbirds. Newton was born December 24, 1942 in Ridgeland, S.C. Newton’s parents enforced education in their home despite never […]
This weekend in Houston, Texas, the army units known as the Buffalo Soldiers celebrated their 150th Anniversary. The Buffalo Soldiers, originally composed of former slaves and free men, were the first Black troops established during peacetime after the conclusion of the Civil War. On July 28,1866, the U.S. Army was reorganized for peacetime service a […]
Sixteen female West Point cadets, who took a photo with their arms raised in Black Power fists, did not violate a directive that warns against “partisan political activity” while in uniform
Milton Oliver, III was the first Black recipient of the National Medal of Honor by way of his actions in the Vietnam War. Oliver, just…
As the official 100th anniversary of the Reserve Officer’s Training Corps approaches, military members around the nation today are celebrating the birth of a Republican…
Seventy-five years ago, a group of men made history. Those men were the Tuskegee Airmen. Today, they are being celebrated for their achievements in a…
Lt. Commander John W. Lee Jr. was the first Black commissioned Navy officer, achieving the historic feat on this day in 1947. The late Navy…
Lt. Gen. Nadja West has amassed several milestones in her 33-year Army career. She was sworn in last week as the first Black U.S. Army…
Jeanine Menze, also known as Jeanine McIntosh-Menze, is the first Black woman to become a pilot for the United States Coast Guard military branch. Lieutenant…
The efforts of Robert Smalls, an enslaved Black man who became a ship’s captain during the American Civil War and later a politician, were recognized…
On June 11, 1964, only eight days after the Civil Rights Act had passed, three black men, soldiers and teachers at the U.S. Army Reserves,…
On December 20, 2013, the Senate confirmed African American Vice Admiral Michelle Howard as the U.S. Navy’s first ever female four-star admiral. Howard is not…
