Kansas native Frank Petersen dies; was first black pilot and general in Marines

Kansas native, retired Lt. Gen. Frank E. Petersen Jr., the first black aviator and brigadier general in the Marine Corps, died Tuesday.

Born and raised in Topeka, Petersen enlisted in the Navy in 1950, two years after President Truman desegregated the armed forces. He then served in the Korean War in 1953, Vietnam in 1968 and received the Purple Heart for wounds suffered when he ejected over the demilitarized zone in Vietnam, the Washington Post reported.

During his career, Petersen flew more than 350 combat missions and more than 4,000 hours. Petersen was promoted to brigadier general in 1979. He retired in 1988.

Frank E. Petersen III said his father died Tuesday of complications from lung cancer. He was 83. As tough as he had to be as a Marine, his son said, “He was as peaceful and gentle as you could ask a dad to be and was always there for us.”

“As he moved us kids from base to base, he really enjoyed getting us out on adventures. Any time you went on a journey with Dad, you were in for a hell of a ride,” his son said.

Below are videos by the National Visionary Leadership Project in which he talks about how he overcame racism to become a pioneer for black soldiers and how different the world is today.

This story was originally published August 28, 2015 at 9:43 AM with the headline "Kansas native Frank Petersen dies; was first black pilot and general in Marines."