Several years ago, retired Lt. Col. Shawna Rochelle Kimbrell made headlines when she made her childhood dream a reality and became the first-ever Black female fighter pilot of the U.S. Air Force.
Benjamin Oliver Davis Sr. was a career officer in the United States Army. One of the few black officers in an era when American society was largely segregated, in 1940 he was promoted to brigadier general, the army’s first African American general officer.
Henry Johnson, a private in the 369th Infantry Regiment (also known as the Harlem Hellfighters), was a highly decorated WWI hero. He earned the French Croix de Guerre for his bravery on May 15, 1918, while defending himself and a wounded comrade during a German attack.
African-American military officer, federal civil servant, and advocate for black women’s rights and desegregation. Out of 300 women nationwide who entered officer training in the U.S. military in 1943, she was one of the three African Americans.
Vernon Baker was one of seven Black service members who were presented with the Medal of Honor for their service during World War II.
Hazel Winifred Johnson-Brown was a nurse and educator who served with the U.S. Army from 1955-1983. In 1979, she became the first Black female general in the U.S. Army and the first black chief of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps. She was also the director of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Nursing.
