Lt. Gen. Frank E. Petersen, was born 1932 in Topeka, Kansas. At the age of 20, he was the first Afro-American to be named a naval aviator

in the Marine Corp. He also was the first African

American to command a fighter squadon, a fighter air group, an air wing, and a major base.

To his friends and associates, he was a leader and gentlemen in the way he handled his affairs.