LtGen Frank E. Petersen Jr.

LIEUTENANT GENERAL FRANK EMMANUEL PETERSEN JR. Lt. General Frank E. Petersen passed away peacefully at his Stevensville, MD home on Tuesday, August 25, 2015, surrounded by family against the backdrop of his beloved Chesapeake Bay. Frank was born March 2, 1932 in Topeka, Kansas to Frank E. Petersen, Sr. a native of St. Croix, Virgin Islands and Edythe Southard of Syracuse, Kansas. Frank grew up in South Topeka and received his early education at Monroe Elementary School and Boswell Junior High where his high intellect was already acknowledged as a member of the Gifted Program. He attended Topeka High School, went on to receive both undergraduate and master’s degrees from George Washington University and in 1973 completed training at the National War College. The love of flying was planted in him early on, perhaps even in his DNA. At a very young age, Frank would lie in his bed, listening to the roar of airplane engines above. Though unseen, he would accurately guess the type of airplane flying overhead. “All I ever wanted to do was fly”, he often said. And so he did. In 1950, just two years after President Harry Truman desegregated the armed forces, Frank applied to join the Navy to experience the world and with the idealistic hope that he could escape the racial prejudice of his hometown. From the beginning it was painfully clear that his journey was not to be one of smooth sailing. And it was equally manifest that Frank Petersen was no ordinary man. As soon as he was able to do so, young Frank took the exam for entrance into the Navy. He did well. So well, in fact, that the examiner, disbelieving the impressive results achieved by such a young man of color, asked Frank to take the test again. He did, achieving an even higher score. This would prove to be the first of many false hurdles Frank scaled with flying colors. Frank completed flight training in 1952, accepted a commission as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps and was designated as the “First Black Marine Aviator”. This was the beginning of a career of remarkable firsts. He served two combat tours in Korea and Vietnam. He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross after valiantly flying 64 combat missions in Korea. In 1968 he commanded the renowned “Black Knights” tacticle Air Squadron, flying more than 300 combat missions in Vietnam. He was shot down near the DMZ. General Petersen’s history making promotion to brigadier general occurred in February 1979 and in May 1983 he was promoted to major general. From 1983 to 1985 he was the senior ranking pilot in the Marine Corps and Navy, earning him the title “Silver Hawk” and “Grey Eagle”. He was promoted to Lieutenant General in 1985 and took over the prestigious command of Marine Corp Development and Education Command Quantico, VA. He became not only the first African American Quantico commander but one of only eight three star generals in the Marine Corps. In 1988 Frank retired from the Marine Corps ending a superlative career as a fighter pilot. He had flown over 4,000 hours in various fighter/attack aircraft. His numerous decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal (Navy), Defense Superior Service Medal; Legion of Merit with Combat V; Distinguished Flying Cross; The Purple Heart; Air Medal with Gold Numeral “1” and Silver Star indicative of 4 Gold Stars. After retiring from the Marine Corps General Petersen applied his knowledge and love for aviation to the corporate world, serving as the Vice President for Corporate Aviation for DuPont Company. With an office in Delaware and a home on Kent Island, Maryland, General Petersen would commute to work flying his own airplane. Retiring for a second time in 1997, General Petersen retreated to love….the Chesapeake Bay. He continued to stay active with important work as Chair of the National Bone Marrow Donor Foundation and serving on the Board of Regents of the United States Naval Academy to which he was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2010. General Petersen was preceded in death by his father Frank E. Petersen Sr., his mother Edythe Southard and his brother Hans R. Petersen. He is survived by his wife, Alicia Downes Petersen, daughters Gayle Marie Petersen, Dana Petersen (Ralph) Moore, son Frank E. Petersen III, daughters Lindsay Petersen (Linwood) Pulliam and Monique Petersen, sister, Anne (Robert) Nickerson, and brother, William Petersen. Also surviving are grandson Frank E. (Jenel) Petersen, IV, great-granddaughters Jeniah Petersen and Parker Petersen and great-grandson Frank E. Petersen, V, a host of nieces, nephews, great nephews, a great niece, blended family grandchildren and great-grandchildren and numerous life-long friends and Marine Corps colleagues From sunrise to sunset, General Petersen was strong, courageous and determined to do it his way. He fought to live, to see another day, to enjoy the sun’s reflection on his beloved Chesapeake Bay. Though a fierce battle raged within, not once did he complain or seed sorrow for his fate. His was to journey on, to boldly face each day as though the end was nowhere in sight. He kept his family close, his battle was ours as well , though he never thought to impose. And so it was that as the last bell tolled our favorite Marine simply slipped away. General Petersen often said “once a Marine always a Marine” and he was and he is. Simper Fidelis. Friends and family may call at the John M. Taylor Funeral Home, Inc. 147 Duke of Gloucester St, Annapolis, MD 21401 on Wednesday September 2, 2015 from 6 to 8 PM. Funeral Services will be held at USNA Main Chapel in Annapolis on Thursday September 3, 2015 at 2:30 PM. Burial will follow at a later date at Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers donations may be made in his memory to the C.W. Bill Young Department of Defense Marrow Donor Program www.salutetolife.org .