By Ralph E. Moore Jr.,
Special to the AFRO
Remembering the late General Frank Emmanuel Petersen, Jr. Lessons, a Fighter for Racial Justice and Equity
On May 14, the United States Navy honored the first Black pilot in the Marines and the Corps’ first Black general by naming its latest model of warship for him. That day, before a crowd of 2,000 on the port of Charleston, South Carolina, the ship’s captain said, “As of today, she’s America’s newest and most advanced guided-missile destroyer ever designed.” The U.S.S. Frank E. Petersen Jr., mammoth to behold, sits 510 feet long and in full disclosure it is named for my wife’s late father and my father-in-law. And despite my lifelong commitment to the peace makers’ movement, one cannot be left unimpressed with the aviation skills of General Petersen and his toughness in working his way up through what may have been the most racist of military branches.
Following President Harry Truman’s Executive Order 9981 Desegregation of the Armed Forces, signed on July 26, 1948, the word went out that “there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed forces without regard to race, color, religion or national origin.” The Marine Corps, in which General Petersen served for most of his lifetime, was the last of the military branches to desegregate. Petersen always fought on three fronts as a Marine: for his country, for the civil rights of fellow Black, Brown and other persons of color and for his personal self-dignity. He strove for excellence and strove for justice at the same time.
On Saturday, Carlos Campbell, a military aviator and Frank Petersen’s friend of 55 years, tearfully reminded the crowd, that the general was told early in his Marine Corps career that he was “best suited…to be a mess steward.” He could supervise the cleaning of sleeping quarters and food preparation and that was about it. But even while defying the low expectations of Blacks of the times, as a Marine Corps brigadier general, Petersen was arrested by another officer in El Toro, California who accused him of impersonating an officer.
The Marine Corps’ slowness to desegregate was fueled by the fact that most of its leadership during Petersen’s career building days were from the deep South. So, he had to fight on several fronts, and he had to excel because everyone was watching—some cheering him on, others waiting and wishing for him to fail. He retired a three-star general. Some say he was robbed of attaining the rank of four-star general; the President of the United States, the Secretary of the Navy and/or Representative Nancy Mace R-South Carolina (who represents the district where the ship was commissioned), Congressman Kweisi Mfume or House member Eleanor Holmes Norton ought to do something about that.
The man of war ship itself was built by Huntington-Ingalls (Shipbuilding) Industries and as previously noted is 513 feet long and according to the U.S. Navy Office of Information, will carry 32 officers and about 300 enlisted “proud sailors.” Fully loaded it will weigh 9,217 tons and its beam will reach 66 feet into the air. The ship will be able to travel at the rate of 31 knots (36 miles) an hour. It will carry two Seahawk helicopters. I will spare you (and me) the details of the ship’s armaments.
The U.S.S. Frank E. Petersen, Jr.’s hull number is 121. Its home port will be at Pearl Harbor here in the United States.
General Petersen was first married to Eleanor (Burton) Petersen, was divorced and later married Alicia (Downs) Petersen. From the two unions there are five children: Gayle M. Petersen, Dana Petersen Moore, Frank E Petersen, III, Lindsay Petersen Pulliam and Monique Petersen, all very proud of their father’s accomplishments. They were all in attendance at the commissioning ceremony.
The ins and outs of General Petersen’s illustrious life and career are well chronicled in his autobiography, “Into the Tiger’s Jaw.” It is a fascinating read from beginning to end: his birth and upbringing in Topeka, Kansas, the challenges of military life and married life and fatherhood, soldiering through racial prejudice and discrimination and Petersen’s always striving for excellence in his work. His is a history lesson. It is a story not so much about combat but about flying high when others want you to never leave the ground. General Petersen flew through the ranks and he soared. Let the children peacefully learn to Make Success and Not War.
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