branch death_place death_date birth_place allegiance birth_date image article_title name
united states navy stevensville , maryland 25 august 2015 topeka , kansas united states of america 2 march 1932 ltgenfrankpetersen usmc.jpg frank e. petersen
 frank e. petersen jr.
frank e. petersen

frank emmanuel petersen jr. -lrb- usmc -rrb- -lrb- march 2 , 1932 -- august 25 , 2015 -rrb- was a united states marine corps lieutenant general .
he was the first african-american marine corps aviator and the first african-american marine corps general .
petersen retired from the marine corps in 1988 after 38 years of service .
`` at the time of his retirement he was by date of aviator designation the senior ranking aviator in the u.s. marine corps and the united states navy with respective titles of ` silver hawk ' and ` gray eagle ' .
his date of designation as an aviator also precedes all other aviators in the u.s. air force and army . ''
in 2010 , president obama appointed petersen to the board of visitors to the united states naval academy .
