BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY : AFRICAN AMERICAN " LT GENERAL RETIRED JULIUS WESLEY BECTON JR " IS A RETIRED UNITED STATES ARMY LT GENERAL : GOES INTO THE " HALL OF BLACK GENIUS "

                          BLACK                  SOCIAL                HISTORY                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Julius Wesley Becton, Jr. (born June 29, 1926) is a retired United States Army lieutenant general, former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and education administrator.

Early life and education

Becton was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania on June 29, 1926. He joined the U.S. Army Air Corps in July 1944 and graduated infantry Officer Candidate School in 1945 and served with 93rd Infantry Division. He separated from the Army in 1946, but returned to service after President Harry S. Truman's executive order to integrate the U.S. Armed Forces in 1948.

Career

The South Korean ambassador to the United States Yang Sung-chul, Secretary of the Army Thomas E. White, and Becton at a July 2001 wreath-laying ceremony for African-American veterans of the Korean War.

Becton went on to serve in the Korean War and the Vietnam War, eventually rising to the rank of lieutenant general in 1978 and command of VII Corps in Europe during the Cold War. Among his decorations were the Distinguished Service Medal, two Silver Stars, two Legion of Merit medals, and two Purple Hearts, along with the Knight Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of Germany.

While in the service, Becton graduated from Prairie View Agricultural and Mechanical University (Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics in 1960), the University of Maryland (Master's Degree in Economics in 1966). He also graduated from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, the Armed Forces Staff College, and the National War College.

Becton retired from the U.S. Army in 1983, after nearly 40 years of service. However, his public service career was far from over. From 1984 to 1985, he served as the Director of the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance in the United States Agency for International Development (US AID). He then served as the Director of FEMA from 1985 to 1989 under President Ronald Reagan.

In his mid-60s, Becton began a new career as an education administrator. From 1989 to 1994, Becton was the fifth president of Prairie View A&M University (his alma mater). President Becton was the first graduate of Prairie View A&M University to attain flag rank in the military.

In 1996, he became the Superintendent of the Washington, D.C. public school system.

Becton now serves as a director to several corporations, academic institutions, and associations. His many honors include being named several times by Ebony magazine as "One of the 100 Most Influential Blacks in America," and he has also received the Distinguished Service Award Association of the U.S. Army and the Boy Scouts of America's Silver Beaver Award. His autobiography, Becton: Autobiography of a Soldier and Public Servant, was published in 2008 by Naval Institute Press.

Personal life

Becton and his wife Louise reside at The Fairfax in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The couple has five grown children, 10 grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

Decorations

Combat Infantryman Badge with one star
1st Row	Army Distinguished Service Medal
2nd Row	Silver Star with Oak Leaf Cluster				Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster				Distinguished Flying Cross				Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster
3rd Row	Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster and "V" Device				Army Commendation Medal withOak Leaf Cluster				Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster				Meritorious Service Medal
4th Row	American Campaign Medal				Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal				World War II Victory Medal				Army of Occupation Medal
5th Row	National Defense Service Medal withOak Leaf Cluster				Korean Service Medal with one service star				Vietnam Service Medal with one service star				Philippine Independence Medal
6th Row	United Nations Korea Medal				Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm				Vietnam Campaign Medal				Grand Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany