Gen. Michael E. Langley, the first African American to hold a four-star rank in the Marine Corps, credited his father for encouraging him to “reach high” and expected that his promotion on Saturday will have an effect on younger people.
Langley was raised on military bases because his father was an Air Force officer. He was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. He received his degree from the University of Texas at Arlington and joined the Marines in 1985 as a second lieutenant.
During a ceremony at the Marine Corps Barracks Washington that was attended by his father and other family members, Langley remarked, “My daddy urged me to aspire high, so I aimed as high as I could and found the few and the proud.”
The Marine Corps, which dates back to 1775, initially opposed letting Black men into its ranks. This changed after the attack on the American air base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii in 1941 and the United States’ entry into World War II.
Only after President Harry Truman’s directive in 1948 was the American armed services desegregated. The first African American Marine received a one-star general promotion in 1979, three decades later.
Joe Biden had proposed Langley for appointment to the rank of general, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin revealed in June. The job of commander of U.S. Africa Command, stationed in Stuttgart, Germany, came along with the promotion. On Monday, the Senate approved his appointment.
During the ceremony on Saturday, Langley reportedly said, “The milestone and what it signifies to the Corps is pretty essential.” Not because of the historical significance, but rather because of how it will impact future generations, particularly the young people in society who want to aspire to join the Marine Corps.
