After 246 Years, Marine Corps’ First Black Four-Star General Expected

by

Lt. Gen. Michael Langley speaks during a Senate Armed Services hearing to examine the nominations at the Capitol Hill, on Thursday, July 21, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
Reading Time: < 1 minute

In the Marine Corps’ 246-year history, there has never been an African American four-star general. But that could all change Thursday as the Senate confirmation hearings began for Lt. Gen. Michael E. Langley.

The Shreveport, Louisiana native has commanded at every level from platoon to regiment, and he is being tapped to be the chief of U.S. Africa Command. He served in Afghanistan, Somalia, and Japan.

Among all the military branches, the Marines, which is the smallest, has the least amount of diversity. A recent Washington Post article highlights that a handful of Black men have become three-star generals in the Marine Corps, and other Black officers have attained four stars in the Army, Air Force, and Navy. But in the Marine Corps, Black service members have seen no one who looked like them in the top echelons of leadership. Some even doubted whether it was possible.

Lt. Gen. Ronald S. Coleman, the second Black Marine to receive three stars, told the Washington Post when it comes to this promotion, “even right now, I get chills thinking about it.”

Click ▶️ to listen to the report from AURN Washington Correspondent Ebony McMorris:

advanced divider
advanced divider
Advertisement