Into the tiger's jaw

by Frank E. Petersen

On June 6th, 1950, when Frank Petersen enlisted in the Navy, he had no idea that he was embarking on a career that would cover almost forty years and would push him to the front of the revolution in race relations that continues to sweep the country to this day. The eighteen year old from Kansas was following in the footsteps of innumerable young men before him; join the Navy and see the world. He looked for excitement, adventure, and possessed a yearning to escape the too-familiar confines of pre-Brown-vs-Board-of-Education Topeka. Navy boot camp led to electronics school where he applied for the Navy's aviation cadet program. Against seemingly overwhelming odds, Seaman Apprentice Petersen was accepted. Upon graduation, he was commissioned a 2d Lieutenant in the Marine Corps, becoming the first African American pilot in the history of that elite organization. This was the first of many "firsts" in an exciting and momentous career that included combat in Korea and Vietnam, and ended wi