Bobby Charles Wilks (May 12, 1931 – July 13, 2009), was an American

Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...

aviator An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

. He was the first

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

Coast Guard aviator and the first African American to reach the rank of Coast Guard captain. Captain Wilks, who also was the first African American to command a Coast Guard air station, was involved in a number of

air-sea rescue Air-sea rescue (ASR or A/SR, also known as sea-air rescue), and aeronautical and maritime search and rescue (AMSAR) by the ICAO and International Maritime Organization, IMO, is the coordinated search and rescue (SAR) of the survivors of emergenc ...

s around the world. He received the

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establish ...

for his actions on the night of December 9, 1971, while piloting his helicopter over the Pacific Ocean.

Early life and education

Wilks was born May 12, 1931, in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

. He attended Stowe Teachers College (now Harris-Stowe State University) in St. Louis for two years, and then he was accepted into the

Naval Academy A naval academy provides education for prospective naval officers. See also * Military academy A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally pro ...

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. He attended the Academy 1950–51 and then returned to Stowe, where he received his undergraduate degree. He later was awarded a master's degree in education from St. Louis University in 1954.

Coast Guard career

Bobby Wilks joined the Coast Guard Reserve in 1955 and received his commission at

Officer Candidate School An officer candidate school (OCS) is a military school which trains civilians and Enlisted rank, enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a Commission (document), commission as Commissioned officer, officers in the armed forces of a country. ...

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. He was accepted to flight school and subsequently served in San Francisco, the Philippines, Brooklyn, New York, and other duty stations. He attended flight school at Pensacola and received further training at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi from 1956 to 1957, earning his wings on 25 March 1957. He was designated as Coast Guard Aviator Number 735. He qualified for helicopters in 1959 and became Coast Guard Helicopter Pilot Number 343. He transferred to the Regular Coast Guard in 1960 with the permanent rank of lieutenant. Captain Wilks saw distinguished service at many Coast Guard Air Stations during his career, including oversea tours of duty at Coast Guard Air Detachment Sangley Point, Philippines and at Naples, Italy. He participated in many search-and-rescue cases, including one in which he earned the Air Medal. He was promoted to the rank of captain in 1977 and two years later assumed the command of Coast Guard Air Station Brooklyn. Captain Wilks retired from the Coast Guard in 1986 with over 6,000 flight hours in 21 different types of aircraft. During his career he established a number of "firsts", including: * First African American aviator in the Coast Guard * First African American Coast Guardsman to make the rank of Captain * First African American Coast Guardsman to command an Air Station Another of his important contributions to the Coast Guard was his service as a mentor for younger African-American Coast Guardsmen, many of whom have noted the positive impact Captain Wilks had on their careers.

Death

Captain Wilks died on July 13, 2009, at Emeritus at Lake Ridge, in

Woodbridge, Virginia Woodbridge is a census-designated place (CDP) in Prince William County, Virginia, United States, located south of Washington, D.C.. Bounded by the Occoquan and Potomac rivers, Woodbridge had 44,668 residents at the 2020 census. Woodbridge o ...

. He was inurned at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

on September 29, 2009.

References

External links

Captain Bobby Wilks – A historically significant aviator remembered as inspiration
— Coast Guard News
Historically significant aviator remembered as inspiration
— U.S. Coast Guard {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilks, Bobby 1931 births 2009 deaths Aviators from Missouri Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Harris–Stowe State University alumni Military personnel from St. Louis Recipients of the Air Medal Saint Louis University alumni United States Coast Guard captains United States Naval Academy alumni