James F. Hamlet (December 13, 1921 – January 5, 2001) was the second African American United States Army Major General and division commander. Hamlet served as commander of the

3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division The 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division ("Third Grey Wolf Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division") is a combined arms armored brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division (United States), 1st Cavalry Division based in Fort Hood, Texas. Its major equipment ...

during the Vietnam War and later commanded the 4th Infantry Division.

Early life and education

Hamlet was born in

Alliance, Ohio Alliance is a city in eastern Stark County, Ohio, United States. With a small district lying in adjacent Mahoning County, the city is approximately northeast of Canton, southwest of Youngstown and southeast of Cleveland. The population was 21 ...

in 1921 and attended

Tuskegee University Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU), formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute, is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama. It was founded on Independence Day in 1881 by the state legislature. The campus was d ...

until joining the Army. Hamlet later graduated from St. Benedict's College with a degree in business administration.

Military service

Hamlet left Tuskegee to enlist in the United States Army in 1942 and was commissioned as a

Second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

of infantry through Officer Candidate School in 1944. He served as a platoon commander in the

366th Infantry Regiment The 366th Infantry Regiment was an all African American ( segregated) unit of the United States Army that served in both World War I and World War II. In the latter war, the unit was exceptional for having all black officers as well as troops. ...

and the 370th Infantry Regiment in the segregated 92nd Infantry Division during the Italian Campaign. After the war, Hamlet qualified first as a liaison pilot and later graduated from Army Aviation school and qualified as a helicopter pilot in 1951. He was promoted to Lt. Colonel and was assigned to Army Combat Developments Command in Fort Leavenworth in 1963 and served in that position until he deployed to Vietnam in May 1966. He began his tour in Vietnam as the operations officer for the 11th Aviation Group and later commanded the 227th Aviation Battalion. Upon his return to Fort Leavenworth he was promoted to Colonel and assigned as Chief, Air Mobility Branch, Doctrine and Systems Division, United States Army Combat Developments Command Combat Arms Group. Hamlet graduated from the United States Army War College in 1970. After completing his studies he was deployed to Vietnam for a second tour, serving first as the commander of the 11th Aviation Group. He was promoted to brigadier general in June 1971 and reassigned to serve as the assistant division commander of the 101st Airborne Division. Hamlet was reassigned again in December 1971 to command the

until his return to the United States in August 1972. After his second tour ended, Hamlet was named the assistant chief of staff for force development at the Pentagon. He was nominated for promotion to major general in August 1972 and confirmed by the Senate on June 1, 1973, making him the second African American to achieve two-star rank after

Frederic E. Davison Major General Frederic Ellis Davison (28 September 1917 – 24 January 1999) was a United States Army officer and the first African American to reach the rank of major general and become a division commander. After serving in World War II, he se ...

. Hamlet assumed command of the Fourth Infantry Division and Fort Carson in 1972, becoming the first African American to command a division stationed in the United States. After two years at Fort Carson, Hamlet was named Deputy Inspector General of the United States Army and held that position until retiring in 1981. Hamlet died on January 5, 2001, in Trenton, New Jersey.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamlet, James F. 1921 births 2001 deaths United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army generals Recipients of the Legion of Merit People from Alliance, Ohio Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Air Medal Benedictine College alumni United States Army War College alumni African Americans in World War II African Americans in the Vietnam War African-American United States Army personnel