Lucius Theus (October 11, 1922 – October 15, 2007) was an American military officer and aviator. A Tuskegee Airman during World War II, he became the third black

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

Early life

Theus was born in Madison County, Tennessee. According to the Official DEOMI (

Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute The Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute (DEOMI) is a U.S. Department of Defense joint services school and research laboratory located at Patrick Space Force Base, Florida, offering both resident and off-site courses, and working in are ...

) website, General Theus chaired the military task force that resulted in Defense Directive 1322.11 which in 1971 established the military's Race Relations Board and resulted in the founding of the DEOMI then known as the DRRI.

Military service

His tour of duty began in World War II as a private in the Army Air Corps. He retired as a Major General It included stops in Tuskegee, Germany, France, Greece, and Vietnam, and led him to command of the Air Force Accounting and Finance Center and an Assistant Directorship of the Defense Security Assistance Agency. He spent much of his military career developing and implementing administrative systems to improve the life of the average airman and soldier. Programs such as direct deposit for military payrolls and better human relations are prime examples. While assigned to the Pentagon, he chaired the inter-service task force where his recommendations led to a Department of Defense-wide race relations education and policy development, and establishment of the forerunner to the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute. He retired from the Air Force in 1979. Theus was the first African American support officer and the third overall to be appointed general in the U.S. Air Force. He was also the first African American to attend Harvard Business School's six-week Advanced Management Program.

Awards

Congressional Gold Medal The Congressional Gold Medal is an award bestowed by the United States Congress. It is Congress's highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals or institutions. The congressional pract ...

awarded to the Tuskegee Airmen in 2006 * He is the recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal with an Oak Leaf Cluster *The Legion of Merit *The Bronze Star Medal. * Boy Scouts Silver Beaver Award *He was inducted into the Enlisted Men's Hall of Fame in 1995. *The Major General Lucius Theus Auditorium at Patrick Air Force Base was dedicated in his honor in 1996. *Michigan Aviation Hall of Fame on October 19, 1996. *Honorary Business degree

Madonna University Madonna University is a private Roman Catholic university in Livonia, Michigan. It was founded as the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Junior College by the Felician Sisters in 1937. It became Madonna College in 1947 and Madonna Unive ...

Education

Theus graduated with a bachelor of science degree from the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

in 1956 and a master's degree in business administration from The

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Chartered in 1821 by the United States Congress, GWU is the largest Higher educat ...

in 1957.

References

External links

* Fly (2009 play about the 332d Fighter Group)
Tuskegee Airmen
at

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 de ...

Tuskegee Airmen Archives
at the

University of California, Riverside The University of California, Riverside (UCR or UC Riverside) is a public land-grant research university in Riverside, California. It is one of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The main campus sits on in a suburban distr ...