Frank Emmanuel Petersen Jr. (March 2, 1932 – August 25, 2015) was a US Marine Corps lieutenant general who was the first African-American Marine Corps aviator and the first African-American Marine Corps general.
He retired from the Marines in 1988 after 38 years of service. "At the time of his retirement he was by date of aviator designation the senior ranking aviator in the US Marine Corps and the US Navy with respective titles of 'Silver Hawk' and 'Gray Eagle'. His date of designation as an aviator also precedes all other aviators in the US Air Force and Army." In 2010, President Barack Obama appointed Petersen to the Board of Visitors to the United States Naval Academy.