Vincent K. Brooks
| Vincent K. Brooks | |
|---|---|
 General Vincent K. Brooks, USA | |
| Born |
October 24, 1958 Anchorage, Alaska |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America |
| Service/branch |
 United States Army |
| Years of service | 1980–present |
| Rank |
 General |
| Commands held |
United States Forces Korea United Nations Command ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command U.S. Army Pacific Third Army 1st Infantry Division 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
Army Distinguished Service Medal (4) Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit (4) Bronze Star (2) Defense Meritorious Service Medal Meritorious Service Medal (8) Air Medal Joint Service Commendation Medal Army Commendation Medal (2) Army Achievement Medal (3) |
Vincent Keith Brooks (born October 24, 1958) is a United States Army general who is the current commander of United States Forces Korea, United Nations Command and ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command. He previously served as commanding general of the United States Army Pacific and Third Army.[1] Brooks was the United States Army's Deputy Director of Operations during the War in Iraq, and frequently briefed the media, which raised his public profile. He also served as the Chief of Army Public Affairs The Pentagon. He later was commanding general of the 1st Infantry Division. General Brooks assumed his current assignment on April 30, 2016.
Family
Brooks was born in Anchorage, Alaska. He grew up in an Army family in California, and his father Major General Leo A. Brooks Sr. and brother Brigadier General Leo A. Brooks Jr. both retired after careers in the Army.[2][3] He attended Thomas Jefferson High School in Alexandria, Virginia, for two years and then Jesuit High School in Carmichael, California, and graduated in 1976. He was a basketball player and he decided to follow his brother to West Point to study to become an officer.
Military service
At West Point, Brooks was the academy's first African-American Cadet First Captain, the highest position (Cadet Brigade Commander) a cadet can hold, an appointment that brought much public visibility at an early age in life. He graduated from West Point in 1980, ranking first in his class and becoming the first African-American valedictorian of the USMA. After graduating Brooks served in Korea and Kosovo among other places. In Kosovo he concurrently served as the deputy commander of the U.S. force in Kosovo (Task Force Falcon) and as commander of the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division based at Fort Stewart, Georgia. From that position he moved to the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon. While serving there he was temporarily assigned to be Deputy Director of Operations at U.S. Central Command or CENTCOM. Returning to the Pentagon and The Joint Staff in April 2003 he became the Strategic Planner for the War on Terrorism.
In his role as Deputy Director of Operations he also became the spokesperson of United States Central Command, the main force in the Middle East. At that time he was the youngest general officer in the Army. He served as the Commanding General, 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas April 2009 to May 2011 and then became 3rd Army Commanding General.
As part of the "Asia Pivot" of the East Asian foreign policy of the Barack Obama administration, Brooks envisions a "Pacific Pathways" of a single US Army unit that would wander the countries of the region.[4]
In March, 2016 Brooks was nominated to command United States Forces Korea, the U.S.-South Korea Combined Forces Command, and United Nations Command, succeeding Curtis Scaparrotti.[5]
Quotes
- "We are role models to a lot of young people, not just African Americans and soldiers,"
- "People can see the achievement and how hard work leads to it."
Awards and decorations
References
- ↑ "Lt. Gen. Brooks assumed command of Third Army". DVIDS. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
- ↑ Boeing Corporation, Biography, Leo A. Brooks, Jr., 2011
- ↑ Virginia State University Alumni Association, Alumni in the military, Leo A. Brooks, Sr., accessed May 7, 2013
- ↑ Chandrasekaran, Rajiv (29 December 2013). "Army’s ‘Pacific Pathways’ initiative sets up turf battle with Marines". www.washingtonpost.com. The Washington Post. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
- ↑ "Release No: NR-101-16: Statement by Secretary of Defense Ash Carter on Gen. Vincent K. Brooks" (Press release). Washington, DC: Press Operations. U.S. Department of Defense. March 21, 2016.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vincent K. Brooks. |
- General Vincent K. Brooks Interview with West Point Center for Oral History http://www.westpointcoh.org/interviews/pursue-excellence-in-everything-west-point-s-first-african-american-first-captain see more at www.westpointcoh.org
- Vincent Brooks biography
- Iraqis, coalition forces battle illegally-armed militias
- Troops at Camp Liberty observe Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Perry L. Wiggins |
Commanding General of the 1st Infantry Division 2009–2011 |
Succeeded by William C. Mayville |
| Preceded by William G. Webster |
Commanding General of the Third United States Army 2011–2013 |
Succeeded by James L. Terry |
| Preceded by Francis J. Wiercinski |
Commander of the United States Army Pacific 2013–2016 |
Succeeded by Robert B. Brown |
| Preceded by Curtis M. Scaparrotti |
Commander of the United States Forces Korea 30 April 2016–present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |