A strong symbol. U.S. Congress unanimously approved Tuesday the appointment of a black airman, General Charles Brown Jr., as the highest ranking member of the US Air Force, while the debate on racial discrimination in the United States has won the armed forces.
General Brown thus becomes the first American black to occupy the post of chief of staff of one of the six branches of the American army (US Air Force, US Navy, Army, Space Force, Marine Corps, coast guard).
He is also the second African-American to sit on the American staff after General Colin Powell, who had been its chief from 1989 to 1993.
"A historic day for America! ", Trump tweets
A US Air Force officer since 1984, General Brown is an F-16 pilot who has fought in the Pacific and the Middle East, among other places. He totals 2,900 hours of flight, including 130 in combat, according to his official biography.
President Donald Trump welcomed the appointment in a tweet. "A historic day for America! Very happy to cooperate even more closely with General Brown, who is a patriot and an excellent leader!", He wrote.
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Last week, General Brown testified in a moving video of the difficulties he had encountered in his military career because of the color of his skin, saying that his experience "did not always sing about freedom and equality".
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He said he was often "the only African American in (his) squadron, and as a senior officer, the only African American in the room" and "while I was wearing the same flight suit and the same badges as my colleagues, I was asked if I was a pilot. "
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