Troy Smith
Julius Becton Jr, a man who served in World War Two, and later went on to become a General during the Cold War, has reportedly died at the age of 97. He reportedly died of complications from dementia.
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Becton Jr. was tasked with defending Europe from a potential Russian invasion during the Cold War. The New York Times reports on his death…
Julius W. Becton Jr., a three-star general who was charged with defending Europe from a Russian invasion during the Cold War as the first Black commander of an Army corps, and who later led the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Washington, D.C., school system, died on Nov. 28 at Fort Belvoir, Va. He was 97.
His son, Julius W. Becton III, said the cause of death, in a home for retired military officers, was complications of dementia.
General Becton’s uniformed career spanned nearly 40 years, beginning in the era of segregated troops in World War II and including the ascent of Colin Powell, the first Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Mr. Powell, who died in 2021, called General Becton a mentor without whose help and example he would “never have risen.”
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Trip Gabriel is a national correspondent. He covered the past two presidential campaigns and has served as the Mid-Atlantic bureau chief and a national education reporter. He formerly edited the Styles sections. He joined The Times in 1994. More about Trip Gabriel
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/05/us/julius-w-becton-jr-dead.html
