Lucius Theus

{{Short description|Tuskegee Airman and USAF general officer (1922–2007)}}

{{Infobox military person

| honorific_prefix = Major General

| name = Lucius Theus

| honorific_suffix =

| native_name =

| native_name_lang = English

| image = File:Lucius Theus.jpeg

| image_size = 150px

| alt =

| caption = MajGen Lucius Theus, USAF

| birth_date ={{Birth date|1922|10|11}}

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2007|10|15|1922|10|11}}

| birth_place = Madison County, Tennessee, US

| death_place =

| placeofburial =Arlington National Cemetery

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| alma_mater = {{Plainlist |University of Maryland, bachelors, George Washington University MS Harvard Business School and Madonna University honorary degree.}}{{cite web |title=MajGen Lucius Theus, USAF (Ret) |url=https://airandspace.si.edu/support/wall-of-honor/majgen-lucius-theus-usaf-ret |website=airandspace |publisher=Smithsonian |access-date=2 October 2021}}

| nickname =

| birth_name = Lucius Theus

| allegiance = United States of America

| branch = United States Army Air Forces

| serviceyears = 1946–1979

| rank = Major General

| servicenumber =

| unit = 332nd Fighter Group{{cite news |last1=Evans |first1=Farrel |title=6 Renowned Tuskegee Airmen |url=https://www.history.com/news/6-renowned-tuskegee-airmen-davis-brown-mcgee |access-date=2 October 2021 |publisher=A&E Television Networks, LLC. |date=30 October 2020}}

| commands =

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| awards = {{Plainlist |

Congressional Gold Medal

}}

| spouse =

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| website =

}}

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 in the United States Air Force.

Early life

Theus was born in Madison County, Tennessee. According to the Official DEOMI (Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute) 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.{{cite web |title=About DEOMI |url=https://www.defenseculture.mil/About-DEOMI/History/ |website=defenseculture.mil |publisher=Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute or the Department of Defense |access-date=3 October 2021}}

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. His service career 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 awarded to the Tuskegee Airmen in 2006{{cite web|title=Public Law 109-213 – Apr. 11, 2006 Congressional Gold Medal to the Tuskegee Airmen|url=https://www.congress.gov/109/plaws/publ213/PLAW-109publ213.pdf|website=Congress.gov|publisher=US Library of Congress|date=11 April 2006|access-date=23 September 2021}}
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.{{cite web |title=Retired Major General Lucius Theus U.S. Air Force |url=https://www.mimilitaryvethallofhonor.org/2020/theus.html |website=Michigan Military and Veterans Hall of Honor |access-date=2 October 2021}}
Honorary Business degree Madonna University

Education

Theus graduated with a bachelor of science degree from the University of Maryland in 1956 and a master's degree in business administration from The George Washington University in 1957.{{Cite web |url=http://www.af.mil/bios/bio.asp?bioID=7368 |title=Official biography |access-date=May 9, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040209123409/http://www.af.mil/bios/bio.asp?bioID=7368 |archive-date=February 9, 2004 |url-status=bot: unknown }}

References

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20131204121846/http://www.tuskegee.edu/about_us/legacy_of_fame/tuskegee_airmen.aspx Tuskegee Airmen] at Tuskegee University
[http://library.ucr.edu/?view=tuskegee/index.html Tuskegee Airmen Archives] at the University of California, Riverside Libraries.
[http://tuskegeeairmen.org/ Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.]
[http://www.nps.gov/tuai/index.htm Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site] (U.S. National Park Service)
[http://www.tuskegeeairmennationalmuseum.org/ Tuskegee Airmen National Museum]

Category:1922 births

Category:2007 deaths

Category:United States Air Force generals

Category:United States Army Air Forces officers

Category:Recipients of the Legion of Merit

Category:University System of Maryland alumni

Category:George Washington University School of Business alumni

Category:Burials at Arlington National Cemetery

Category:United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II