Background
Brooks was born in Anchorage, Alaska. He grew up in an Army family in California, and his father Major General Leo A. Brooks Senior and brother Brigadier General Leo A. Brooks Junior. both retired after careers in the Army.
Brooks was born in Anchorage, Alaska. He grew up in an Army family in California, and his father Major General Leo A. Brooks Senior and brother Brigadier General Leo A. Brooks Junior. both retired after careers in the Army.
United States Military Academy.
He previously served as commanding general of the Third Army. 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 July 2, 2013. 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 United States Military Academy. After graduating Brooks served in of Korea and Kosovo among other places. In Kosovo he concurrently served as the deputy commander of the United States. 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 United States. 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.
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 United States Army unit that would wander the countries of the region.
"We are role models to a lot of young people, not just African Americans and soldiers,".
Quotations:
"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 lieutenant".