Army Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, commander of U.S. Central Command and an Auburn University graduate, will deliver the Graduate School’s New Horizons Lecture on Monday, March 21, at 3 p.m. in the Langdon Hall Auditorium, according to a University press release. The event is free and open to the public.
“We are always excited to follow the professional achievements of Graduate School alumni like Gen. Austin,” said Graduate School Dean George Flowers in the release. “His military career speaks for itself, and we are thrilled he has agreed to come back to Auburn and share his experiences and insights with the next generation of leaders.”
Austin was commissioned as an Infantry second lieutenant in 1975 upon graduating from the U.S. Military Academy, the release states.
After confirmation from the U.S. Senate in 2010, Austin became the Army’s 200th four-star general and sixth African American Army four-star general, the release states. He was the first African American general officer to command a U.S. Army Division (10th Mountain Division/CJTF-180) and a Corps (18th Airborne Corps/Multi-National Corps-Iraq) in combat. He was also the first African American general officer to command an entire theater of war (United States Forces-Iraq) and to serve as Vice Chief of Staff, Army. In 2013, he became the first African American commander of U.S. Central Command.
Austin earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Military Academy and he also holds master’s degrees in counselor education from Auburn and in business management from Webster University, according to the release. His wife, Charlene, is also an Auburn graduate.
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