General (Ret) Vincent Brooks

General Vincent Brooks is a true American hero and one of the most accomplished military leaders of his generation. He comes from a family of military leaders, with both his father Leo Brooks, Sr., and his older brother Leo, Jr., achieving the rank of general. The Brooks family holds the distinction of being the only African-American family in American history with three generals. General Brooks made history by becoming the eighth African-American to reach the Army's highest rank of four-star general. Throughout his distinguished career, he served in various hot spots worldwide, including Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Korea. I had the privilege of discussing General Vincent Brooks' historic career, which included playing basketball for Dick Wickline at Thomas Jefferson and Coach Krzyzewski at Duke. General Brooks was a student leader at West Point at a time in which women were cadets for the first time and the academy was being challenged by issues of race. During our conversation, he shared insightful opinions on critical issues of our time, such as the impact of politics on foreign policy and the military, media coverage of the military, and the lessons learned from the Ukraine War. It was truly an honor to engage with such a remarkable individual and gain valuable insights from his wealth of experience.