Retired Gen Lloyd Austin is confirmed by the Senate; becomes the first Black defense secretary stripes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from stripes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
After 9/11, Daniel Prial chose his path: He wanted to go into the military.
“It was a tough day for him,” recalls his father, Greg Prial. Greg Prial was working that day as a lieutenant with the FDNY, and his family hadn’t heard from him. The experience marked Danny, and lit a fire.
“It kind of set him on a path,” his father said.
That path, filled with hard work, led to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and a career as a Black Hawk helicopter pilot for the U.S. Army.
“His dream was to fly,” Greg Prial said, “and he got that.”
Warwick native Daniel Prial among the three National Guardsmen killed in upstate helicopter accident Daniel Prial via LinkedIn.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Daniel Prial, 30, a Warwick native and U.S. Military Academy at West Point graduate, died Wednesday when the military helicopter he was in crashed near Mendon in upstate New York.
The New York Army National Guard UH-60 medical evacuation helicopter crashed while on a routine training mission just after 6:30 p.m. The helicopter, also known as a medical Black Hawk, was based at the Army Aviation Support Facility at the Greater Rochester International Airport. The unit trains to perform medical evacuations and the crew was conducting night vision goggle proficiency training in the area.
Alabama News
Retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin III, a 1986 alumnus of Auburn University, was confirmed on Friday to serve as the nation’s next secretary of defense.
Austin was commissioned as an Infantry second lieutenant in 1975 upon graduating from the U.S. Military Academy. Through the decades, he rose among the ranks and broke down barriers. His 41 years of service most recently included him being commander of U.S. Central Command from March 2013 through March 2016. In that role, he was responsible for the 20-country Central Region that includes Iraq, Syria, Iran, Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. He was also the Combined Forces commander in Iraq and Syria.
The U.S. Senate voted last Friday to confirm retired Gen. Lloyd Austin as President Joe Bidenâs pick as the U.S. Secretary of Defense.Â
The highly decorated military veteran will now serve as the first African American to run the Pentagon in U.S. history. Â
Austin, who retired in 2016, had to be granted a waiver in order to take the role, allowing him eligibility despite a law requiring the defense secretary to be retired from active-duty for a minimum of seven years before taking on the position. The House voted in favor of the waiver Thursday afternoon, following suit of the Senate which also approved the measure, paving the way for his confirmation Friday in the Senate.