This biography highlights the life of Ruth A. Lucas, her education, career and achievements.
Ruth overcame sexism and racial barriers to become a colonel in the United States Air Force in 1968. At the time, no woman had ever climbed the ladder to reach the rank of Colonel in the United States Air Force.

Ruth received the Bronze Star Medal award in 1952, one of the highest honors in the US military.

Quick Facts

Name: Ruth A. Lucas

Occupation: Colonel in the United States Air Force

Date of Birth: November 28, 1920 (Stamford, Connecticut)

Time in service: 1942-1970

Awards: Defense Meritorious Service Medal

Death: March 23, 2013 aged 92, in Washington, D.C.

Buried at: Arlington National Cemetery

Widely known for: She was the first African-American woman to rise to the rank of Colonel in the US Air Force.

Early life

Ruth was born to Walter and Amanda Lucas. In 1938, she received a scholarship to study at Tuskegee University in Alabama. Ruth graduated in 1942, obtaining a degree in Education. She also minored in sociology. By the time she graduated, World War 2 was reaching an apex. The war which started in 1939 involved Allied forces and the Axis powers led by Nazi Germany. The allies included Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and China. Allies wanted to put a stop to the aggression and control of Germany, Italy and Japan who comprised the axis powers. Lucas felt drawn to the war and to doing her part in the war effort and she did eventually participate in it.

Time in The Army and Her Accomplishments

Ruth joined the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) in 1942. This was a women’s section of the United States Army. This branch was to play an auxiliary support role and would later attain an active duty status.

Ruth and the other women in the group received training at Fort Des Moines in Iowa at the
WAAC Officer Candidate School. A total of 35,000 women applied for the positions, but only
440 were selected. Ruth was among the selected few. At that time, racial segregation was a still in force in the military. Although African-Americans attended mess and classes with the rest of their peers, they were housed in different barracks. African-American also used different beauty shops and service clubs.

Upon graduation, Ruth was assigned the position of the WAAC Squadron Commander at Fort Francis E. Warren in Cheyenne where the 463 rd AF Base Unit was based. She was an outstanding leader in the position, eventually earning several commendations for her leadership and service.

From 1951-1954, the force assigned Ruth to a working station in Tokyo, Japan. Here, she was the Chief of the Awards Division and during her free time, she taught Japanese and English Col. Lucas retired from the Air Force in 1970.

Post Retirement

After retirement, Lucas worked at the old Washington Technical Institute as the director for
urban services. She contributed to the establishment of several outreach programs meant to encourage high school students to pursue higher education.

Death

Col. Lucas succumbed to inanition and cardiac arrest and was survived by her nieces Elaine
Ward and Laurie Ward.