Entered Service: May 1980
Current Command: Commander, 1st Infantry Division

Major General Vincent Brooks started his career in the Army as a cadet at West Point, the United States Military Academy located in New York. While at West Point he became the first African-American in the school's history to be named cadet brigade commander-the top-ranking cadet, like a college class president. Brooks led more than 4,000 cadets during his senior year before graduating in 1980. Moving through the Army's ranks, Brooks later served as a brigade commander during Operation Joint Guardian in Kosovo. Then, in June 2002, he became the spokesman for the U.S. Army Central Command in Qatar during Operation Enduring Freedom.

In the early months of 2003, Brooks handled the daily press conferences for the U.S. military in the American-led war with Iraq. Because he was seen so frequently he was widely referred to as "the face of the U.S. military." Then, Brooks moved onto the responsibility of the United States Army's deputy director of operations during the war in Iraq, again making him visible in the media. Additionally, he also served as the chief of Army Public Affairs in the Pentagon. As of April, 2009, Brooks is the commander of the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas.