Joseph Stith comes from a military family. His father and uncle’s dedication to our country inspired him to join the armed forced in April 1995.
“In talking to my family about it, my dad said ‘well, if you’re thinking about military,’ because I had talked to him about it, he said, ‘go into the air force,'” Stith said.
Stith was stationed at Langley Air Force Base in Norfolk, Virginia. He was an aerospace ground equipment mechanic, which required him to diagnose and repair equipment used for military jets.
“There’s a lot of long hours,” Stith said. “What they require of you [in the Air Force] is nothing less than the best.”
Stith added that being a Black man in the U.S. military comes with an even greater responsibility.
“A lot rides on your shoulders, for those that will come after you,” Stith said. “You have to give a lot of respect to those that went before myself. Being a black man or woman in the military, there’s a lot to live up to. And everything that you do, you should do with a sense or a spirit of excellence.”