AUGUSTA - Percy Ricks Junior, one of the first black noncommissioned officers in the Army, died at the Augusta Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers. He was 82 years old. <br>
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Ricks, who died Sunday, tried to join the armed forces in 1941, a time when the Army was still segregated. They turned him away, saying they had enough blacks. <br>
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In August 1942, he was drafted and by 1943 had become one of the youngest first sergeants in the Army. He was appointed to oversee the 8th Army Air Force in the United States Army Air Corps which was stationed in Africa. <br>
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After the war, in 1946, he was put in charge of an integrated unit at the Army Pictorial Center in Long Island, New York. <br>
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Ricks' daughter says he always spoke fondly of his experiences in the armed services. <br>
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In January, a room at Fort Gordon's Signal Corps Museum was named in honor of Ricks. <br>
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The funeral will be held Saturday at Gilbert Lambuth Memorial Chapel at Paine College. <br>
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Ricks is survived by his wife, Mildred Ricks; six children; two sisters; and a brother.
