One of the first black noncommissioned Army officers dies at 82

AUGUSTA - Percy Ricks Jr., one of the first black noncommissioned officers in the Army, died at the Augusta Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers. He was 82. <br> <br> Ricks, who died Sunday, tried to join the armed forces in 1941, a time when the Army was still segregated. <br> <br> ``They said they had enough (blacks),&#39;&#39; he had said. ``So we packed our bags and came back home.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> 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> <br> After the war, in 1946, he was put in charge of an integrated unit at the Army Pictorial Center in Long Island, N.Y. <br> <br> Ricks always spoke fondly of his experiences in the armed services, said his daughter Millie Kyle. <br> <br> ``It was a very beautiful and enriching experience for us,&#39;&#39; Kyle said. ``He always got along with everyone. Color did not matter to him. <br> <br> ``He always showered people with love. If you knew him, when he&#39;d see you his eyes would just light up.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> In January, a room at Fort Gordon&#39;s Signal Corps Museum was named in honor of Ricks. <br> <br> The funeral will be held Saturday at Paine College&#39;s Gilbert Lambuth Memorial Chapel. <br> <br> Ricks is survived by his wife, Mildred Ricks; six children; two sisters; and a brother.

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