3 honorees inducted into NC Military Hall of Firsts

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Three people were inducted Tuesday morning into the North Carolina Military Hall of Firsts, a distinct honor to celebrate their military service and community outreach.

Major General Elizabeth Austin (Ret), Sgt Patricia Harris (Ret), and the late Major General Harvey Dean Williams are the third cohort of inductees to the Military Hall of Firsts.

Major Williams is Durham native and the first African American Army General from North Carolina. He was also the 16th Black general in the United States Army's history, and first Black post commander of Fort Myers.

His wife, Mary Williams accepted his award on his behalf. Williams said she was on the journey with her husband throughout his career trajectory.

"It just kind of bringing in a full picture of our career, and it makes you very proud and very humbling to be a part of it, and it's a good memory," Mary said.

Sgt. Patricia Harris is a combat veteran with over 22 years of service. She is the first woman veteran and African American to serve as state commander of the American Legion in NC, the largest wartime veteran service organization in the world. Eyewitness News spoke with Harris, immediately after she was inducted into the NC Military Hall of Firsts.

"It is an honor, and I'm humbled for it, but it is still just the beginning," Harris said. "I got to make sure I keep the shoulders strong so the rest of them can continue to stand on me as I have stood on others."

She is also the founder and executive director of the Women's Veterans Support Services, Inc.

"It was really never about me, but it was about the service for our country, for our community, our state, and our nation. It's about giving back to the community the same way you came from. We care about the people that we protect when we were in service, and it was evident from all of the ones that we saw today," Harris said.

Major General Elizabeth Austin is known as a trailblazer for her many leadership roles in the military. She was the first female general officer in the North Carolina National Guard.

"I worked so hard to open doors for other females in the in the North Carolina National Guard and the military as well. And I see every day the struggles that they're still going through. But I still work as an advocate for those females to continue to open doors and not just females, for people of color," she said.

Austin noted that being the first wasn't always easy. She now serves as a mentor for other women.

"As I progressed in rank it did become a burden on my shoulders because I knew that I had women coming behind me that were looking to me to see how I did it," she said.

Governor Josh Stein, Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Pamela Cashwell, and the Secretary of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs Jocelyn Mallette were at the induction ceremony. It was held at the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

"Being the first is rarely comfortable. There's no roadmap. But their courage created new road maps for the rest of us,"' said Secretary Mallette, who is the first woman and first Black woman to hold this position. "The inductees we honor today embody the kind of leadership the governor described. Leadership that doesn't wait for perfect conditions or for barriers to disappear. They led through uncertainty, restructuring, conflict, and change. They remained rooted in service, grounded in values, and clear and their purpose."

North Carolina is home to over 90,000 active duty service members and 600,000 veterans.

SEE ALSO: Annual Boo-Yah series kicks off this week in NYC to honor legacy of ESPN's Stuart Scott