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Gen. Brooks Gets New PostBy Courtney K. WadeNNPA Special Correspondent WASHINGTON (NNPA) -During the war with Iraq, Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks became the face and voice most associated with the war. Within two weeks, he will become chief of public affairs for the U.S. Army and in that position, he will be responsible projecting a positive image of the Army around the world. Brooks, who is scheduled to report to his new job Dec. 1, was not immediately available for comment. Earlier this year, he was honored by the National Newspaper Publisher’s Association Foundation as its “Newsmaker of the Year.” Brooks, who has been deputy chief of public affairs since the summer, will replace Robert Gaylord, a retiring brigadier general, on Dec. 2. Though his name may escape the memories of some, most remember him the 6’4″, carmel-complexioned African-American man who addressed journalists during daily briefings at the US Central Command in Qatar. The chief of public affairs position involves the dissemination of information to the American public, particularly the media. Additionally, the chief serves as an advisor to the Army’s secretary, chief of staff and other defense leaders within the organization. Brooks’s training is not in communications; it is in planning military operations. Brooks followed his older brother, Leo Jr. all the way from their hometown, Carmichael, California, to the US Military Academy at West Point. In 1979, he was selected as the First Captain of the Corps of Cadets, the institution’s highest honor. Brooks became the first African-American to hold the honor. In 2002, he became a brigadier. At 44, Brooks is optimistic about his future with the military and otherwise. “…I believe that God put me in places to do things,” he said in an April interview with the NNPA New Service. “And if I’m put in the position to do something like that, whether I think I am up to the task or not, He thinks I am up to the task, so I just ought to get on with it.”