Major General Peter J. Gravett, (US Army, Retired) is the first-ever Black division commander in the Army National Guard and the former Secretary for the California Department of Veteran Affairs. He began his military career by enlisting in the then segregated California National Guard. He has commanded at every level from platoon to mechanized infantry division. He holds a master's degree from the University of Southern California and executive diplomas from the University of Virginia and Harvard University, and is graduate of the FBI National Academy, as well as the Army War College. General Gravett and his wife, a retired Army National Guard Colonel, reside on the Palos Verdes Peninsula of Southern California where they enjoy the cool breezes of the Pacific Ocean.