"During those four years, I was introduced to people like (Army) Gen. Larry Ellis and (Air Force) Gen. (William) "Kip" Ward and the whole consortium of Morgan State African American general officers,” Dingle said. "When I came into active duty, I knew that there were many who had paved the way before me that I had actually talked to, not just read about in a book."

He said that after attending ROTC Basic Camp at Fort Knox, Kentucky, there was no turning back for him. "I loved it," Dingle said. "I graduated at the top of my class and, to me, that's when I was & 'bitten by the bug'."     

Subsequently, when he entered the Medical Service Corps, he found more inspiration in people like Army Maj. Gen. (Dr.) Elder Granger to look to for mentorship. “That inspiration has been fuel in my engine and my professional aspiration to give it my all," Dingle said, up to and including his predecessor as Army Surgeon General, Army Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Nadja West.

Dingle's Army career, which officially began with his commissioning in 1988, has been full of firsts, but he says it “all came full circle" when the same father that had stressed military service to his son, promoted his son to general in September 2015.

“It was one of the proudest days of my life,” he said. “The young, African American E-6 in the Air Force, who wanted his son to be a commissioned officer in order to break glass ceilings was able to promote me to general officer."

Dingle's father died three months later.

His advice to anyone thinking about a career in the military, specifically in military medicine: "Take a look at the opportunities and advantages that military service gives you. Weigh it out. What are your professional goals and objectives? Align those and see how serving in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, or Coast Guard can help you get there."

He said that his story is the perfect example of the possibilities that military service could present. "I, personally, had no clue, but it ended up being the greatest decision that I ever made."

Gragg echoed Dingle and said that the contributions of African Americans to the military predate America itself.

"African Americans have served this country going back to the Revolutionary War and Crispus Attucks, fighting and dying with the patriots,” said Gragg. “African Americans have always shown a desire to belong and to be a part of something bigger and better.

Gragg explained, that since the military is a microcosm of society, African Americans who have served have always been on the leading edge of societal change.

"There are things that were accepted and allowed in the military that were not taking place in society, therefore the military became the bellwether for the changes to come," said Gragg. “When we started integrating the military, it started to show the value of African Americans and their ability to fight."

While serving as a general in the Union Army, Army Gen. Ulysses S. Grant credited freed slaves who took up arms and fought as Union soldiers as one of the major factors in turning the tide of the Civil War.

Throughout history, said Gragg, groups like the Army National Guard's "Harlem Hellfighters" in World War I and World War II and the Tuskegee Airmen, the first Black military aviators in the U.S. Army Air Corps (a precursor of the Air Force) persevered in supporting a nation that, at times, wasn’t necessarily fully supporting them back home.

"Those examples, that DNA, translates into the successes of African Americans in our military today," said Gragg, who enlisted in 1989 and whose father was a Vietnam veteran.

His advice for a young African American thinking about a career in military medicine mirrors Dingle's and is reflective of those who have blazed the trail for the current generation.

There are numerous examples of successful African Americans in leadership positions throughout the military, present and past, himself and Dingle included.

"Stand on the shoulders of those giants that have gone before you, the Colin Powells and the Benjamin O. Davises of the world," said Gragg. “The path has been laid for you to be successful, and you can see yourself anywhere within the military structure. The only thing that’s stopping you is you.

"There's no reason why you can't be successful, particularly now in military medicine. Lt. Gen. Dingle followed in the footsteps of Lt. Gen. West," said Gragg. “I came in as an E-1, the lowest enlisted rank you can come in as, and I was able to achieve the highest enlisted rank possible and now I'm the senior enlisted medical person in the Department of Defense.

"I'm still just a humble kid from Central Illinois."