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Technical Sergeant Roosevelt Claiborne “R.C.” Peterson

An African American main wearing a plaid jacket with a white shirt and tie.
  • Unit: 4900th Flight Test Group
  • Date of Birth: January 10, 1931
  • Date of Death: June 6, 2023
  • Hometown: Richmond, Virginia
  • Place of Death: Lawton, Oklahoma
  • Award(s): Good Conduct Medal with Brass lapels, Good Conduct Medal, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, Vietnam Campaign Medal
  • Cemetery: section col-B, row W10, Site A4. Fort Sill National Cemetery, Elgin, Oklahoma
Contributed by Bailey Beard, Kiera Beard, and Riley Beard
Mentored by Mrs. Heather McCormick
Blair Public School
2024/2025

Early Life

Roosevelt Claiborne Peterson was born on January 10, 1931. He was born to a young African American woman and an Italian man in Richmond, Virginia. Roosevelt was quickly taken to James and Mabel Peterson, who were older and had previously miscarried a little girl. 

The Pattersons adopted Roosevelt. Roosevelt’s daughter, Cheryl Brown, explained that Mabel was upset that Roosevelt was not a girl, and so he endured abuse from Mabel throughout his childhood. She also explained that there was a time when his biological parents came to the Peterson farm to collect him. However, they did not leave with him because his adoptive parents had brought a tricycle to show that Roosevelt was happy where he was. When his biological parents left, the adoptive parents threw away the tricycle. Cheryl also reported that most of his meals growing up were chicken feet and biscuits. On rare occasions, he got honey to go on his biscuit. In the interview with Cheryl, she noted that Mabel’s treatment of Roosevelt was next to slavery.  

On the 1940 federal census, nine-year-old Roosevelt is living with the Petersons, but listed as a boarder.

Roosevelt attended and graduated from Murray High School. His parents dropped him off at Virginia State College with no money and belongings that fit into a single paper bag. At college, he studied music while working to pay for college and his meals. After about a year of struggling financially, a co-worker and friend urged him to join the military with him because it would be less work with good meals. His daughter stated that he had thought about the offer and had decided to join. She said that when the recruiter took them to eat, Roosevelt ate so much food that he made himself sick.

Roosevelt Claiborne Peterson’s high school graduation photograph, c. 1948. Courtesy of Cheryl Brown.
Peterson would have attended a segregated school like the Virginia Randolph Training School, c.1935-1945. Henrico Public Schools Collection, County of Henrico, Virginia.

Homefront

Roosevelt Peterson was born and raised in Henrico, Virginia, outside of Richmond. During this period, most of the area had dairy farms. In the late 1940s, Richmond Speedway opened, and WTVR became the first radio station in the area. During this period, Colonial Heights became an independent city, and a second speedway opened nearby in Chesterfield. Barksdale Theatre and the Virginia Museum Theatre opened. 

Tredegar Iron Works manufactured iron for railroads during the Korean War. On November 26, 1943, the USS Henrico, which was named after Henrico County, was commissioned. The ship earned three battle stars in World War II, nine battle stars in the Korean War, and one campaign star in the Vietnam War.

Map of Henrico County, Virginia where Roosevelt Peterson grew up, 1911. Library of Congress (2011586686).
USS Henrico (APA-45) in a harbor, c.1945. Naval History and Heritage Command (NH 104672-KN).

Military Experience

Roosevelt Peterson enlisted in 1949 in the U.S. Air Force. This decision was life-changing for Roosevelt, in that he was finally able to get a good meal as well as make money. He was doing more than just surviving. 

According to the 1950 census, Peterson served at Fort Warren Air Force Base in Laramie, Wyoming. He was discharged on October 18, 1953, at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C., and promptly reenlisted the next day. In 1953, Peterson married 19-year old Ruby Breeze. Together they had three sons and a daughter.

During this next tour, he was promoted to staff sergeant. He was discharged on August 10, 1957, and promptly reenlisted. During this time, he was a part of the 725th Strategic Missile Squadron as an Administration Specialist at Lowry Air Force Base in Colorado. At this site, his unit was in charge of a 3×3 formation of intercontinental ballistic missiles. 

He re-enlisted once again in August 1963. During this time, his unit was awarded the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award in support of military operations from July 1, 1963, to June 30, 1964. During his last enlistment, he served at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, where he was an administrative supervisor. Later, he was promoted to technical staff sergeant with the  4900th Flight Test Group at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico. He retired from the U.S. Air Force on April 30, 1972.

Titan One Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Complex at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, Colorado. Historic American Engineering Record, Library of Congress (HAER CO-89).
A photograph of the surface doors for Launcher #3 surface doors looking southwest towards Lowry Air Force Base. The surface doors to Launcher #1 can be seen in the background. Historic American Engineering Record, Library of Congress (HAER CO-89).
Roosevelt Peterson’s 1963 DD-214, detailing his military service. Portions have been redacted for privacy reasons. Courtesy of Cheryl Brown.
Roosevelt Peterson’s 1972 DD-214, detailing his military service and retirement. Portions have been redacted for privacy reasons. Courtesy of Cheryl Brown.

Veteran Experience

Upon retirement from the Air Force, Roosevelt Peterson and his family moved from Albuquerque, New Mexico, back to Aurora, Colorado. He became the head supervisor over a chain of hotels in Denver, Colorado. 

While he was a very giving man, ensuring that anyone and everyone’s needs were met, he struggled with alcoholism, which ultimately led his wife, Ruby, to seek a divorce. His daughter, Cheryl, recalled that when he was drunk, he was verbally abusive. However, even though Ruby and he were divorced, they would frequently go to dinner together, as it was like they had an unspoken bond that divorce and alcoholism could not break. 

Peterson married four times after Ruby, but those marriages ultimately ended in divorce. He moved between Aurora, Colorado, and Lawton, Oklahoma, several times before he moved permanently back to Lawton in 2001. Peterson volunteered with the Meals on Wheels at the Great Plains Coliseum in Lawton for about a year. Cheryl recalled that he enjoyed the work that he did with Meals on Wheels. He still struggled with alcohol until he moved into the Veterans Center in Lawton, Oklahoma, for the last four years of his life. 

Roosevelt Peterson and Ruby Breeze on their wedding day, 1953. Courtesy of Cheryl Brown.
Roosevelt Peterson at an event in the 1960s. Courtesy of Cheryl Brown.
The photograph represents five generations of the Peterson family. Pictured with Roosevelt Peterson is Robert (grandson, kneeling on the left), Robert (son-in-law, standing on the left), Caleb (great grandson, standing on the right), holding and JJ (great-great-grandson), June 2023. Courtesy of Cheryl Brown.

Commemoration

It was at the VA Center with the help of his daughter, Cheryl, that he began to understand how to love and be loved. Cheryl said that the last four years of his life were the years that were the absolute happiest. She recalled that he was the best father during that time, and it was the first time he had told her, “I love you.” 

Roosevelt Peterson died on June 6, 2023. He rests at Fort Sill National Cemetery in Elgin, Oklahoma.

Roosevelt Peterson’s journey was one filled with heartbreak and struggle. His legacy is one of resilience and redemption.

Roosevelt Peterson’s resting place at Fort Sill National Cemetery in Elgin, Oklahoma, March 7, 2025.

Bibliography

Primary Sources

“Bankruptcy Petitions.” Albuquerque Journal [Albuquerque, MN], May 6, 1972. Newspapers.com (156677595).

Brown, Cheryl. Personal interview with the author. December 23, 2024.

Map of Henrico County, Virginia: showing portions of Chesterfield County also City of Richmond. Map. 1911. Library of Congress (2011586686). https://www.loc.gov/item/2011586686/.

“Marriage License Applications.” Evening Star [Washington, DC], February 18, 1953. Newspapers.com (869807800).

Peterson Family Records. 1949-1972. Courtesy of Cheryl Brown.

Roosevelt Peterson. Colorado, Divorce Index, 1851-1985. https://ancestryclassroom.com.

Roosevelt Peterson. Pennsylvania, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists, 1798-1962. https://ancestryclassroom.com.

Roosevelt Peterson. U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-current. https://ancestryclassroom.com.

Titan One Missile Complex 2A. Graphic. Historic American Engineering Record, Library of Congress (HAER CO-89). https://www.loc.gov/item/co0919/. 

Virginia. Henrico County. 1940 U.S. Census. Digital images. https://ancestryclassroom.com.

Weddington, Harry. Titan One Missile Complex 2A, 0.3 miles west of 129 Road and 1.5 miles north of County Line Road, Aurora, Adams County, CO. Photograph. Historic American Engineering Record, Library of Congress (HAER CO-89). https://www.loc.gov/item/co0919/. 

Wyoming. Laramie County. 1950 U.S. Census. Digital images. https://ancestryclassroom.com.

Secondary Sources

“Henrico Milestones.” Henrico County, Virginia. Accessed February 14, 2025. https://henrico.gov/history/recent-history/400th-anniversary/henricos-milestones/.

Historic Context for Richmond Area Dairy Barns, c. 1900-1955. Virginia Department of Transportation, 2003.

“Radford Army Ammunition Plant.” Virginia Department of Environment Equality. Accessed November 17, 2024. https://www.deq.virginia.gov/topics-of-interest/radford-army-ammunition-plant.

“Richmond, Virginia’s History Timeline.” The Valentine. Accessed November 17, 2024. https://thevalentine.org/explore/richmond-stories/interactive-timeline/#event-richmond-raceway-opened.

“Roosevelt Claiborne Peterson.” Veterans Legacy Memorial, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Accessed April 17, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/255480024/roosevelt-claiborne-peterson. 

“Roosevelt Claiborne ‘R.C.’ Peterson.” Find a Grave. Updated June 16, 2023. Accessed November 13, 2024. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/255480024/roosevelt-claiborne-peterson. 

“Tredegar Iron Works.” American Battlefield Trust. Accessed November 17, 2024. https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/tredegar-iron-works.

This profile was funded by a grant from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The opinions, findings, and conclusions stated herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.