Brig. Gen. Kevin Jacobs becomes 1st Black general officer in history of Illinois Air National Guard

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WLS) -- The Illinois Air National Guard made a historic appointment Saturday.

Kevin Jacobs received a star as the newest Brigadier General and Chief of Staff for the Guard.

He has become the first Black general officer in the history of the organization.

His promotion ceremony took place on Saturday afternoon at the 126th Air Refueling Wing on Scott Air Force Base.

The O'Fallon native has served in the Guard for nearly 40 years.

"I'm honored to congratulate Air Force Colonel Kevin Jacobs on his promotion to brigadier general and on becoming the highest-ranking Black officer in the Illinois Air National Guard's history," said Gov. JB Pritzker. "Colonel Jacobs' promotion speaks to the continued progress the Illinois National Guard has made in ensuring historically underrepresented communities are fairly represented within its ranks and given the opportunity to excel at the highest levels of leadership, as Colonel Jacobs has clearly done and will certainly continue to do."