THOMASVILLE — President-elect Joe Biden’s chosen nominee for secretary of defense is being welcomed by those who know him best.

Thomasville native Gen. (ret.) Lloyd Austin will be the choice, the president-elect confirmed. 

“We’re very proud of him,” said his oldest sister, Patricia Goode. 

Said former Thomasville assistant city manager Kha McDonald, “I am very excited for a fellow Thomasville High School Bulldog to have earned this opportunity to be selected as secretary of defense. I support President-elect Biden’s choice 100%.”

Austin retired in 2016 after serving as commander of Central Command (CENTCOM), which is responsible for military operations in the Middle East. He was also vice chief of staff of the Army, the No. 2 position

“It wasn’t something he sought out. President-elect Biden asked him,” Goode said. “He knows his character and the kind of person he is. He’s dedicated and he’s honest.

“He’s a patriot. He feels it’s his duty to serve.”

Goode said the community will be proud if her brother is indeed made the first Black person to lead the Pentagon.

“I think it means a lot,” she said. “It speaks well of his background and his upbringing. It’s an achievement for the African American community. It’s an accomplishment for this community.”

Added McDonald, “Austin’s integrity and superior moral compass can be directed to his parents who provided balance and a foundation that allowed all of the Austin children to great success, each in their own way.”

McDonald worked with Austin during the 2017 rededication of Lt. Henry O. Flipper’s grave, the resting place of the first Black graduate of West Point.

“He was gracious, accommodating and very much an ‘officer and a gentleman,’” McDonald said. “With those attributes, I firmly believe that he can provide our country with defense strategy while being a conduit to civilians who will rely on his expertise to keep all of us safe and informed.”

A 1975 graduate of the United States Military Academy, Austin, 67, was assistant division commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, based three hours east of Thomasville at Fort Stewart, for the 2003 Iraq invasion. Later, he commanded the 10th Mountain Division in Afghanistan and later the XVIII Airborne Corps. Austin also led the U.S. Forces-Iraq.

He started his 41-year career as a rifle platoon leader in the 7th infantry Division.

“He cares about the troops under his command,” his sister said. 

McDonald said Austin has been described as a “quiet” general who “gave full attention to the needs of his soldiers and the enormous tasks at hand.”

“The presumptive selection of Thomasville’s very own General Lloyd J. Austin III as President-elect Biden’s choice for secretary of defense is one that rests on Austin’s stellar reputation as a strong leader whose intellect and ability to command strategically will continue a legacy of public service for our country,” she said. 

Lloyd Austin is the fifth of six children and the siblings still remain close, Goode said. They still kid around with each other, she said.

“I have to remind him I’m the oldest,” she joked.

A 2017 recipient of the West Point Association of Graduates’ Distinguished Graduate Award, Austin was also the first Black person to command a division, corps and field army in combat.

“He’s been the first this and the first that,” his sister said. “He’s done a lot.”

Editor Pat Donahue can be reached at (229) 226-2400 ext. 1806.