“Lefty,” as she was known to many, was lauded for breaking down racial barriers and for her lifelong dedication to preserving the legacy of African American military pioneers.

Here is a photo from the Stars and Stripes archives of Pfc. Mark Greene of the 699th Maintenance Company working on an armored door at the Camp Buehring “Mad Max” shop in Camp Buehring, Kuwait on Aug. 17, 2004.

Here is a photo from the Stars and Stripes archives of Staff Sgt. Ron Ellis as he fast ropes in from an MH-60 helicopter during a Combat Search and Rescue exercise in Hohenfels, Germany, Mar. 31, 2004.

Here is a photo from the Stars and Stripes archives of an American flag sitting in the cockpit of an Apache helicopter that Chief Warrant Officer 3 Sean Merrill checks on Feb. 28, 2008 in Balad, Iraq, before he leaves on a mission.

Kandahar, Afghanistan, Feb. 28, 2002: Horse power is a common source of transportation in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Here’s a photo from the Stars and Stripes archives of the aftermath of the 2009 the DODDS-Europe Division IV girls soccer championship game.

Vogelweh, Germany, July 27, 2001: Shaquille O’Neal, who played basketball at Fulda High School as a sophomore, signs a basketball for a young fan at the Vogelweh Powerzone.

Spangdahlem Air Base, Nov. 24, 2003: Carol Malackowski, wife of Lt. Col. Patrick Malackowski, waves her husband in as he pilots his A-10 Thunderbolt II to a Spangdahlem Air Base hangar.

A snowboarder kicks up a curtain of snow as he comes down the Tiefenbach glacier at Sölden, Austria, on Oct. 1, 2003.

Frankfurt, Germany, May 5, 1993: Jazz legend Wynton Marsalis plays at the Alte Oper, one of the first stops of his 1993 European tour.