James R. "J.R." Gorham
: Falkland, North Carolina
: Student
: Army, NC National Guard
: August 12, 1974 - September 30, 2012
: Ft. Jackson, SC (Basic Training); Ft. Gordon, GA (Advanced Individual Training), Ft. Bragg, NC; Ft. Hood, TX; Joint Forces Headquarters, Raleigh, NC; Balad, Iraq
General James R. Gorham was born into a sharecropping family in rural Falkland, Pitt County, North Carolina. A natural leader since his youth, he served in the student government of Farmville High School. Following high school, he enlisted in the United States Army and served for three years before joining the North Carolina National Guard, becoming the first African American commissioned as Brigadier General in the organization’s history. In his civilian life, Gorham served as vice-president of First Citizens Bank in Kernersville, North Carolina and the Director of Special Projects in the N.C. Department of Public Safety.