Lt. Gen Becton's autobiography graciously reflects on his youth in the Philadelphia area, parental and family influences, some forty years of service in the US Army starting during World War II, and subsequent civilian appointments. Leadership, education, service, and race are central themes.

General Becton will be the 2007 recipient of the George C. Marshall Medal, which is offered annually by the Association of the US Army for"selfless service to the United States of America."

Julius W. Becton, Jr., (b. 1926) enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps Enlisted Reserves in 1943, when he was 17 years old. He was commissioned a second lieutenant of infantry (Army of the United States) in 1945. He served with distinction in combat during the Korean War, and was integrated into the Regular Army in 1951. In the early to mid-1960s, he completed undergraduate and graduate degrees, including a Master of Arts in Economics from the University of Maryland. He held combat commands with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam, after which he served in increasingly responsible posts, obtaining general rank during the 1970s. He was promoted to lieutenant general in November 1978. In August 1983, after serving as commanding general of the VII US Corps in Germany and as deputy commanding general of Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), he retired from the Army.