Rate My Professor Alexander Bielakowski

Alexander Bielakowski is an Associate Professor of History in the Department of History, Humanities, and Languages at the University of Houston-Downtown, where he joined the faculty in 2016. He serves as the History Degree Coordinator for the B.A. in History program and as Graduate Director for the History Graduate Certificate program. Bielakowski's research interests center on military history. He earned his Ph.D. in U.S. military history from Kansas State University in 2002, a Master of Arts from Loyola University Chicago in 1995, and a Bachelor of Arts from Loyola University Chicago in 1993. Prior to his current position, he spent more than a decade as an Associate Professor of Military History at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, educating military officers. Bielakowski is a former U.S. Army Reserve officer and currently holds the position of Editor-in-Chief of the peer-reviewed journal U.S. Military History Review.

Bielakowski has authored several books on U.S. military history, including Proud Warriors: African American Combat Units in World War II (University of North Texas Press, 2021), From Horses to Horsepower: The Mechanization and Demise of the U.S. Cavalry, 1916-1950 (Fonthill Media, 2019), African American Troops in World War II (Osprey Publishing, 2007), and US Cavalryman 1891–1920 (Osprey Publishing, 2009). His scholarly articles have appeared in prestigious journals such as The Journal of Military History, with notable publications including "General Hawkins's War: The Future of the Horse in the U.S. Cavalry" (2007) and "Casimir Pulaski: Cavalry Commander of the American Revolution" (2002). At UHD, he teaches courses such as HIST 3311: US Military History. Bielakowski's work contributes to the understanding of key transitions in U.S. cavalry and the roles of African American combat units during significant conflicts.