On Veterans Day, we honor the soldiers who lived beyond their sacrifice serving in the U.S. military. We marvel at the stories of being on the frontline or working behind the scenes of war, but rarely do we see the efforts of our Black soldiers highlighted as they should be.
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Over the course of President Joe Biden’s administration, we’ve seen a series of adjustments like the renaming of Army posts from Confederate leaders to Black military leaders. We’ve also seen medals of honor and other military awards be granted posthumously or decades late to Black soldiers who weren’t allowed the honor at the time due to racism.
If there’s one day to soak in the heroic stories of the immense sacrifice our people gave on our behalf and the behalf of our country, it’s today. After you’re done reading these 15 stories of our unsung heroes, you’ll be blown away at their bravery.
Sgt. William Henry Johnson
Johnson, a Winston Salem native, enlisted in the Army in 1917 as a teenager and moved to New York, per the U.S. Army website. He was assigned to Company C, the all-Black 15th New York Infantry Regiment that soon became the 369th Infantry Regiment.
While on tour in western France to fight against Germany, 12 German soldiers ambushed Johnson and his unit. He took the initiative to protect his team and advanced toward the soldiers with nothing but a knife in hand. He bought enough time for the injured soldiers to escape being abducted by the Germans. He died after succumbing to his 21 combat injuries. A Louisiana Army base is named Fort Johnson in his honor.
Col. Paris Davis
The Vietnam veteran received a Medal of Honor in February of 2023, 60 years after his time in the service as one of the first Black officers to lead a Special Forces team in Vietnam, per the Army Times. He proved his courage June 18, 1965 when a raid on the North Vietnamese Army camp resulted in a counterattack, leaving every American soldier critically injured. Davis -- with one hand damaged by an enemy grenade and an order to leave his team -- went back to rescue each one of them. Davis’ success led to a recommendation for a Medal of Honor, but his file “disappeared” and the military review found no record of him, CBS’s report says. This oddity caused a group of volunteers to look through the archives a piece the paperwork together.
Col. Charles Young
Charles Young, the first Black person to be a colonel in the U.S. Army, was promoted posthumously to brigadier general nearly a century after his death, per CNN. The honor made him the first Black person to be promoted to that rank. His career in the Army was restricted because of the overt racism that did not allow him to be promoted. However, he was still appointed to be the first Black National Park Superintendent in 1903 and won praise from President Theodore Roosevelt for becoming the first Military Attaché to both Haiti and the Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola, per NPS.
Romay Davis
Romay Davis was honored at the age of 102 for her service with the the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalio, or the “Six Triple Eight,” during World War II, per NBC. Toward the end of the war, mail sent to U.S. troops were back piled in European warehouses as Allied troops were closing in on Hitler’s Germany. In June of 1945, just after the war, Davis’ unit sailed to France to help situate the mail load through deplorable conditions. However, with her leadership, they managed to get through a six-month backlog in just three months time. For her work, she received the Congressional Gold Medal from President Biden.
Black D-Day Troops
One of the most notable moments in Black military history was when American troops stormed the beaches of Normandy. About 1,700 Black soldiers were part of the group of soldiers who went. However, the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion consisted of all Black soldiers who were vital to protecting the ships and the Omaha and Utah beaches by keeping Nazi planes from being able to fly lower and attack, per The National WWII Museum.
The Tuskegee Airmen
Following World War II, the military ran an ‘experimental program’ for Black pilot candidates seeking positions in the Army Air Corps. Prospects were sent to the Tuskegee Army Field in Alabama after passing examination. These airmen went on to fly over 15,000 missions to escort bombers to and from European countries. They had one of the lowest loss records in comparison to any other escort fighter group, per The National WWII Museum.
One notable leader of the force was Charles McGee. According to his biography in the National Aviation Hall of Fame, he joined the all-Black 332nd Fighter Group, 12th Air Force nicknamed the “Red Tails.” Air Force Magazine reported McGee not only helped grow the Tuskegee Airmen Association but also stayed in touch with the Air Force to continue motivating the Airmen who came after him.
Alexander Augusta
Upon the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, Augusta took his medical education and offered it toward supporting the Black regiments of the Union Army during the Civil War. After a series of legal battles over his race, he was appointed as a surgeon with the rank of Major in the Union Army with the 7th U.S. Colored Infantry. There, he was able to demand he be paid the same as white surgeons, he was placed in charge of the Freedman’s Hospital in Washington D.C. and was promoted to lieutenant colonel, making him the highest ranking Black officer in the U.S. military, per the NPS.
Susie King Taylor
After becoming the first Black teacher to openly educate Black Georgia residents as a mere teenager, she became a nurse and laundress for the 33rd United States Colored Infantry for the Civil War by way of her husband, Officer Edward King, per the American Battlefield Trust. She didn’t only tend to soldiers’ injuries but also taught them how to read and write. When she and her husband left the service at the conclusion of the war, the two opened up a school for Black children in Savannah.
Harlem Hellfighters
The all-Black 369th Infantry Regiment of World War I, dubbed the “Harlem Hellfighters,” were a group of fierce, courageous soldiers. The unit refused permission to join the New York National Guard’s farewell parade before being deployed to Europe in resistance to racism, per the National Museum of African American History and Culture. They were known to have spent more time in continuous combat than any other unit. However, they also suffered the most losses. Even so, their bravery won them honors from the French government, U.S. government and local Americans who threw them a victory parade on their return home.
The Black Rosies
Rosie the Riveter became the face of the American working woman during World War II. However, her skin complexion did not represent the Black women in the labor force who were holding the fort. Half a million “Black Rosies” were part of the war labor effort at the home base determined to help the country but also empower themselves economically having been part of the Great Migration from the south, per History.com. Their work in the sheet metal factories, assembling explosives and munitions, doing electrical work and even building ships undergirded the war effort to support their husbands fighting overseas.
Sgt. Cornelius Charlton
Charlton was posthumously awarded a Medal of Honor for his work during the Korean War in 1951. While serving in Company C, 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, he was tasked with capturing Hill 543 in Japan, per the Naval History and Heritage Command. When Chinese forces came in hot, Charlton’s crew suffered a blow. However, he lead the counterattack with his own weapons and rounded up the remaining soldiers to fight back. After suffering mortal injuries from enemy grenades, Charlton pressed forward until the enemy was defeated. He saved majority of his platoon.
Pfc. William Henry Thompson
Thompson served in the 24th Infantry Regiment of an all-Black unit that served in Japan, per the Department of Defense. Thompson and his unit were sent to South Korea as soon as the war kicked off. Though, a lack of organization gave the unit a bad reputation of perceived cowardice. however, Thompson returned with a platoon with Company M who was attacked in the dark by North Korean forces. Thompson quickly hopped on one of the machine guns and swept out the enemy - all while being struck with grenade debris and gunfire fragments. According to NPS, his last words were “Get out of here! I’ll cover you,” as his platoon was ordered to retreat and he refused to give up the fight. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
Abraham Galloway
The seemingly secret weapon to the Civil War was a runaway slave. Galloway escaped bondage and became a Union spy, recruiting Black soldiers to join the North’s war effort, per NPR. With expertise in the North Carolina coast, he was the most trusted to provide intel so the Union could plot their attacks accordingly. Once the war ended, he was elected as the one of the first Black Senators in North Carolina.
James Armistead
As an enslaved Black man, Armistead managed to serve the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War under the leadership of Marquis de Lafayette, per the U.S. Army. He was a “double agent” who infiltrated British troops disguised as a runaway slave. While feeding foolish counsel to the British, he sent reliable intel to Lafayette which ensured the success of the Franco-American blockade at Yorktown that forced the British to surrender. Once the war was over, Lafayette wrote a letter praising Armistead for his service, leading to his emancipation.
Cathay Williams
If you’ve ever seen “Mulan,” you’ll recognize this tale. Williams served as an Army cook during the beginning of the Civil War before enlisting when she was of age. Despite the restriction against women serving, she entered under a false name, “Williams Cathay,” and passed as a man for three years, per the National Park Service. She was assigned to the 38th U.S. Infantry Regiment or the “Buffalo Soldiers.” She was the first Black woman to enlist and only one listed as having served in the Indian Wars. After a series of hospitalizations for smallpox, her true identity was discovered. However, she was honorably discharged.
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