Honoring Black Americans in the Armed Forces – A Brief History and Highlights of Inspiring Leaders
By Tara Middlebrooks
Editor Note: We apologize for the delay in publishing this article. Our site aimed to publish this article during February, Black History Month, but our website was having technical difficulties and we haven’t been able to publish the last few weeks. We apologize this could not be published during the intended timeline.
Black Americans have honorably served in every conflict in our nation’s 247-year history. Because February is Black History month, we would like to highlight the contributions of Black Americans to the Armed Forces and bring greater awareness to their legacy of courage and professionalism.
This month we have compiled a several resources to share with our community and ask our readers to take a few minutes to acknowledge these amazing leaders, reflect on their service and examples of leadership and excellence, and on how we can use their inspiring stories to take action and embrace the potential and backgrounds of all individuals in our organizations. Feel free to explore the resources below and share with your respective networks.
Black Americans in the U.S. Army – Loyalty, Honor, Patriotism
Link: http://www.army.mil/blackamericans/
What you’ll find:
- The timeline of Black Americans serving in the U.S. Military
- A video highlighting the Harlem Hellfighters & Tuskegee Airmen, 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, The Story of PFC Sarah Keys, GEN Benjamin Davis Jr., Buffalo Soldiers, African American Women in Army Aviation, Henry Flipper (First Black Graduate of West Point), Medal of Honor Recipient Col Paris Davis, Fort Gregg-Adams, Fort Johnson
- The Story of Cathay Williams (the Female Buffalo Soldier who served in disguise);
- The Story Benjamin Oliver Davis, Sr (The Army’s first Black General)
- The Story of WWII’s All Black Tank Battalion
- Resources for Further Exploration
Highlighting outstanding people on Black History Month: Lt. Col. Charity Adams Earley
What you’ll find: The story of LTC Charity Adamy Earley. Lt. Col. Charity Adams Earley served as the highest-ranking Black woman officer during World War II. She has since paved the way for other Black women in the military. As the United States joined World War II, an expansion of the U.S. military became necessary. The Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps, later known as Women’s Army Corps (WAC), was created, and Earley applied to and was accepted in the organization in 1942. In 1943, she was promoted to major, and by the end of 1944, she became the commanding officer of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. Nicknamed the “Six Triple Eight”, the battalion was the first unit of WAC African Americans to go overseas. Her battalion’s first mission in Birmingham, England, was to organize and distribute undelivered mail to U.S. service members. The battalion started working around the clock in three shifts, seven days a week, clearing all the backlogged mail from the previous six months in only three months.
Earley’s battalion later moved to the postal facilities of Rouen, France, where once again, they were tasked with organizing mail that had gone undelivered, up to 65,000 pieces of mail per day. By the end of WWII, the 6888th CPDB had cleared over 17 million pieces of backlogged mail, ensuring the troops stayed in touch with their loved ones back home. This played a huge role in boosting morale. There is now a Netflix special that highlights this story starring Kerry Washington.
African Americans in the US Military: From the Revolution to the World Wars
What you’ll find: Details, by each war, of how Black Americans have supported each American War, despite unfair compensation, segregation, and even legal bars on military service.
Video of the Story of the Army’s First Female Deep Sea Diver
What you’ll find: In 1982, now retired Master Sgt. Andrea Motley Crabtree became the U.S. Army’s first female deep-sea diver, and the first Black female deep-sea diver across all U.S. military branches. Her portrait is now part of an exhibit in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. She spoke to Elise Preston about her extraordinary career. She speaks on overcoming the odds of being a Black, Woman, Army diver in a world dominated by White, men, Naval officers.
BG Terrence Adams encourages Leadership Development during Black History Month
What you’ll find: As part of SSP’s ongoing Leadership Learning Series and Special Emphasis Programs, Strategic Systems Programs (SSP) hosted Brigadier General Terrence A. Adams, Deputy Principal Cyber Advisor to the Secretary of Defense and Senior Military Advisor for Cyber Policy, to speak to the workforce on leadership and inspiring change.
Coast Guard honors Black veteran, NFL great Emlen Tunnell
Link: https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2021/02/08/coast-guard-honors-black-veteran-nfl-great-emlen-tunnell/
What you’ll find: Before he became the first Black player inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Emlen Tunnell served in the Coast Guard during and after World War II, where he was credited with saving the lives of two shipmates in separate incidents.
USO (United Service Organization) 7 Moments of Bravery
Link: https://www.uso.org/stories/2308-bravery-in-african-american-military-history
What you’ll find: The stories of:
- Pvt. Henry Johnson – Harlem Hellfighter who fought of 20 Germans and saved a fellow Soldier from capture.
- SSGT Ruben Rivers – After suffering a severe leg injury from hitting a mine with his tank, Rivers, a native Oklahoman, disobeyed a direct order to evacuate and put himself in harm’s way to cover the U.S. retreat from advancing German lines. Rivers was killed in the battle and later posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 1997.
- MAJ Oleta Crain – Of the 300 women who entered officer training during World War II, Crain was one of only three Black women in the program. After the war, Crain was the only female Black officer to be retained by the entire U.S. military.
- SFC Lawrence Joel – Joel was presented with the Silver Star, the military’s third-highest award for valor, and the Medal of Honor, for his heroism. He was the first medic to receive the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War and the first living African American to receive it since the Spanish-American War in 1898.
- SSG Melvin Morris – Morris would go on to become one of the first Green Berets in 1961 and in 2014, at the age of 72, was presented with the Medal of Honor for his actions in Vietnam.
- SFC Alwyn Cashe – In Iraq in 2005, Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn C. Cashe dove back into a burning vehicle three times while under enemy fire to rescue trapped soldiers. During the rescue, Cashe’s uniform, which was soaked in fuel, caught on fire, giving him second and third-degree burns. Despite his injuries, Cashe continued to pull soldiers from the vehicle and refused to be placed on the medical evacuation helicopter until all other wounded men had been flown to safety.
- SGT Mary Ehiarinmwian – U.S. Army Sgt. Mary Ehiarinmwian’s actions in 2019 are the perfect example of how our nation’s service members are ready to put themselves at risk to save others at a moment’s notice, even in everyday circumstances, pulling the injured driver out of the smoking vehicle to a place of safety.
While months like this provide a dedicated opportunity to highlight the achievements and history of Black Americans in Military Service, we hope these resources inspire you to keep learning and exploring the histories of different groups that served and sacrificed for our nation year-round.
By Line for Author: Tara Middlebrooks is an active-duty Army Strategist serving in the Army Talent Management Task Force, Headquarters, Department of the Army.
Opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not represent those of the United States Army, the Department of Defense, or the United States Government.