In my post, “Giving Our Youth Heroes That Look Like Them,” I talked about the importance of offering our African American and other minority youth role models and heroes who look like them. I shared my journey to discover the stories of these heroes after serving in the U.S. Army for 24 years, retiring with the rank of Master Sargeant. My mission is to uncover and write and speak about African American service men and women and other Black heroes throughout United States’ history because I believe strongly that making their stories known will empower, encourage, and validate our minority youth to cast off stereotypes that have held them back for decades.
In this article, “African American Men of Courage: The Forgotten Heroes,” I share an overview of the stories I have discovered to give you a glimpse of the powerful contributions our Black soldiers have made to keep America free and strong. I embarked on this journey first out of curiosity and then as part of my Ph.D. research.
My first exposure to our Black heroes was when I learned of the all-Black 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion and the 2nd Ranger Company. After my initial exposure, I was determined to find out more about these units and their origin. It was during my research of these two Black units that I learned of the many other Black military units and individuals who have contributed to and sacrificed for the security of the United States of America since its conception.
African-American military service goes back to the U.S. Revolutionary War. Crispus Attucks, a Black sailor and former slave, was the first casualty of the Boston Massacre. At the Battle of Bunker Hill, Peter Salem felled British Royal Marine Major Pitcairn, and Salem Poor felled British Lieutenant Colonel James Abercrombie. Approximately four to five thousand Blacks, both slave and free, fought in the Colonial Army. The Black and Native American (except its officers) 1st Rhode Island Regiment repelled three Hessian attacks on their position during the Battle of Rhode Island.
But one of the most unsung heroes of the American Revolutionary War is James Armistead Lafayette, one of the first, if not the first, double agents (spies). Layfette worked under the supervision of the Marque de Lafayette, a French General on General George Washington’s staff. Layfette went undercover as staff in the home of British Commander Cornwallis and provided valuable information on upcoming British movements and operations. It was also during the American Revolutionary War that we saw the first Black Marines. However, after the war, no other Black Marines were allowed in the American military for one hundred and sixty-six years.
During the War of 1812, yet another forgotten Black military unit proved instrumental in preserving America’s freedom. Known as the Battalion of Free Men of Color, they were an all-Black unit of four to five hundred men who anchored the middle of the defensive line, known as Jackson’s Line, during the Battle of New Orleans. This unit was unique because the majority of their line officers (lieutenants and captains) were Black. They were educated – many in Canada or Europe – and were prominent, land-owning professionals. Some were even slave owners.
The American Civil War had several all-Black military units, again, except for their officers, and proved instrumental in the Union’s victory. We meet the 1st South Carolina Volunteer Infantry Regiment (Colored), the first infantry regiment in the U.S. Army comprised of former slaves. Because of the movie Glory, many of us are aware of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, which is immortalized in history for its historic, yet disastrous charge at Fort Wagner, South Carolina.
Also during the American Civil War, the descendants of the Battalion of Free Men of Color made their entrance in the form of the Louisiana Native Guard. As with their fathers and grandfathers, these Black soldiers were educated, prominent, land-owning professionals, some of whom owned slaves themselves. And all their line officers (lieutenants and captains) were Black.
The Union Army birthed one-hundred and thirty-five Black infantry regiments, six, Black cavalry regiments, twelve Black heavy artillery batteries, and ten light artillery batteries.
Following the American Civil War, the U.S. focused on westward expansion. Protecting this venture were the 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments, Buffalo Soldiers, and the oft-forgotten 24th and 25th Infantry Regiments. Very few are aware of the Black Seminole Indian Scouts who served with them. Even fewer know of the 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments and the 24th and 25th Infantry Regiments that served in the Spanish-American War. The spotlight and fame were centered on Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders, although Black troops came to their rescue during several different battles.
Europe witnessed the emergence of Black heroes during the First World War in the form of the 92nd and 93rd Infantry Divisions. The U.S. gave total authority over the 93rd to the French Army to use them as they saw fit. The best-known of the 93rd Infantry Division’s Regiments is the 15th New York National Guard, which was redesignated as the 369th Infantry Regiment, but better known as the Harlem Hell Fighters. Privates John Henry Johnson and Needham Roberts were the first two Americans to receive the French Croix de Guerre for heroism. The 8th Illinois National Guard, redesignated as the 370th Infantry Regiment, was unique because all their line officers (lieutenants and captains) were Black, as were all their field grade officers (majors, lieutenant colonels, and a colonel.)
World War II witnessed several firsts for Black military members. Because of several movies, we are aware of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first Black combat pilots allowed to fly for the US Army Air Corps. They were preceded by Eugene Jacques Bullard, one of the first Black combat pilots who flew for the French during WWI because the American Expeditionary Force refused to let him fly for America. Also during World War II, soldiers from the 92nd Infantry Division moved from “Ash and Trash” status to that of the first Black airborne soldiers (paratroopers) in the U.S. Army. The first all-Black tank group in the U.S. Army was the 5th Tank Group, which was made up of the 758th, 769th, and 784th tank battalions.
Another first for Black service members occurred during World War II. It was when the U.S. Navy allowed Black service members to move from positions as mess men and attendants to skilled fields. The first Black Naval officers, the “Golden Thirteen,” graduated and integrated into Naval service. The Navy launched the first two Naval vessels, the U.S.S. Mason and the U.S.S. 1269, that were manned by an all-Black crew, except its officers. And the US Marine Corps enlisted its first Black recruits since the American Revolutionary War. They became the Montford Point Marines.
The Korean War saw the emergence of my heroes of the 2nd Ranger Company, the first and only Black Ranger Company in the U.S. Army. Ensign Jessey Leroy Brown became the first Black Naval aviator and the first Black Naval pilot to die in the Korean War.
These are the heroes we need to introduce to our youth as positive role models. It is these unsung U.S. military pioneers and heroes that we want our minority youth to pattern their lives after, so they too become heroes, achieve greatness, and make positive contributions to the United States. I believe that life’s lessons are best learned when the heroes our youth pattern themselves after are people with whom they can readily identify and take pride in because they look like them.
If you would like me to speak to your youth or organization, please contact me at: LeftOutofHistory@gmail.com.