Juneteenth: The Army’s Role
General Granger’s reading of General Orders No.3 in Galveston, Texas on 19 June 1865 symbolized what was gained after five long years of war.
African American History
The Jayhawker and the Conductor: The Combahee Ferry Raid, 2 June 1863
By James Stejskal NOTE: This article contains excerpts from contemporary official Union and Confederate reports that include racial epithets. Additional eyewitness accounts employ local “dialect” that may or may not have been accurately rendered by the recorder. It was dark as three Union Army steamboats left St. Helena Sound off the coast of South Carolina …
The Jayhawker and the Conductor: The Combahee Ferry Raid, 2 June 1863 Read More »
Soldier – Albert C. Johnson
Albert Clinton Johnson – the man who would become the first African American colonel in the U.S. Army Signal Corps.
369th Sustainment Brigade
Written By: Melissa Ziobro Much has been written about the “Harlem Hellfighters” of the 369th Infantry Regiment during World War I, but little is known about the unit in subsequent conflicts. This article recounts the World War I story of the unit in honor of the war’s Centennial and introduces the lesser known tale of …
6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion
Written By: Kevin M. Hymel The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion was a unique U.S. Army unit and it had the distinction of being the only all-African American, all-female unit sent overseas during World War II. The women kept mail flowing to nearly seven million soldiers in the European Theater of Operations (ETO). Almost immediately …
Sergeant Major Christian Fleetwood
Written By: CSM (Ret) James H. Clifford The streets of Baltimore were abuzz on 17 September 1863 with word that a new Union regiment was marching from Camp Belcher on the western outskirts of town to the harbor. After two years of war, the sight of soldiers in the city should not have caused great …
Executive Order 9981: Integration of the Armed Forces
By Patrick Feng The United States military of the present-day is comprised of servicemen and women of diverse social and racial backgrounds; all are dedicated to one common purpose: the defense of their country and its citizens. White, Black, Latin, Asian, and American Indian all serve side-by-side with dedication and distinction. However, the integration of …
Executive Order 9981: Integration of the Armed Forces Read More »
General Colin Luther Powell
Colin Luther Powell was born on 5 April 1937, in New York, New York. He attended the City University of New York. He graduated from CUNY and was commissioned a second lieutenant through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program in 1958. From 1958 to 1960, Powell served in the United States Army, Europe. In 1959, …
FIGHTING FOR RESPECT: African-American Soldiers in WWI
By Jami L. Bryan As the people of the United States watched World War I ignite across Europe, African American citizens saw an opportunity to win the respect of their white neighbors. America was a segregated society and African Americans were considered, at best, second class citizens. Yet despite that, there were many African American …
FIGHTING FOR RESPECT: African-American Soldiers in WWI Read More »
The Black “Immune” Regiments in the Spanish-American War
By LTC Roger D. Cunningham, USA Ret. In April 1898 Congress declared war on Spain, and patriotic Americans of all colors rallied to the flag. The rampant discrimination that characterized race relations in this country during the Gilded Age caused some black citizens to question America’s crusade to end Spanish oppression of dark-skinned Cubans, Puerto …
The Black “Immune” Regiments in the Spanish-American War Read More »
