1. 2013 Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc.
43rd Annual Legislative Conference”
INSPIRING LEADERS/BUILDING GENERATIONS
New Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC
Friday, September 20, 2013
RON E. ARMSTEAD, MCP, LSW
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS
VETERANS BRAINTRUST
“ 2 5 TH S I L V E R A N N I V E R S A R Y O F T H E
VETERANS BRAINTRUST”
2. “…you have no idea how important it is that you would come to participate,
because you don’t do it just for yourself. You do it for so many others. Some that
can not get here. Some that can not afford to be here. Some that are physically
impaired, and some that just don’t know that their presence and political forces can
make a difference.
And of course, for the witnesses that take the time to share their eloquence. But
more importantly, for their expertise with us so we just don’t feel sorry, but so that
you can motivate us and point us in the right direction as to what we can and
should be doing.”
Hon. Charles B. Rangel (D-NY)
4. Washington, DC Congressman Charles
Rangel (D-NY) joined by
his Collegaues Reps. John
Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), Sam
Johnson (R-TX), and
Howard Coble (RNC), introduced H.Res.
618, a resolution
expressing support for
designation of 2012 - 2013
as the “Year of the Korean
War Veteran” and
recognizing the 60th
Anniversary of the Korean
War that lasted from 1950
– 1953, before it
unofficially ended by a
ceasefire agreement.
Rangel and the three
original co-sponsors to the
bill are the last four
remaining Korean War
veterans in the U.S.
Congress.
Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) Introduces Bill
Marking 2012-2013 as “Year of the Korean
War Veteran” During 60th Anniversary
5. James McEachin, Actor, Award Winning Author,
and Korean War Veteran
Actor, Korean War veteran James
McEachin soldiers on for veterans.
“No veterans, no democracy.
No democracy, no America.”
James McEachin has worked beside such
legends as John Wayne, Bette Davis and
Sidney Poitier. He became the first African
American man in 1973 to have his own show
on NBC, “Tenafly,” a detective series about a
police officer turner private eye.. He went on
to star as police Lt. Brock in several Perry
Mason TV movies.
But despite having more than 150 film and
television credits to his name. McEachin, a
decorated U.S. Army veteran who fought in
the Korean War, would much rather be
remembered as a soldier than an actor.
A recipient of the Silver Star and Purple
Heart for his service in Korea, McEachin is
among the six Korean War veterans slated to
ride on the Department of Defense‟s Rose
Parade float on January 1st. The float will
commemorate the 60th anniversary of the
signing of the armistice that halted the
hostilities.
8. S0ocial Consequences of War
Unemployment
Broken families or homes (dysfunctional)
Alcohol and drug abuse (major challenge)
Lost of self-esteem (or pride) they once had while
in the military
Homelessness (disproportionate)
Double Fight
Rep. Charles Rangel, D-NY
Note: emphasis added in parenthesis by Ron E. Armstead, MCP, LSW
9. Congressman Charles Rangel (DNY) invited Gen. Colin L.
Powell, Chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, to address a
special session at the 20th Annual
Congressional Black Caucus
Legislative Weekend in
Washington, DC.
The occasion, convened by Rep.
Rangel, was Gen. Powell‟s first
appearance before an event
sponsored by the African
American legislative body.
Adding to the historical
significance of the occasion, Gen.
Powell was joined by a gathering
of some of the highest ranking
African American military
officers ever to serve this nation.
Among the officers were: Lt. Gen.
Julius Becton, BGen. Hazel
Johnson-Brown, Vice Admiral
Samuel Gravely, Jr., of the
Navy, Lt. Gen. Frank
Peterson, Jr. of the Marine
Corps, and Col. Fred V. Cherry of
the Air Force.
(N.Y. Amsterdam News –
Saturday, September
29, 1990, p3)
Gen. Colin Powell, U.S. Army, Chairman
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff addresses
CBC Veterans Braintrust
11. Coming Home: Transition From Military Service
to Civilian Life, 2009 (VA Secretary Shinseki & Rep. Rangel)
12. Bringing & Caring for our Troops Back Home
Press Release, October 7, 2011
The current unemployment crisis has a disproportionate
impact on veterans; young male veterans (ages 18 to 24) are
hit hardest with an unemployment rate of 22%.
Returning veterans who do find jobs earn an average of
$5,736
less
a
year
than
their
civilian
counterparts, according to the VA. The disparity is even
greater for veterans with college degrees: They earn $9,526
less than their civilian counterparts a year.
Rangel Rallies to Bring our Troops Home
on 10th Anniversary of War in Afghanistan
13. Congressman Rangel Hosts Veterans Braintrust at 2009 Congressional
Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference
African Diaspora News
14. AMVETS Department of DC
CURRENT NEWS
Recognition Service Award presented to Mr. Johnnie Collins, Jr. for his many years of devoted service and support to disabled veterans at DC VA Medical Center, September 1, 2010
Clockwise,
from top left: Department Executive Director Johnnie Collins, Jr., (left) and Vincent
Patton, Ed.D., Coast Guard Master Chief (Ret.), attended the 15th Annual Congressional Black Caucus Veterans
Braintrust Awards, where Patton was an honoree; Collins (left) with Alonzo A. Swann, Jr. Winner of the Navy Cross
(USS Intrepid, WWII) and Ed Brown , Ph.D., an employee of the VA Vet Center in Dallas, TX at the Congressional Black
Caucus event; Collins (right) and Isiah “Ike” Williams, Owner and Publisher of the National Florida Advocate and the
Jacksonville Advocate, at the Congressional Black Caucus Veterans Braintrust where Williams was also honored.
15. September 17 – Edward
Jennings, Jr. speaks
about HUD‟s initiatives
to support veterans and
military families, at the
Annual Congressional
Black Caucus
Foundation (CBCF)
Veterans Braintrust
Forum, during the 2010
CBCF Annual Legislative
Conference (ALC) in
Washington, DC
(Credit: Elbert Garcia)
Edward L. Jennings, Jr., HUD
Southeast Regional Administrator
16. From Left to Right:
Rep. Charles B. Rangel
(D-NY), Keynote
Speaker Gen. Lloyd
Austin III, Vice Chief
of Staff of the US
Army, Rep. Corrine
Brown (D-FL), Lt. Gen.
Willie Williams, Chief of
Staff, U.S. Marine
Corps., Vice Admiral
Manson K.
Brown, Deputy
Commandant for
Mission Support, U.S.
Coast Guard, and Rep.
Sanford Bishop, Jr. (DGA)
24th Annual Veterans Braintrust Forum:
Veterans Jobs, Jobs, Jobs, Employment and
Economic Stability After Military Service at
the Washington Convention Center
17. Economic Division Deputy Director Mark Walker (far right) represented the American
Legion on a 12 member panel at the Congressional Black Caucus Veterans Braintrust
(Photo by Craig Roberts)
Walker recalled the discussion as fruitful, saying, “it was agreed upon that the fight to create a more favorable
employment market for veterans should be one of „all hands on deck.‟ The effort should include the public and private
sectors, NGOs (non-governmental organizations), faith-based communities and individuals. All are needed to assist
veterans and their families in reintegration into civilian life.”
18. APA member provides expertise at Congressional Black
Caucus event on veterans issues
Photo by Lloyd Wolf
Pictured (from right) Josef Ruzek, PhD, Donna H.
Barnes, PhD, and Billy E. Jones, MD, MS
APA secured participation of Josef Ruzek, PhD, for
September 21, 2012, Veterans Braintrust event at the
2012 Congressional Black Caucus Foundation‟s
Annual Legislative Conference. Dr. Ruzek shared his
knowledge and experience as Director for the
Dissemination and Training Division of the
Department of Veterans‟ Affairs National Center for
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He was joined for
the discussion, called “Mental Health and the
Workplace: Social Messaging, Interventions and
Help-Seeking
Behavior,”
by
Billy
E.
Jones, MD, MS, Senior Advisor to the Assistant
Secretary for Policy and Planning, U.S. Department
of
Veterans‟
Affairs,
and
Donna
Barnes, PhD, Suicidologist, Howard University
Hospital and Co-Founder of the National
Organization for People Against Suicide.
19. Staff and supporters of Olustee
Battlefield Historic State Park at
the Congressional Black Caucus
meeting in Washington, DC
where the park received the
Veteran‟ Braintrust Award for its
recognition of African American
civil war soldiers. Pictured (left to
right) are: Susan Kett, USDA
Forest Service; Valinda
Subic, Park Manager at that
time; Ron Williams, 54th
Massachusetts Reenactor; Hon.
Corrine Brown, U.S. Congress
Representative, 3rd DistrictFlorida; John Thrush, then
President of Olustee Battlefield
Citizens Support Organization
(CSO); and O.J. Lake, 54th
Massachusetts Reenactor.
Staff were joined by Robert
Young, Mel Reid and Michael
Coleman, Members of the 54th
Massachusetts Volunteer
Infantry Regiment Company „B‟
from Washington, DC.
Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park in
Florida received the Congressional Black
Caucus Veterans‟ Braintrust Award
21. Rep. Corrine Brown‟s Veterans Braintrust Reception and Awards Ceremony
at 334 Cannon House Office Building
Photo by Frank Powell, 2012
2012 Awardees: William B. Lawson, MD, Ph.D., Billy Jones, MD, MS, Jay Chunn, Ph.D., Donna Holland
Barnes, Ph.D., Sgt. Stephen Sherman, US Army, WWII Veteran, Otis Nash, Ralph Cooper, M.Ed., BGen (Ret) Robert
Cocroft, Wendy McClinton, Michael „Mike‟ Neely, Sgt. Maj. John L. Estrada, USMC, Ret‟d., and CMD Mark C.
Nisbett, USN, Ret.
22. As the Ranking Member
of the House
Appropiations
Subcommittee on
Military Construction
and Veterans
Affairs, and the Co-Chair
of the Congressional
Military Family
Caucus, he has long been
an advocate for
improving the quality of
life for our nation‟s
veterans and their
families.
Rep. Sanford Bishop, Jr. (D-GA)
23. National Coalition for Homeless Veterans 2012/2013 Annual Conference
Homelessness within Minority Populations Sessions
Although the percentage of minority homeless veterans has decreased, minority veterans are still overrepresented
with the homeless veterans population. This session outlined successful programs from the community working
to meet the needs of minority veterans. May 29, 2013
25. Crispus Attucks was the
first person shot to death
by British Redcoats
during the American
Revolutionary War.
Attucks was killed in
Boston, Massachusetts
on March 5th, 1770, at
was is known now as the
Boston Massacre. He has
been immortalized as
“the first to defy, the
first to die,” and has
been regarded by
historians as a true
martyr for American
Independence.
Paul Revere, Engraver
The Bloody Massacre perpetuated
in King Street, Boston on March 5th
1770 by a party of the 29th Regt.
26. Courageous Act of Cyrus
Tiffany in Battle of Lake
Erie, September 13, 1813
By Martyl Schweig
Cyrus Tiffany in the
Battle of Lake Erie
(1813), saving the life
of Commodore Perry
Battle of Lake Erie, War of 1812
27. Battle of New Orleans, 1815
John Andrews, 1856
Detail Showing Free Black Battalions
The First and Second Battalions of
Free Men of Color, comprising over
six hundred men, played an
important role in the Louisiana
campaign, just as free black men had
during the colonial period in the
service of France and Spain.
Louisiana was the first state in the
Union to commission a military
officer of African descent, and an act
passed by the Louisiana legislature in
1812 was the first in the nation to
authorize a black volunteer militia
with its black line officers.
29. Once let the black
man get upon his person
the brass
letters, U.S., let him get
an eagle on his
button, and a musket on
his shoulder, and bullets
in his pockets, and there
is no power on earth
which can deny that he
has earned the right to
citizenship in the
United States.
Frederick Douglass
30. Araminta Ross (Harriet Tubman) was born into slavery
in 1819 or 1820, in Dorchester County, Maryland
Quote: “If I could have convinced more slaves that they were
slaves,
I could have freed
thousands more.”
--- Harriet Tubman
31. William Carney was one
of the first African
American soldiers to be
awarded the Medal of
Honor. Carney was
awarded on May
23, 1900, nearly 40
years after he served in
the Civil War. Carney
was a popular speaker at
patriotic events, and has
been remembered for his
role in the Battle of Fort
Wagner when he saved
the American flag.
Famous words: “The Old
Flag Never Touched the
Ground.”
Sergeant William H. Carney, 54th
Mass., C.M.H., Civil War Hero.
1840-1908
32. Cpl. Andrew Jackson Smith, 55th Mass.
Historical Marker for Andrew Jackson Smith, A
Former Slave Who Won the Congressional Medal
of Honor
Andrew Jackson Smith was born a slave in rural Lyon
County, Kentucky in 1843. He served in the U.S. Army during
the Civil War and was posthumously awarded the
Congressional Medal of Honor by President Bill Clinton. He
died in 1932 and was buried in the Mount Pleasant African
American Cemetery in Lyon County, Kentucky. The cemetery is
located in the Land Between the Lakes National Park that
straddles both Kentucky and Tennessee.
33. View of graves of Union soldiers
and sailors at Confederate
military prison on the grounds
of Washington Race Course, now
Hampton Park, Charleston, SC.
The first known observance of
Memorial Day was in
Charleston, SC in 1865; freedmen
(freed enslaved Africans)
celebrated
at the
Washington Race Course, today
the location of Hampton
Park, and each year thereafter.
African Americans founded
Decoration Day, now referred
to as Memorial Day, at the
graveyard of 257 Union soldiers
and labeled the gravesite
“Martyrs of the Race Course”
on May 1, 1865.
Posted: July 24, 2009
Revised: January 6, 2011
Copyright reference: Image is in
the collection of the Library of
Congress, LOC, and is believed to
be in the public domain.
Washington Race Course, 1865
Charleston, SC
34. Gen. Gordon Granger, General Order No. 3
June 19th, 1865
Juneteenth is the oldest known holiday
celebrating the End of Slavery.
It started on June 19th, 1865 when the Union
soldiers, led by Gen. Granger came to
Galveston, Texas and announced that the war was
over and
he slaves were free. Gen.
Granger read the Emancipation Proclamation freeing
about
250,000 slaves throughout Texas.
One of General Granger‟s first orders of business
was to read to the people of Texas, General Order
Number 3
35. San Juan Hill, 1898
Detail from Charge of the 24th and 25th Colored Infantry, July 2nd 1898
depicting the Battle of San Juan Hill. 1898 Lithograph by Chicago
printers Kurz and Allison
36. 369th Infantry, WWI
Colored Heroes who won the Croix de Guerre. All of
these are enlisted men of the 369th Infantry who were
decorated by the French High Command. In front
row from left to right are: Privates Ed
Williams, Herbert Taylor, Leon Fraitor and Ralph
Hawkins. In rear row are Private H.D. Prunes, Sgt. D.
Stormes, Private Joe Williams, Private Arthur Menly
and Cpl. Taylor
Colors of the Famous 369th Infantry
in Parade in New York City.
Original Caption: Colors of The Famous 369th
Infantry in Parade in New York City. Colors
of the famous 369th Infantry [African American]
troops of New York that have been decorated by
the French Government. U.S. National
Archives‟
37. Houston Riot of 1917
On August 23, 1917 soldiers from the all-black 24th Infantry Regiment
3rd Battalion stationed in Houston to guard the construction of Camp
Logan, a training facility, marched on the Fourth Ward police station
and were met outside the camp by police and armed citizens. Four
policemen, four soldiers and 12 civilians were killed in the
confrontation, and 19 soldiers were eventually executed. No white
soldiers or Houston residents were charged with any crimes.
Around noon that day, police dragged an African American woman
from her home and arrested her for public drunkenness. A soldier from
the camp asked what was going on, and was beaten and arrested as
well. When Cpl. Charles Baltimore, an MP, learned of the arrest he
went to the police station to investigate. He was beaten, then shot at as
he was chased away. Rumors soon reached the camp that Baltimore
had been killed, and that a white mob was approaching. Soldiers
armed themselves and began their march toward the city.
The primary cause of the Houston Riot was the habitual brutality of
the white police officers of Houston in their treatment of colored
people. Contributing causes were (1) the mistake made in not arming
members of the colored provost guard or military police, (2) lax
discipline at Camp Logan which permitted promiscuous visiting at
the camp and made drinking and immorality possible among the
soldiers. ~ Martha Gruenig, Crisis Magazine, November 1917
The Houston Riot of 1917 was one of the saddest chapters in the
history of American race relations. It vividly illustrated the problems
that the nation struggled with on the home front during wartime. ~
Texas State Historical Association
38. Tuskegee VA Hospital, 1923
In 1923, the Tuskegee Veterans Hospital was the first VA facility that was staffed entirely by African Americans
39. The Golden Thirteen
were the thirteen
African American
enlisted men who
became the first
African American
commissioned and
warrant officers in
the United States Navy.
The Golden Thirteen
41. Ens. Jesse L. Brown, USN
was the first African American
Naval aviator in the U.S.
Navy, a recipient of the
Distinguished Flying
Cross, and the first naval
officer killed in the Korean
War.
Born in
Hattiesburg, Mississippi to an
impoverished family, he
graduated as salutatorian
of his high school despite
segregation, and later received
his degree from Ohio State
University.
Brown enlisted in the Navy
in 1946, and flew 20 combat
missions over Korea, before
being shot down supporting
ground troops at the Battle
of Choosin Reservior on
December 4, 1950.
(13 October 1926 – 4 December 1950)
Ens. Jesse L. Brown, U.S.
Navy, First Black Naval Combat
Aviator
42. In 1967, Wallace Terry
became Deputy Bureau
Chief for Time Magazine in
Saigon. His two years of
Vietnam War reporting
included coverage of the Tet
Offensive and scores of
combat missions with
American and South
Vietnamese pilots. In
addition to writing for USA
TODAY and Parade
Magazine, Terry was an
award-winning
author, producer and public
speaker.
He died on May 29, 2003.
On January
28, 2012, Wallace Terry was
posthumously inducted
into the National
Association of Black
Journalist Hall of Fame
represented by his loving
wife Janice Terry and friend
Jack E. White.
Wallace “Wally” Terry, Noted
Journalist
43. Wallace “Wally” Terry, Noted Journalist
Time Magazine, May 26, 1967 (Cover Story)
The Negro in Vietnam Sgt. Clide Brown, Jr.
45. Sgt. Kenneth Ford, LaBelle Disco Bombing, Germany, 1986
The outside walls of LaBelle discotheque were blown
in by the bomb
46. USS Cole (DDG 67), bombing in the Port Yemen, 2000
Seaman Likiba Nicole Palmer is one of only two
women killed aboard a U.S. Naval Combat vessel
under terrorist attack. She was awarded the Purple
Heart.
This photo includes all 17 sailors who were killed
in the attack on the USS Cole.
Photo by Wayne Hinshaw of the Salisbury Post
47. The Last Soldier to Die in Iraq was Black
U.S. Army Specialist David Hickman, an African American from North Carolina
48. Hon. Charles B. Rangel (D-NY)
Black or African American soldiers have fought
and died in every American war, both abroad
and domestic. Throughout history, they have
demonstrated courage and valor in the face of
discrimination and prejudice. It is our patriotic
duty to admire their resolve and honor their
unwavering dedication to service.
50. Johnson Chesnut
Whittaker was one of the
first black men to win an
appointment to the U.S.
military academy at West
Point. While at the
academy, he was brutally
assaulted and next
expelled after beinbg
falsely accused and
convicted of faking the
incident. Over 60 years
after his death, his name
was formally cleared.
On July
25, 1995, President Bill
Clinton awarded
posthumously the
commssion of a US Army
Second Lieutenant to
Whittaker‟s
heirs, syaing, “we cannot
undo history. But
today, finally, we can pay
tribute to a great
American and we can
acknowledge a great
injustice..
Johnson C. Whittaker (1858 – 1931)
51. Lt. Henry O‟Flipper
was born into slavery in
Thonmasville, Georgia, o
n March 21, 1856, Henry
Ossian Flipper was
appointed to the US
Military Academy at
West Point, New
York, in 1873. Over the
next four years he
overcame
harassment, isolation
and insults to become
West point‟s first African
American graduate and
the first African
American commissioned
officer in the regular
U.S. Army
Lt. Henry O‟Flipper, Cadet
HOF, USMA Class of 1877
52. Rev. L. Jerome Fowler
Great-Great Nephew of Chaplain Henry Vinton Plummer, U.S. Army said, the Army has now “recognized his uncles patriotism
and loyalty to his country.” (Michael Lutzky – The Washington Post)
Henry Vinton Plummer was born a slave on June 30, 1844, in Price Georges County, Maryland. During the Civil War he enlisted in
the U.S. Navy, served for about sixteen months, and was honorably discharged in August of 1865. Following the war, he worked at
various jobs in Washington, D.C., until he had saved enough money to enter Wayland Seminary of that city. He graduated from the
seminary in 1879 and served as a Baptist pastor or missionary in Maryland and Washington, D.C.
On July 8, 1884, Plummer was appointed chaplain of the Ninth Cavalry, U.S. Army by President Chester A. Arthur, becoming the
first Negro chaplain to serve in the post-civil war army. After ten years of service in Kansas, Wyoming, and Nebraska, he was
dismissed from the Army at Ft. Robinson, Nebraska, in 1894 for conduct unbecoming an officer. Plummer died in Kansas
City, Kansas, on February 8, 1905.
53. Col. Charles Young was
born March 12, 1864, in
Mayslick, Kentucky, the
son of former slaves.
Capt. Charles Young, 9th CAV., U.S.
Army (1903)
54. Sgt. Henry
Johnson, WWI
Sgt. Henry Johnson, 369th
Inf., World War I
(Historical Photo of Henry Johnson /undated)
56. Son Discovers World War I Hero Father, Buried
at Arlington National Cemetery
New York Governor Pataki, right, along with Herman
Johnson, left, and PFC Gerald Jilliard of the New York Army
National Guard, prepare to place a wreath at the gravesite of
Johnson‟s father, World War I hero Sgt. Henry Johnson at
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA.
Thursday, January 10, 2002. The wreath laying was to honor
Sgt. Johnson, a famed member of the Harlem Hellfighters.
New York Gov. George Pataki, right, along with Herman
Johnson, left, and Pfc Gerald Jilliard of the New York Army
National Guard, pause after placing a wreath at the gravesite
of Johnson's father, World War I hero Sergeant Henry Johnson
at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.
Thursday, January 10, 2002
57. Congressman Charles Rangel (D-NY) Honors Sgt. Henry Johnson – After Eight Decade Effort, Black World War I Hero is Awarded
with Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) at Pentagon Ceremony; Herman Johnson holds the DSC awarded posthumously to this
father, Sergeant Henry Johnson. John Howe left, was a key fighter for recognition of Henry Johnson‟s heroism.
Press Release: February 13, 2003
58. U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announces that newly discovered documents will enhance Sgt. Henry Johnson‟s chance of
receiving the Medal of Honor, at the World War I hero‟s statue in Washington Park on Tuesday, March 22, 2011 in
Albany, New York. (Philip Kamrass/Times Union)
59. Sen. Schumer announced a new
online petition in a spirited
campaign to win a Medal of
Honor for Army Sgt. Henry
Johnson, an African American
World War I hero who fought
with uncommon valor.
In a May 1918 battle, Johnson
helped repel a 20 soldier german
unit, despite being seriously
wounded and armed only with a
knife and a jammed rifle he
swung as a club.
Schumer is partnering on the
petition drive with PBS, which
aired a segment on Johnson
earlier this month on the TV
program “History Detectives.”
Read more:
http://www.timesunion.com/loc
al/article/Petition-drive-startsfor-Johnson-medal3977561.php#xzz2B6P58Ryl
Sen. Chuck Schumer talks about new
efforts to get the Medal of Honor for
Sgt. Henry Johnson in Albany, NY
61. (Credit: Facebook)
CBC Former Chair, Rep. Eddie
Bernice Johnson of Texas, has taken
the lead in introducing a bill for the
late Doris (Dorie) Miller to receive
the honor that he deserves through
the posthumous award of the
Congressional Medal of Honor, the
highest military honor that can be
awarded to an individual.
Miller, a native of
Waco, texas, distinguished hiomself
during thre infamous Japanese
attack on Pearl harbor by dragging
his ship‟s commander out of the
range of fire and manning a
machine gun on deck. While under
heavy fire from the Japanese, Miller
shot down at least two of the 29
enemy planes that were downed
that day. Miller, as a Navy Mess
Attendant, performed with valor
even though he had not received
training to operate the gunnery that
white sailors on board had received.
On May 27, 1942, Miller was
awarded the Navy Cross, after civil
rights leaders launched a public
campaign to call attention to his
unbelievable heroism that had been
downplayed by the military.
CBCF News September/October
2001, Volume 3, No. 3
Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson Seeks
Congressional Medal of Honor for
Dorie Miller
62. Rep. Joe DioGuardi (R-NY)
not only thought his bills to
honor two black war heroes
would be noncontroverisal.
He was also naïve enough to
imagine that the Army and
Navy might be grateful for a
chance to correct what he
deemed a “historic
oversight.” But the services
turned down his attempt to
grant posthumously
Congressional Medals of
Honor to World War I Sgt.
Henry Johnson of Albany
and World War II Seaman
Dorie Miller of Waco. As a
result, the number of black
servicemen to receive
Congressional Medals of
Honor for their heroism in
the two world wars will
remain zero. Rep. Mickey
Leland (D-TX) joined him in
introducing bills to waive
the time limit for granting
the medals, and have not
accused the services of
discrimination – just
neglect.
William Raspberry‟s Column, “Two
Heroes, No Medals of Honor”
Friday, June 3, 1988 (Dies at 76)
63. U.S. Navy African American Navy Cross Awarded Gun Crew: Jonell Copeland, Que
Grant, Harold Clark, Jr., James Eddie Dockery, Alonzo Alexander Swann, Eli Benjamin;
circa 1945
64. On October 29, 1944, a
Zero smashed into Gun
Tub 10 and killed 9 men.
In 1993, Alonzo
Swann, Jr. received the
Navy Cross, the Navy‟s
highest award for
valor, in a presentation
ceremony aboard the
Intrepid. He had been
promised the Navy Cross
by Intrepid‟s captain
soon after the kamikaze
attack, but in a
ceremony a few weeks
later he and the five
other surviving African
American gunners each
received only a Bronze
Star, the military‟s
fourth highest award for
valor, most likely due to
racial discrimination.
Gun Tub 10, USS Intrepid, World
War II
66. While minorities were normally
relegated to non-combat duties
on U.S. Navy ships, Gun Tub 10
on the USS intrepid was manned
by Black and Hispanic
volunteers, most of them cooks
or waiters for the Officers‟ Mess.
On October 29, 1944, in the face
of a diving kamikaze, these
sailors maintained their duty
station until the enemy plane
crashed into their position killing
10 men and badly burning the
others. Six of the survivors were
subsequently awarded Bronze
Stars.
Decades later Alonzo Swann, one
of the six, sued for the Navy
Cross he had been promised but
which had been downgraded to
the Bronze Star.
Ultimately, from 1993 to
2002, three of the six men
initially awarded Bronze Stars
received Navy Crosses.
Robert Jones subsequently also
received the Navy Cross for his
own actions on that occasion.
Steward‟s Mate Third Class Robert
Jones, Gun Tub 10, USS
Intrepid, World War II
67. Port Chicago Disaster
Damage at the Port Chicago Pier after the Explosion of July 17, 1944
Results: 320 Killed & 390 Injured
Location: Port Chicago Naval Magazine, Port Chicago, California, United States
69. Freddie Meek s, who was pardoned by President
Bill Clinton 55 years after being court-martialed
for mutiny for refusing to return to work after the
cataclysmic Port Chicago explosion, died (2003)
in Los Angeles. He was 83.
Mr. Meeks had been in increasingly poor health
for the past several months and died at the
Veterans Administration Hospital in West Los
Angeles, said his son, Daryl Meeks,
When two ships loaded with 10,000 tons of
ammunition exploded at Port Chicago near
Concord on July 17, 1944, 320 servicemen were
killed and nearly 400 others were injured. It was
the worst stateside disaster of World War II.
Mr. Meeks was one of 50 black sailors who were
convicted of mutiny because, fearing for their
safety, they would not return to duty at Port
Chicago. He and others were imprisoned for 18
months before the sentence was commuted to
time served.
For decades, Mr. Meeks refused to speak about
the incident, even to his own children.
"He was not ashamed of what he did," said Daryl
Meeks, a Los Angeles County Sheriff's lieutenant.
"He was ashamed of it in the sense that he didn't
want it to affect our careers."
Mr. Meeks' children found out about the mutiny
conviction after a professor interviewed him in
the mid-1980s for a book on th e explosion. In the
1990s, U. S. Rep. George Miller, DMartinez, pushed for a presidential pardon for
Mr. Meeks, the only survivor who sought a
pardon. Miller also fought for the Port Chicago
National Monument at the site of the catastrophe.
Read more:
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/FreddieMeeks-pardoned-in-Port-Chicago-mutiny2607630.php#ixzz2HhfJDjSE
Freddie Meeks, Pardoned in Port
Chicago Mutiny, World War II
70. On September 22, in Congressman George Miller‟s Washington Office, members of the World War II Black Navy Veterans of the Great
Lakes presented Congressman Miller an award for his decade-long effort to clear the names of 50 black sailors charged with mutiny
following a huge explosion at the port Chicago Naval Magazine in 1944. Miller is leading the national effort to secure a pardon from
President Clinton for one of the last remaining sailors, Freddie Meeks of Los Angeles.
71. Fort Lawton Case, State of Washington
Jack and Leslie Hamann, residents of Magnolia, Washington wrote the book “On American Soil” outlining the Fort Lawton case. Then Hamann
and Rep. Jim McDermott led the charge to have the convictions overturned based on the clear evidence that the 28 men were innocent.
72. Fort Lawton Case, State of Washington
Late last year, the Army awarded honorable discharges to each of the men and ordered that their estates be issued back pay and benefits. Update: Samuel
Snow,
the Army veteran honored this weekend, died early Sunday at Virginia Mason Medical Center, hours after the US Army awarded him san honorable
discharge
and apologized for the “grievous wrong,” done to him and 27 other black soldiers more than 60 years ago. (July 26th, 2008)
73. Matteson - Assistant Army
Secretary Ronald James
presents a check to World
war II veteran Roy
Montgomery as
compensation for a wrongful
conviction in connection
with the 1944 death of an
Italian POW at Fort
Lawton, Washington.
Montgomery also received
his military back pay, plus
interest, in two checks
totaling $42,254. Both the
checks and the heartfelt
expression of remorse were
delivered in person…
For Montgomery, 87, of
Park Forest, the gesture was
more about money and an
admission the Army
mistreated him. It meant
that 64 years after he was
wrongfully convicted in the
largest court martial of
WWII, the old soldier could
put the episode behind him.
Roy Montgomery, Fort
Lawton, World War II
74. Samuel Snow, who was court-martialed in World War II at home in Leesburg, Florida
(Photo: Chris Livingston for the New York Times)
75. Gen. Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., U.S.A.F., Ret.
Benjamin O. Davis Jr. was the first African-American general in
the United States Air Force, and commanded the Tuskegee
Airmen in World War II. Davis retired as a lieutenant general in
1970, then was raised to a full general in 1998 when President
Bill Clinton awarded him a fourth star. Davis was a highly
decorated general who was awarded the Air Force
Distinguished Service Medal, Army Distinguished Service
Medal, Silver Star, and numerous other awards of distinction.
Molefi Kete Asante also listed Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. on his list
of 100 Greatest African Americans.
76. Cpl. Isaiah Mays, a
Buffalo Soldier and
Medal of Honor
Recipient.
Buffalo Soldier Gets
Arlington Burial after
100 years.
It was a long journey
that took more than a
hundred years. Missing
for decades, the remains
of Clp. Isaiah Mays, a
Buffalo Soldier and
Medal of Honor
Recipient, were laid
to rest at Arlington.
Cpl. Isaiah Mays was awarded the
Medal of Honor after being
wounded in an ambush in 1889
77. Army Sgt. Cornelius
Charlton died of his
wounds at the age of 21.
He was awarded the
Medal of Honor
posthumously on
March 19, 1952.
“We gave him the Medal
of Honor,” the Saturday
Evening Post wrote in
1953. “He gave us his
life.”
Army Sgt. Cornelius Charlton
78. Army photo of Sgt. Cornelius Charlton and AP photo of his burial ceremony at Arlington
National Cemetery and of Zenobia Penn wiping tears from her eyes at the ceremony.
79. Carl E. Clark, 94, served in World War II to
defend America, not to win glory. Now, the
veteran is under consideration to receive the
nation‟s highest military decoration, the
Medal of Honor. In an effort, 65 years after
the fact to repair history.
On May 3, 1945, the destroyer USS Aaron
Ward was on “picket duty” to warn the fleet
in Okinawa of impending Japanese attacks.
At sunset, a kamikaze plane hit the deck
exploding into fire, followed in the next 51
minutes by five more, killing dozens.
Clark, despite a broken collarbone, raced
into the mayhem and manned a fire hose so
powerful it usually took four men to control
it, to douse flames headed for an
ammunition locker, which would have
exploded and split the ship.
It took more than 66 years, but Carl E.
Clark, 95, was finally honored for
extraordinary heroism in World War II --recognition he had previously been denied
because he is black. In front of a cheering
crowd of more than 600, Clark received the
Navy and Marine Corps Commendation
Medal with the Combat Distinguishing
Device. The medal was pinned to his chest
by Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, who
had flown in from Washington, DC to
bestow the honor.
Chief Petty Officer Carl E. Clark, USN, Ret.:
US Navy Considers Medal, 65 Years After a
Heroic Act
80. WASHINGTON -- When the roadside bomb
detonated, it ripped through the fuel tank of the
Bradley Fighting Vehicle and ignited like napalm.
The seven men seated inside were knocked
unconscious and had no chance to escape the fire.
But the gunner, Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn
Cashe, managed to crawl out of the burning
wreckage. Wounded and drenched in diesel
fuel, he pulled the Bradley‟s driver from his seat
before the flames reached there, dragging him to
safety.
And then he went back.
The 16-year Army veteran had seen a dozen of his
men die on that tour in Iraq, and he couldn‟t bear
to lose another. His uniform caught fire as he
desperately tried to open the Bradley‟s hatch.
By the time he got in, all he had on was his body
armor and helmet, the rest of his uniform in ashes
or seared to his skin. With help, he carried one of
his dying men out of the fire and back to horrified
medics trying to triage their charred colleagues.
Soldiers couldn‟t tell what rounds pinging off the
Bradley were from insurgents‟ weapons and which
ones were from their own ammunition ablaze in
the vehicle. As he reached the next Soldier, Cashe
tried to douse the fire on his uniform, only to
realize that his own skin was peeling off from the
heat. As another Soldier helped pat out the
flames, Cashe moved the next wounded friend to
safety.
And then he went back.
Cashe was the last of the injured to be evacuated
from the scene. Doctors later said he suffered
second- and third-degree burns over 90 percent
of his body, but he still walked off the battlefield
under his own power.
Sgt 1st Class Alwyn Cashe, US Army;
Fight for Alwyn Cashe‟s Medal of
Honor continues …
81. Congressman Sanford Bishop, Jr. representing Thomasville, Georgia
(Yesterday & Today)
Lt. Henry O‟ Flipper
Cadet Henry O Flipper USMA Class of 1877
Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III
33rd Vice Chief of Staff, U.S. Army, 2012
83. Race & Ethnicity as Risk Factors
The rates of homelessness are much higher for
veterans who are African American and Native
American than for veterans who are not members
of minority groups, particularly among those living
in poverty.
Veteran Homelessness: A Supplemental Report
to the 2010 Annual Homeless Assessment Report
to Congress (October, 2011)
84. Factors contributing to homelessness
Poverty (poverty is closely tied to joblessness)
Lack of support from family and friends
Dismal living conditions (cheap hotels, overcrowding, or
substandard housing)
Male
Single (majority)
From poor and disadvantaged backgrounds (most)
Mental illness, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Lack of Affordable Housing
Marital & Financial Difficulties
Substance Abuse (alcohol & drugs)
Unemployment & Underemployment (income disparities)
Single Mothers (facing challenges with readjustment
to civilian life)
86. Harriet Tubman
For 25 years Tubman
attempted to receive a
pension from the federal
government in
recognition of her
wartime service.
Col. Thomas Wentworth
Higginson, the former
commander of the first
South Carolina
Volunteers, and Gen.
Rtufus Saxton, the
former head of the
Department of the
South, both lobbied
on Tubman‟s
behalf,
but to no
avail.
Harriet Tubman, also known
as „The General‟
87. Susie King Taylor, as the
author of Reminiscences
of My Life in Camp with
the 33d United States
Colored Troops, Late 1st
South Carolina
Volunteers, is the only
African American woman
to publish a memoir of her
wartime experiences.
She was also the first
African American to teach
openly in a school for
former slaves in Georgia.
In the 1870‟s, King
traveled to Boston, where
she remained for the rest
of her life, returning to the
South occasionally. She is
buried at Mount Hope
Cemetery in
Roslindale, MA.
Susie King Taylor (1848 – 1912), an
African American Army Nurse
89. 2nd Lt. Prudence Burns Burrell, WWII Nurse
Surgical ward treatment at the 268th Station Hospital, Base A, Milne Bay, New Guinea. Left to Right: Sgt. Lawrence
McKreever, patient; 2nd Lt. Prudence Burns, ward nurse; 2nd Lt. Elena Townscent, chief surgical nurse; and an
unidentified nurse. June 22, 1944
by Pfc. Michael Pitcarn 111-SC-28748
90. Ann Arbor‟s Elizabeth
Allen served as a nurse
in Vietnam. Her story is
among those told in
Keith Famie‟s new
documentary, “Our
Vietnam Generation.”
Dr. Elizabeth Allen, Vietnam Army
Nurse
91. Sgt. Jeanette L. Winters was
also the first female Marine
to die in a combat zone.
Sgt. Winters, 25, was a radio
operator who joined the
marine Corps in 1997. She
followed in the footsteps of
her older brother Matthew
Winters, Jr., who was also a
Marine. Her father Matthew
Winters, told ABC‟s “Good
Morning America” from the
family home in
Gary, IN, that he last spoke
to his daughter just before
the holidays, Jeannette
Winter‟s mother died of
cancer nearly five years ago.
“She told me, „Dad, I won‟t
be home for Chrismas, “but
sent a guitar as a gift, he
said. “She was so proud to
get into the Marine Corps.
She loved her job.”
Sgt. Jeannette L. Winters, USMC was the
first US servicewoman to die since the War
on Terrorism began.
94. Sergeant Vannesa Turner, U.S. Army
Army Sgt. Vannesa Turner is seen outside of the John F. Kennedy
Federal Building in Boston. Turner, who nearly died from a
mysterious illness in Iraq, needed intervention from Sen. Edward
Kennedy just to get a doctor‟s appointment in the VA system.
95. African American Women and Disability
According to Dr. Eddie Glenn, African American
women with disabilities are victims of the impact of a
“Triple Jeopardy Syndrome: Race, Gender and
Disability.” He also makes the point that there is a
direct need for research which focuses on the
status, needs and aspirations of African American
women with disabilities. African American women
with disabilities have historically been excluded by
both the disability movement, as well as feminist
movement.
98. Battle of Carrizal, Mexico, June 20, 1916
Return of the 10th Cavalry men captured in the Battle at
Carrizal, Mexico, 21 June 1916. In the center is Lem
Spillsbury, 10th Cavalry guide, who was captured, and the other
members of the unit. This photo is believed to have been taken
on the International Bridge at El Paso, Texas. Photo courtesy
Lt. Col. John Healy, USA Retired.
Men of the 10th Cavalry taken prisoner at the Battle of
Carrizal, Mexico.
100. Of that group from the
24th Infantry
Regiment, known by the
name “Buffalo Soldiers”
that was given to allBlack units in the
segregated
army, Fletcher said only
39 returned home alive
at the end of the Korean
War in 1953.
Robert Fletcher, a Ypsilanti native was one of
approximately 150 US Army soldiers captured
on the frosty day of November 27, 1950, when
North Koreans overran their position
101. Col. Fred V. Cherry, USAF, Ret.
Colonel Fred Cherry, the first and longest held black POW of the Vietnam War. He was held from 1965 to 1973
103. Congressional Research Service (CRS), 2002
There is little readily available information that
treats African American POW/MIA‟s separately from
POW‟s as a whole. A search of reference works
resulted
in
primarily
anedotal
material.
Further, according to the Army Center, there has
been no scholarly treatment of the topic.
Consequently, obtaining substantial information on
this topic would require primary research, such as a
collection of oral histories.
105. Released on February
13, 1998, this coin
commemorates the
Black Revolutionary War
patriots and the 275th
anniversary of the birth
of the first Black
Revolutionary War
patriot, Crispus
Attucks, who was the
first American colonist
killed by the British
troops during the Boston
Massacre. The coin
features an image of
Crispus Attiucks. It is
inscribed: Liberty, In
God We Trust, Crispus
Attucks, 1723 –
1770, and 1998.
Black Revolutionary War Patriots
Commemorative Coin, 1998
106. New Bedford resident
Carl Cruz bows his head
along with the
reenacting members of
the 54th Massachusetts
Volunteer Regiment
during a benediction
at the Statehouse.
Mr. Cruz is the great
grandnephew of Sgt.
William Carney a
member of the
54th,
and the first
African American to
receive the
Congressional Medal of
Honor.
Photo by Patrick
Whittemore via the
Boston Herald
Carl Cruz, Great Grandnephew of
Sgt. William Carney
107. September 29, 1864 --- The Battle of New Market Heights, Virginia --- 14 Black Medal of Honor Winners: (1) Thomas
Hawkins,
(2) Powhatan Beaty, (3) James Harris, (4) James Daniel Gardner, (5) Milton Murry Holland, (6) Alfred B.
Hilton, (7) Miles James,
(8) Alexander Kelly, (9) Robert Pinn, (10) Charles Veale, (11) Edward Ratcliff, (12) William Barnes, (13)
James Bronson, and
(14) Christian Fleetwood.
108. The Butler
Medal,
is
the only medal awarded
specifically
to
Black Soldiers
in the Civil War
The Butler Medal, or Army of the
James Medal
110. White House Ceremony
- for Cpl. Freddie
Stowers, the only Black
Medal of Honor
Recipient for World War
I --- his surviving sisters
accept the decoration
from President & Mrs.
George H.W. Bush.
(Date: April 4, 1991)
Cpl. Freddie Stowers of the 371st
Infantry, U.S. Army, World War I
111. Vernon Joseph Baker
(December 17, 1919 – July
13, 2010) was a U.S. Army
officer who received the
United States military‟s
highest decoration, the
Medal of Honor, for his
actions in World War II.
He was awarded the
medal for his actions on
April 5 – 6, 1945 near
Viareggio, Italy, when he
and his platoon killed 26
enemy soldiers and
destroyed six machine gun
nest, two observer posts
and four dugouts. He was
the only living Black
World War II veteran of
the seven belatedly
awarded the Medal of
Honor when it was
bestowed upon him by
President Bill Clinton in
1997.
Lt. Vernon Baker, U.S. Army, World
War II veteran
113. Jackie Robinson
Lt. Jackie Robinson, U.S.
Army, 761st Tank Battalion
Jackie Robinson, Brooklyn
Dodgers #42
On April 15, 1947, as a member of the Brooklyn
Dodgers, Jackie Robinson played his first Major League
game at Ebbets Field.
116. Rev. Benjamin
Hooks, who served in the
92nd Division, found
himself in the humiliating
position of guarding
Italian prisoners of war
who were allowed to eat in
restaurants that were offlimits to him. The
experience helped deepen
his resolve to do
something about bigotry
in the South.
After his wartime service
– he was promoted to the
rank of Staff Sergeant –
Hooks went north to
Chicago to study law at
DePaul University. No
law school in his native
Tennessee would admit
him.
Rev. Benjamin Hooks receiving the
Presidential Medal of Freedom
118. USS Mason (DE-529)
African American crewmembers look proudly at their ship while moored at the Boston Navy Yard, Massachusetts
March 20, 1944 --- Official U.S. Navy Photograph, National Archive
119. Proud the Movie, 2004
Mary Pat Kelly is a best selling writer and the producer of
PROUD the movie. She is a graduate of Saint-Mary of the Woods
College and received her Ph.D. from the City University of New
York.
Action starring Ozzie Davis
Ruby Dee, Ozzie Davis and Mary Pat Kelly
The true story of the only African American crew to
take a Navy warship into combat in World War II
Publisher: Lion Gate/USA
124. The Congressional Gold
Medal was collectively
presented to
approximately 300
Tuskegee Airmen or
their widows, at the US
Capitol Rotunda in
Washington, DC by
President George W.
Bush on March
29, 2007.
Tuskegee Airmen receive the
Congressional Gold Medal
126. Sgt. Cornelius
Charlton, U.S.
Army, became a
Congressional Medal
of Honor Recipient in
1952.
Photo by Manuel Balce
Ceneta/AP
Fairy Mae Papadopoulos (second right)
sister of Sgt. Cornelius Charlton, received
his Medal of Honor in 2008
128. Oliver L. Brown, plaintiff
in the landmark 1954
U.S. Supreme Court
Case Oliver L. Brown v.
The Board of Education
of Topeka, more
famously known as
Brown v. Board of
Education
Oliver L. Brown, U.S. Army, World
War II Veteran
130. Harry Briggs was a
World War II Navy
veteran. Briggs, a gas
station attendant, and
his wife, Eliza allowed
Rev. DeLaine to use
their home for people to
sign the petition that
became Briggs v Elliott.
Eventually, Briggs was
fired from his job on
Christmas Eve and Mrs.
Briggs lost her job as a
motel maid. The case of
Briggs v Elliott was
named for Harry
Briggs, who was listed
first on the petition.
Harry and Eliza Briggs
131. Congressional Gold
Medal, 2003, recognizin
g Reverend Joseph A.
DeLaine, Harry and
Eliza Briggs and Levi
Pearson
Harry and Eliza Briggs
132. In 2005, the Congressional
Black Caucus Veterans
Braintrust received the
George Washington Honor
Medal at a special ceremony
from the
Freedom Foundation
at Valley
Forge, Pennsylvania
Quote: “The unwillingness
with which our young
people are likely to serve in
any war, no matter how
justified, shall be directly
proportional as to how
they perceive the veterans
of earlier wars were treated
and appreciated by their
country.”
George Washington, First
President of the United
States
George Washington Honor Medal
134. France Bestows Highest
Honor on U.S. World
War II veteran
William Calbert, who
arrived at Utah Beach
on D-Day-plus-26 with
Quartermaster
Battalion, said he‟s
proud to represent those
who died in combat and
those who brought
supplies so combat
troops could accomplish
their mission. With his
wife of 41 years, Madlyn.
Photo by Rudi Williams
Lt. Col. William Calbert, Chaplain
Corps, USA, Ret., France Legion
of Honor Awardee
136. Marvin E. Gilmore
Jr., 86, was honored at
the Massachusetts State
House for his World War
II military service. With
him was Christophe
Guilhou, France‟s consul
general in Boston.
(Suzanne Kreiter/Globe
Staff)
Marvin Gilmore, awardee of the
Legion of Honor, France
137. Frank Martin, Director, Producer & Co-Writer of
“For Love of Liberty,” tracing black U.S. soldiers stories
Frank Martin spent a decade trying to illuminate a long-overlooked
aspect of American history: the contributions of black servicemen and
women to every major U.S. military conflict.
It was the power of those soldiers‟ stories that kept the documentary
filmmaker laboring on “For Love of Liberty: The Story of America‟s
Black Patriots.” The four-hour film was released last week on
DVD, with a special edition due out March 1 at
www.forloveofliberty.org.
“What‟s compelling about this are the stories. When you read the
stories, you are prompted to ask a very basic question, which is at the
heart of the documentary, and that is why would a group of people
shed their blood in defense of a nation that treated them worse than
second-class citizens?” said Martin, who directed, produced and cowrote the film, in a phone interview.
“That profound question is asked and answered time and time again in
the documentary. The basic answer to that question is … black
Americans fought for the love liberty, and that‟s a powerful thing.”
138. A Breath of Freedom: The Civil Rights Struggle:
African American GIs, and Germany
by Maria Hohn & Martin Klimke
A Breath of Freedom: The Civil Rights Struggle,
African American GIs, and Germany
Based on an award-winning international research project and photo
exhibition, this poignant and beautifully illustrated book examines the
experiences of African American GIs in Germany and the unique insights they
provide into the civil rights struggle at home and abroad. Thanks in large part
to its military occupation of Germany after World War II, America‟s unresolved
civil rights agenda was exposed to worldwide scrutiny as never before. At the
same time, its ambitious efforts to democratize German society after the defeat
of Nazism meant that West Germany was exposed to American ideas of freedom
and democracy to a much larger degree than many other countries. As African
American GIs became increasingly politicized, they took on a particular
significance for the Civil Rights Movement in light of Germany‟s central role in
the Cold War. While the effects of the Civil Rights Movement reverberated
across the globe, Germany represents a special case that illuminates a
remarkable period in American and world history.
Digital archive including videos, photographs, and oral history interviews
available at www.breathoffreedom.org(less)
“Even for those of us who were involved in the civil rights movement during
the 1960s, A Breath of Freedom is an eye-opener. Today, black Americans
who were once denied the right to serve side-by-side in battle with other
.S. citizens have achieved some of the highest ranks in our military and
government. This book helps increase awareness of the noble contributions
of black veterans to our nation: it not only illuminates the irony of their
struggle to defeat Nazism in World War II in the face of racial discrimination
back home, but also highlights their crucial role in advancing the civil rights
and liberties that all Americans enjoy today.“
Bob Filner, Chairman of the House Veterans‟ Affairs Committee
Paperback, 282 pages
Published September 15th 2010 by Palgrave Macmillan
139. President Barack Obama
speaks after signing a
proclamation to
designate Fort
Monroe, in
Hampton, VA, a
National Monument, in
the Oval Office of the
White House in
Washington on
November 1, 2011
President Barack Obama signs
proclamation to designate Fort
Monroe as a National Monument
140. Fort Monroe was the site of Major General Benjamin F. Butler‟s decision in 1861 to accept escaping slaves as “contraband of war.”
Thousands of former slaves who cast off their bondage and sought sanctuary there called this “The Freedom Fort.” The First and
Second Regiments of U.S. Colored Cavalry and Battery „B‟ Second U.S. Colored Light Artillery, were raised there during the Civil War.
In 1865 the Bureau for the Relief of Freedmen and Refugees (Freeman‟s Bureau) established its state headquarters here.
142. Montford Point Marine Association and members of Congress at Congressional Reception in Honor of the Original Montford Point
Marines, Monday, twenty-fourth of October Two Thousand & Eleven Rayburn House Office Building
Theme: “Support for Congressional Gold Medal”
144. Lt. Col. Joseph
Carpenter, USMC
(Ret.), Sgt. Earl
Evans, USMC
(Ret.), SSgt. Eugene
Groves, USMC
(Ret.), and GySgt. Ruben
McNair, USMC (Ret.)
on the Capitol Steps
Original Montford Point Marines
of World War II
145. Nation‟s First African American Marines Receive Congressional Gold Medal
Washington, DC --- C-SPAN
146. Montford Point Marines Gold Medal Ceremony
Rep. Charles Rangel , D-NY salutes and Commandant Amos of the Marines Corps greets
147. On June 25, 1941, President Roosevelt
issued Executive Order 8802 establishing
the Fair Employment Commission and
opening the doors for the first AfricanAmericans to enlist in the U.S. Marines.
These African Americans from all states
were not sent to the traditional boot camp at
Parris Island or San Diego. Instead, they
were segregated at Camp Montford Point in
Jacksonville, North Carolina. Approximately
twenty thousand African American marines
received basic training at Montford Point
between 1942 and 1949.
The initial intent was to discharge these
African Americans after the war, returning
them to civilian life. However, once given
the chance to prove themselves, it became
impossible to deny the fact that they were
just as capable as all other Marines
regardless of race, creed, color or national
origin.
It is most fitting that the Congressional Gold
Medal is given to those men who, years
before Jackie Robinson, Rosa Parks and
others, joined the Marines to defend their
country and do their job.
The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest
civilian award in the United States and was
first presented during the American
Revolutionary War to George Washington.
Montford Point Marines received
the Congressional Gold Medal on
June 27, 2012
148. Rep. Corrine Brown of
Florida, the first African
American elected to
Congress from Florida
in 129 years or since
Reconstruction received
the Harold Washington
Award.
The award honors an
individual who has
contributed immeasurably
to African American
political
awareness, empowerment
and
the
advancement of minorities
in the electoral process.
Congresswoman Brown
has been a fearless leader
within the Congressional
Black Caucus (CBC) on
the integral issue of voting
rights for more than a
decade.
Representative Corrine Brown
at Phoenix Awards Dinner, 42nd
Annual Legislative Conference
149. Co
Writer/Director George
Lucas receiving the
Congressional Black
Caucus‟s “Chairman‟s
Award” from
Congressman Emanuel
Cleaver II of Missouri, and
Robert Townsend at the
Phoenix Awards Dinner
which concluded the
Congressional Black
Caucus Foundation‟s 42nd
Annual Legislative
Conference.
Actor Robert Townsend
Co-Hosted the Annual
Phoenix Awards Dinner in
our nation‟s capital
The Congressional Black
Caucus Chairman‟s Award
honors an individual who
exhibits the highest
standards of
dedication, ability and
creativity.
(Photo Courtesy of Mark Mahoney)
George Lucas Honored at Phoenix
Awards Dinner, 42nd Annual
Legislative Conference
150. Congressional Black Caucus Veterans Braintrust
(Hons. Charles Rangel, D-NY, Corrine Brown, D-FL & Sanford Bishop, Jr., D-GA, Chairs )
Thank You for 25 Years
Ron E. Armstead, MCP, LSW, Executive Director
617-331-3583 / ronearmstead@gmail.com
“That those directly affected by a crisis are the ones who must take the initiative
to bring about meaningful solutions aimed at enhancing rather than destroying
the democratic process…”
For more information about the Veterans Braintrust, please visit our website at:
www.veteransbraintrustonline.snappages.com
