Immortal Valor

Immortal Valor PDF Author: Robert Child
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472852869
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 287

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Book Description
The remarkable story of the seven African American soldiers ultimately awarded the World War II Medal of Honor, and the 50-year campaign to deny them their recognition. In 1945, when Congress began reviewing the record of the most conspicuous acts of courage by American soldiers during World War II, they recommended awarding the Medal of Honor to 432 recipients. Despite the fact that more than one million African-Americans served, not a single black soldier received the Medal of Honor. The omission remained on the record for over four decades. But recent historical investigations have brought to light some of the extraordinary acts of valor performed by black soldiers during the war. Men like Vernon Baker, who single-handedly eliminated three enemy machineguns, an observation post, and a German dugout. Or Sergeant Reuben Rivers, who spearhead his tank unit's advance against fierce German resistance for three days despite being grievously wounded. Meanwhile Lieutenant Charles Thomas led his platoon to capture a strategically vital village on the Siegfried Line in 1944 despite losing half his men and suffering a number of wounds himself. Ultimately, in 1993 a US Army commission determined that seven men, including Baker, Rivers and Thomas, had been denied the Army's highest award simply due to racial discrimination. In 1997, more than 50 years after the war, President Clinton finally awarded the Medal of Honor to these seven heroes, sadly all but one of them posthumously. These are their stories.

Immortal Valor

Immortal Valor PDF Author: Robert Child
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472852869
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 287

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Book Description
The remarkable story of the seven African American soldiers ultimately awarded the World War II Medal of Honor, and the 50-year campaign to deny them their recognition. In 1945, when Congress began reviewing the record of the most conspicuous acts of courage by American soldiers during World War II, they recommended awarding the Medal of Honor to 432 recipients. Despite the fact that more than one million African-Americans served, not a single black soldier received the Medal of Honor. The omission remained on the record for over four decades. But recent historical investigations have brought to light some of the extraordinary acts of valor performed by black soldiers during the war. Men like Vernon Baker, who single-handedly eliminated three enemy machineguns, an observation post, and a German dugout. Or Sergeant Reuben Rivers, who spearhead his tank unit's advance against fierce German resistance for three days despite being grievously wounded. Meanwhile Lieutenant Charles Thomas led his platoon to capture a strategically vital village on the Siegfried Line in 1944 despite losing half his men and suffering a number of wounds himself. Ultimately, in 1993 a US Army commission determined that seven men, including Baker, Rivers and Thomas, had been denied the Army's highest award simply due to racial discrimination. In 1997, more than 50 years after the war, President Clinton finally awarded the Medal of Honor to these seven heroes, sadly all but one of them posthumously. These are their stories.

The Exclusion of Black Soldiers from the Medal of Honor in World War II

The Exclusion of Black Soldiers from the Medal of Honor in World War II PDF Author: Elliott V. Converse
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 147660732X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 209

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Book Description
The purpose of this study, commissioned by the Army, was to document the process by which the Congressional Medal of Honor was awarded from December 7, 1941, through September 1, 1948; to identify units in which African Americans served; to identify by name all black soldiers whose names were submitted for the medal and to document any errors in the processing of their nominations; and to compile a list of all black soldiers who received the Distinguished Service Cross, the second highest award. Based on this work, in January 1997 President Clinton awarded seven African Americans the Medal of Honor. The authors were selected by Shaw University of Raleigh, North Carolina, to conduct this study under a United States Army contract.

African Americans in the United States Army in World War II

African Americans in the United States Army in World War II PDF Author: Bryan D. Booker
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 0786491728
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 369

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Book Description
The political, economic and social landscapes of the United States in the early 1940s were split by one overriding factor--race. This book explores the ways this separation extended to the military forces and the impact segregation had on World War II. Beginning with an overview of African Americans and the military from the inception of the United States and a brief history of the African American role in World War I, the focus moves to between-the-wars movements such as the Protective Mobilization Plan promoting racial integration of the military. The main focus is the African American role in World War II and the stigma that remained despite their valor. Groups discussed include the Women's Army Corps; tank destroyers; separate infantry regiments such as the 24th, 65th, 364th, 366th and 372nd; and the 2nd cavalry. Also included is a list of African American World War II veterans belatedly (and mostly posthumously) awarded medals of honor on January 13, 1997.

Forgotten

Forgotten PDF Author: Linda Hervieux
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781445686615
Category : African American soldiers
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
The tale of an all-black battalion whose crucial contributions at D-Day have gone unrecognised to this day.

A More Unbending Battle: The Harlem Hellfighters' Struggle for Freedom in Wwi and Equality at Home

A More Unbending Battle: The Harlem Hellfighters' Struggle for Freedom in Wwi and Equality at Home PDF Author: Peter N. Nelson
Publisher: ReadHowYouWant.com
ISBN: 1458767280
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 454

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Book Description
The 369th Infantry Regiment was the first African American regiment mustered to fight in World War I. In a war where the vast majority of black soldiers served in the Service of Supply, unloading ships and building roads and railroads, the men of the 369th trained and fought side by side with the French at the front and ultimately spent more days in the trenches than any other American unit. They went toward in defense of a country afflicted by segregation, Jim Crow laws, lyn chings, and racial violence, but a country they believed in all the same. In A More Unbending Battle, journalist and author Peter Nelson chronicles the little-known story of the 369th. Recruited from all walks of Harlem life, the regiment fought alongside the French, since they were prohibited by Americas segregation policy from working together with white U.S. soldiers. Despite extraordinary odds, the 369th became one of the most successful and fear edregiments of the war. The Harlem Hell fighters, as their enemies named them, showed Extra ordinary valor on the battlefield, with many soldiers winning the Croix de Guerre and the Legion of Honor, and were the first Allied unit to reach the Rhine River. A riveting depiction of both social triumph and battlefield heroism, A More Unbending Battle is the thrilling story of the dauntless Harlem Hell fighters.

Choosing Courage

Choosing Courage PDF Author: Peter Collier
Publisher: Artisan Books
ISBN: 1579656609
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 241

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Book Description
How does an ordinary person become a hero? It happens in a split second, a moment of focus and clarity, when a choice is made. Here are the gripping accounts of Medal of Honor recipients who demonstrated guts and selflessness on the battlefield and confronted life-threatening danger to make a difference. There are the stories of George Sakato and Vernon Baker—both of whom overcame racial discrimination to enlist in the army during World War II (Sakato was a second-generation Japanese American, Baker an African American) and went on to prove that heroes come in all colors—and Clint Romesha, who led his outnumbered fellow soldiers against a determined enemy to prevent the Taliban from taking over a remote U.S. Army outpost in Afghanistan. Also included are civilians who have been honored by the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation for outstanding acts of bravery in crisis situations, from a school shooting to the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Adding depth and context are illuminating essays on the combat experience and its aftermath, covering topics such as overcoming fear; a mother mourning the loss of her son; and “surviving hell” as a prisoner of war.

Teaching with Documents

Teaching with Documents PDF Author: United States. National Archives and Records Administration
Publisher: Smithsonian Institution Press
ISBN:
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 254

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Book Description
Guide for social studies teachers in using primary sources, particularly those available from the National Archives, to teach history.

The Medal of Honor

The Medal of Honor PDF Author: The Editors of Boston Publishing Company
Publisher: Zenith Press
ISBN: 0760346240
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 307

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Book Description
A comprehensive history of America's highest award for military valor. The Medal of Honor chronicles the creation, evolution, and awarding of the Medal, from the battlefields of the Civil War to the jungles of Vietnam, through a wealth of illustrations and hundreds of authoritative, action-filled accounts of heroism in America's conflicts. This wonderfully detailed and beautifully designed history book puts the Medal and its recipients into the context of their times, with brief and accessible introductions explaining each war and conflict for which the Medal was awarded. It also includes photo essays, intriguing stories of the Medal's sometimes quirky personalities, effects on surviving recipients, and the Medal's preeminent place in the American story. Whether you're an avid reader on the history of the Medal of Honor or simply intrigued by its place in our history, you're certain to want to flip through the pages of The Medal of Honor again and again.

African American Recipients of the Medal of Honor

African American Recipients of the Medal of Honor PDF Author: Charles W. Hanna
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 078644911X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 200

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Book Description
The Medal of Honor, one of the world's most highly revered military decorations, has been awarded to 3,457 men and one woman since its inception on December 21, 1861. This honor is bestowed upon those individuals who demonstrate courage in a life-threatening situation, who put their own lives at risk for the sake of others, and who display valor above and beyond the call of duty. This text details the stories of the 88 African Americans who have been awarded the Medal of Honor. Each entry chronicles the acts of bravery and courage that led to the serviceman's receiving this honor. Beginning with a brief history of the Medal of Honor, the book is then divided into eight sections covering every major conflict from the Civil War through the Vietnam War. An appendix of the number of medals awarded by wars and campaigns, a bibliography, and an index are included.

African Americans and the Pacific War, 1941–1945

African Americans and the Pacific War, 1941–1945 PDF Author: Chris Dixon
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107112699
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 305

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Book Description
Dixon provides the first comprehensive study of African American military and social experiences during the Pacific War.