Experts to Review Whether Racism Robbed WWI Troops of the Medal of Honor

SSG Warren Swan, you are correct. This has been mulled over time and time and again. This panel is simply trying to see if they have missed anything from before (no secret here) and likely will find something untoward. The likelihood that they will find heroes is great, and they will pay themselves on the back for finding the oversight. This is usually a political move from both parties in the hope of garnering votes.

Another false premise:
"But a much more thorough, unbiased, comprehensive and systematic review of valor medals, especially the Medal of Honor, for African-American troops is necessary, Sammons said. Park University students have already begun work on the project, which is also likely to uncover instances of other minority groups not getting the recognition they deserved on the battlefield, Westcott said.
"Our initial group will be African-Americans because the segregation of the units is fully documented," he said. "But there will be other groups we will look at ... likely including Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Jewish Americans and Asian Americans.""

I'm sorry, but the grunt work on this has already been done:
* Historical Overview of Racism in the Military
Special Series Pamphlet 02-1 , February 2002
Captain Schuyler C. Webb, Medical Service Corps, U.S. Navy and William J. Herrmann Master Sergeant, U.S. Army (Retired) co-authored this publication on behalf of the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute (DEOMI). They conducted the necessary research to prepare this report. The Institute thanks Captain Webb and Mr. Herrmann for their contributions to the research efforts of DEOMI.

Extract -
World War I (1914-1918)

It is uncertain how many Hispanics (or Latinos) served in U.S. Forces during World War I. Their skin color would determine which unit they would serve in, whether it was a so-called Colored or White unit. During this time, the military began categorizing military members as White, Black, or other (this policy would continue until 1972). Many were found to have insufficient skill in English to complete basic training. Once identified, the men were separated into language groups and the training then progressed in the native tongue of the draftees. This training, then known as the Camp Gordon Plan, did not start until the war was nearing the end. Because of a lengthy training schedule, few Hispanics experienced combat. However, information from scattered records revealed Hispanic Americans did fight in World War I. Marcelino Serna’s record showed he enlisted in the Army and fought in the front-line trenches of France. After distinguishing himself repeatedly and on one occasion that made him seemingly eligible for the Medal of Honor, a White officer told him that to be so honored one had to be of a higher rank than a buck private. In addition, Serna was told he could not be advanced to a higher grade because he could not read or write English well enough to sign reports. (13:24-25)

Filipinos, who enlisted in the Navy during this time, found that their enlistment made them exclusively stewards. The steward mate rating took in cooks, waiters, pantryman, dishwashers, custodians, bedmakers, and valets. They did this without the benefit of American citizenship. They were required to serve three years in the Navy to earn U.S. citizenship. This requirement would be established as law in 1925. (7:82-87)

Although they were still not considered American citizens and were not subject to conscription, more than 17,000 Native Americans fought in this war. However, 6,509 were drafted even without conscription. They would not receive any veteran benefits until 1924, when they were declared citizens. The ruling on citizenship was in large measure a reaction of gratitude to the large number of Native Americans who fought during World War I, yet paternalism, discrimination, and exploitation were still commonplace in the military. (12:48)

Common stereotypes of this period depicted Native Americans as instinctive soldiers possessing inherent martial qualities, as having a good sense of direction and orientation, stealth of movement, and as bloodthirsty warriors eager to fight. In addition, it was believed that Native Americans liked the excitement of patrols and raids, and their skin did not reflect moonlight or the glare of flares at night. In this war and wars to come, Native Americans were often placed in inordinately dangerous positions and resulted in fatal consequences. (5:104-105)