Celebrating Black Veterans

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 21:29:16 -0500

"Black Americans have been fighting to protect the freedom of all Americans, since our Nation’s founding. It bears repeating: for too long, too many Veterans who fought to protect our rights and freedoms have had to fight brutal battles here at home for their own rights and freedoms." At VA "those fights are over...those fights are over."
- Secretary Denis McDonough

VA is celebrating Black Veterans and encouraging all Veterans to tell their stories. Veterans are encouraged to visit (https://rly.pt/BlackHistoryMonth) to learn more or share their experiences with the Veterans History Project run by the Library of Congress (https://rly.pt/VeteransHistoryProject).

We invite you to attend:

» VA’s Center for Minority Veterans - Black History Month Program on February 1, 2024: Events Calendar - Center for Minority Veterans (https://rly.pt/CMVCalendar).

» Black History Month Virtual Outreach Symposium on February 8, 2024: Outreach and Events - Black History Month Virtual Outreach Symposium (https://rly.pt/BlackHistoryMonthOutreach).

With RallyPoint, we’ve previously partnered to answer Veteran questions in February 2023 with the VetXL: Minority Veterans Together event in honor of Black History Month. Some of the questions included:

“There is a great need for a panel to investigate the disparity in how disability cases are handled and awarded. There is a huge disparity between male and female ratings and between white and other races. So, if I am an AA female I am at the bottom. The state of Florida would be a good place to start.”

“I am African American disabled veteran residing in the state of Alabama. I and several other African American veterans in my state have been denied several times or delayed when trying to get disability benefits. I trained myself to do and help other veterans obtain disability benefits. I noticed that veterans that I help that are not African Americans get their benefits faster and with no problems. Some have not served any time other than training while on active duty. I truly understand systematic racism. My question is what can you or are you doing to help African American veterans in the southern states other than talk about the problems?”

What can we do, as a veteran community, to help promote these programs to minority veterans? How can we help?

We invite you to comment on these and the many more questions and feedback or ask new questions! Ask or comment here: VetXL: Minority Veterans Together Q&A (https://rly.pt/MinorityVetXLQA).

Get the benefits and services you’ve earned:

If you have any questions about how to access your VA benefits, please call us at 1-800-MyVA411 or visit us at VA.gov. You may also be interested in VA’s Center for Minority Veterans (https://rly.pt/VACMV).

Spread the word:

Please use these outreach kits to share Veteran resources with your networks.

The outreach kit includes flyers, social media graphics and suggested corresponding language, radio public service announcements (PSA), newsletter content and a sample blog post to help you spread the word.

» What can VA health care do for you? (https://rly.pt/VAHealthcareOutreachKit)
» What can VA disability compensation do for you? (https://rly.pt/VADisabilityCompensation)

Black History Month 2024

Response by CPL LaForest Gray made Jan 31 at 2024 9:44 PM

CPL LaForest Gray — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 21:44:21 -0500

V1 : https://youtu.be/Ds0YF3JQHtc?si=CU20zOc_O4qm9kU_

V2 : https://youtu.be/ox_rKFBooqo?si=uiv9yPRQAIX41NOl

1.) Fighting the Double Front: The Military Rights Movement of the World War II Era

On July 6, 1863, Frederick Douglass said, "Once let the black man get upon his person the brass letters US, let him get an eagle on his button, and a musket on his shoulder, and bullets in his pocket, and there is no power on earth or under the earth which can deny that he has earned the right of citizenship in the United States." '

For most of history, military service has been directly linked to citizenship and the rights that come with it.

Although African Americans have been involved in every American conflict since the Revolutionary War, they were particularly limited to support units because of the connection between fighting in military combat and civilian rights.

During the First World War, there was hope that honorable service of African Americans in Europe would help secure more rights in the military.

This would not be the case. African Americans learned during World War I that "you don't do your duty and hope for reward. You make your demand, strike your bargain, and then go fight."?

The Second World War would see active, organized resistance to the racial discrimination faced by those African Americans seeking to participate in the war effort.

While some historians have pointed to this time as the foundation of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, others have attributed this time to disillusionment and futile struggle, brushing aside words like "watershed" and "turning point" to place emphasis on the later Civil Rights Movement.

The Second World War would see active, organized resistance to the racial discrimination faced by those African Americans seeking to participate in the war effort.

While some historians have pointed to this time as the foundation of the Civil Rights Movement of the This view, however, fails to recognize the impact the World War II experience had on African American society, the U.S. military, and American society as a whole.

To view this time exclusively in the shadow of the larger, more overt movement of the 1960s is to take away the very tangible effect these efforts had. By changing the lens through which we view the struggle of African Americans in the World War Il Era, we can see it not as a lead in to the Civil Rights Movement but as a stand-alone conflict with strategic and organized efforts to change the African American's place in the military and war industries.

Though undoubtedly linked to later movements, this unnamed fight of the 1940s is not simply the prelude to a bigger, better story.

This struggle of the 1940s can be identified as a Military Rights Movement with its own agenda, tactics, and palpable results, including the integration of American troops by President Truman in the years immediately following the conflict.

SOURCE : https://openspaces.unk.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1024&context=undergraduate-research-journal

2.) Pvt. Booker T. Spicely
Location: Durham County, North Carolina
Age: 34
Year: 1944

Pvt. Booker T. Spicely, 34, was a U.S. Army private on active duty who was killed in Durham County, North Carolina, in 1944.

On July 8 1944, Spicely, originally from Philadelphia and serving at Camp Butner, boarded a bus and sat in the second-to-last row. When more white passengers boarded, the bus driver, Herman Lee Council, ordered Spicely to sit further back. Jim Crow seating segregation was still enforced in North Carolina at the time.
The private initially protested, but eventually moved to the rear of the vehicle.

Council was employed by the Duke Power Company, who owned and operated the local buses.

When Spicely got off the bus, Council shot him twice, alleging that Spicely had started an argument and advanced on him.
Military police brought Spicely to Watts Hospital, where on account of his race he was refused care; he later died at Duke Hospital.

Council was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. The Duke Power Company paid his $2,500 bail. Council was permitted to drive his bus until the trial.
At trial, an all-white jury acquitted him after only 28 minutes of deliberation. The power company continued to employ Council, but switched his route.

For more information, search CRRJ’s archive.

SOURCE : https://crrj.org/efforts/booker-spicely/

3.) HISTORY
Black soldier killed during Jim Crow era now honored with historical marker in N.C.

DECEMBER 13, 20235:11 AM ET
HEARD ON MORNING EDITION
FROM
AMERICAN HOMEFRONT PROJECT

In 1944, the city of Durham, N.C., was riveted by the killing of a Black soldier – and the trial of the white bus driver who shot him. The soldier is now being honored with a historical marker.

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

In 1944, the city of Durham, N.C., was riveted by the killing of a young Black soldier and the trial of the white bus driver accused of shooting him. Now a group of activists has revived that soldier's story, and the state has unveiled a historical marker on the place he was shot. WUNC's Jay Price reports.

JAY PRICE, BYLINE: Private Booker T. Spicely was a 34-year-old cook from Philadelphia. He was stationed at Camp Butner, not far from Durham.

It was a July Saturday, and he had come into the city on a weekend pass to spend time in Hayti, the thriving community that had become known as the Black Wall Street.

But when some white soldiers boarded a city bus he was riding, Spicely fell afoul of one of the most notorious of the Jim Crow laws enforcing racial segregation in the South.

SOURCE : https://www.npr.org/2023/12/13/ [login to see] /black-soldier-killed-during-jim-crow-era-now-honored-with-historical-marker-in-n

4.) Discovery About Lynchings: Military Veterans Often Were Targets

As they returned home from war, proud of their service, black veterans in the south often encountered suspicion, resentment, and - in some cases - brutal violence.

"The military has always enjoyed a kind of deference and respect and honor," he said.

"And it was hard to navigate that for white Southerners when they were dealing with black veterans coming back home."
And many white southerners were willing to use violence to suppress it.

Like the 1946 killing of J.C. Farmer of Nash County, N.C., who was shot by a mob after a law officer apparently attacked him for laughing at a bus stop.
Some white southerners even considered it a provocation if a black man wore his military uniform in public, Stevenson said.

"Many of them would be asked to take off their uniforms and walk home in their underwear, naked, in some optic of humiliation," he said. "And they would resist and there would be conflict, there would be violence.

"Victory at war, victory at home"

World War II in particular was a turning point for African Americans, in part because so many served. At the beginning of the war, there were fewer than 4,000 black troops. By the end, there were more than 1.2 million.
Many had enlisted in hopes of better lives, gaining more respect. Instead, they were viewed with suspicion and resentment upon their return.

During World War II, black leaders in the U.S. began promoting what they called the "Double V" campaign. One V represented victory over fascism in the war, while the second called for victory over racism at home.

"Victory at home meant getting the right to vote you go fight for your nation and come back home and you're not allowed to vote because of your color," Stevenson said.

But the right to vote wasn't one that many white Southerners wanted to yield, and that may have played a role in one of the more notorious lynchings of the post-World War II era -- one that amateur actors and activists now reenact annually in Georgia.

A veteran named George Dorsey was killed, along with his wife and another couple, near a bridge at a rural area called Moore's Ford. Their killings came in 1946, during the heated atmosphere of the first election after the U.S. Supreme Court blocked white-only primaries.

A leading candidate was campaigning on a pledge to prevent black voters from casting ballots in primaries.

The two couples were dragged from a car near a rural bridge and shot dozens of times.

The fact that Dorsey had served during the war likely contributed to the reasons he was killed -- and amplified the injustice, said Cassandra Greene, a minister who directed the reenactment.

"You go in another land, and you literally were risking your life for this country, and then you come back and you end up dead in a field, for what?" Greene said. "He was a vet, he served this nation, but it doesn't matter what we do, we are always second-class to a certain element of our country."

SOURCE : https://www.wunc.org/military/2018-09-24/a-shocking-discovery-about-lynchings-military-veterans-often-were-targets?_amp=true

A decisive moment for the civil rights movement

The Moore's Ford killings, as they are now called, were so horrific that they all but overshadowed another lynching of a veteran just days earlier and a few counties away.

The Ku Klux Klan had threatened violence against African Americans who dared to vote, but Maceo Snipes ignored the threats and became the first black voter in Taylor County, Ga.

A day later, four white men drove up to his house, called him out on the porch, and shot him after a brief altercation. Snipes lingered in the hospital for two days, but the doctor claimed not to have any "black blood" for transfusions.

When he died, many of his family members fled to Ohio. He was buried in an unmarked grave after the black undertaker received death threats.

For years, Snipes' great niece, Raynita Alexander, has collected records and stories from family members to illuminate his life and death.

She said stubbornness was a family trait, and that from all she has learned, she has no doubt that his service fighting in the Pacific in World War II affected his decision to vote.

"I think it made him say he had a right," she said. "I really think that's what went through his mind. 'Why would you keep me from voting if I served my country?'"

PVT. Booker T. Spicely's 1944 murder case revisited

Your source for breaking news and live streaming video online.https://abc11.com/murder-pvt-booker-t-spicely-durham-racial-violence-white-bus-driver/13811229/...

Response by CPL LaForest Gray made Jan 31 at 2024 9:46 PM

CPL LaForest Gray — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 21:46:42 -0500

1.) LIBRARY
LIBRARY
OF CONGRESS
RESEARCH GUIDES

American Minority Groups in the Vietnam War: A Resource
Guide

American minority groups served in all branches of the military during the Vietnam War. This guide comprises Library of Congress digital resources and print materials related to the topic.

SOURCE : https://guides.loc.gov/racial-ethnic-and-religious-minorities-in-the-vietnam-war

2.) Serving without 'equal opportunity': Vietnam veterans faced racism at home and abroad

During the civil rights movement, Ohio veterans Joseph Jennings and Edward Morast risked their lives for a country that denied them basic freedoms.

SOURCE : https://www.dispatch.com/in-depth/news/2020/12/03/black-vietnam-veterans-systemic-racism-military/ [login to see] /

Research Guides: Racial, Ethnic, and Religious Minorities in the Vietnam War: A Resource Guide:...

American minority groups served in all branches of the military during the Vietnam War. This guide comprises Library of Congress digital resources and print materials related to the topic. American minority groups served in all branches of the military during the Vietnam War. This guide comprises Library of Congress digital resources and print materials related to the topic.

Response by CPL LaForest Gray made Jan 31 at 2024 9:52 PM

CPL LaForest Gray — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 21:52:48 -0500

Response by CPL LaForest Gray made Jan 31 at 2024 10:00 PM

CPL LaForest Gray — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 22:00:11 -0500

Keeping in mind that these MEN/these FOLLOW UNITED STATES OF AMERICA CITIZENS/SOLDIERS that were lynched during on-going Jim Crow Laws that the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT both supported and enforced against ALL Black Americans still wanted to serve and defend the USA.

Yet White TRAITORS/White Domestic Terrorist both Active Duty & Former Military Personnel … that have murdered or caused the deaths of others … wasn’t hung/lynched.

All (3) of my Grandfathers served HONORABLE in the Army under these type of conditions from WAR II/Korea War. They shared their experiences with me.

Uncles :
(1) Marines * Vietnam Wars
(1) Navy * Vietnam War
(4) Army (2) * Vietnam War

None of the 3 of my Grandfathers wanted me to join the “white man army”, not because they didn’t enjoy the military … they didn’t enjoy the racist and racism during their service and didn’t want myself to experience it.

Yet here I am.
——————————————
The little-known mass hanging of black soldiers in Texas in 1917
Mildred Europa Taylor March 22, 2019 at 06:22 am

SOURCE :

https://face2faceafrica.com/article/the-little-known-mass-hanging-of-black-soldiers-in-texas-in-1917

A lynching kept out of sight

Pvt. Felix Hall died in the only known murder of its kind on a U.S. military base. How hard did the government try to find his killers?

Story by Alexa Mills
Published on September 2, 2016

SOURCE :

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/national/2016/09/02/the-story-of-the-only-known-lynching-on-a-u-s-military-base/

Remembering the black soldiers executed after Houston's 1917 race riot
February 01, 2018 · 4:00 PM EST
By James Jeffrey

SOURCE :

https://www.pri.org/stories/2018-02-01/remembering-black-soldiers-executed-after-houstons-1917-race-riot

*** Lynching has ALWAYS been a special message sent.

CENTER FOR CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS: LYNCHING POSTCARDS OF INHUMANITY EXHIBIT: JANUARY, 2011

https://kathmanduk2.wordpress.com/2008/12/24/center-for-civil-and-human-rights-lynching-postcards-of-inhumanity-exhibit-january-2011/

NSFW: AMERICAN TERRORISM … LYNCHING POSTCARDS : In
the past century on American soil – the estimated 3,436 lynchings of black American men and women between 1882 and 1950

https://cvltnation.com/nsfw-american-terrorism-lynching-postcards/

http://www.cvltnation.com/nsfw-american-terrorism-lynching-postcards/

https://www.amazon.com/Without-Sanctuary-Lynching-Photography-America/dp/ [login to see]

http://www.gettyimages.com/photos/lynching?excludenudity=true&sort=mostpopular&mediatype=photography&phrase=lynching

http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/projects/2001/06/lynching/page1.shtml

The little-known mass hanging of black soldiers in Texas in 1917 -

The little-known mass hanging of black soldiers in Texas in 1917.Thirteen black soldiers were secretly hanged at dawn at a military camp outside San Antonio

Response by CPL LaForest Gray made Jan 31 at 2024 11:03 PM

CPL LaForest Gray — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 23:03:51 -0500

Leading abolitionist Frederick Douglass famously wrote,

“Once let the black man get upon his person the brass letter, U.S., let him get an eagle on his button, and a musket on his shoulder and bullets in his pocket, there is no power on earth that can deny he has earned the right to citizenship.”

U.S. Army Veteran
12 1/2 years Honorable Service ODS Vet : Support Garrison OEF/OIF Vet : Deployed to Theatre
No Political Affiliation

Response by CPL LaForest Gray made Feb 1 at 2024 6:25 AM

CPL LaForest Gray — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 06:25:14 -0500

#Neverforget

1.) Fort Pillow Massacre

Fort Pillow Massacre: Background

In 1861, the Confederates constructed a military installation at the Fort Pillow site and named it for General Gideon Johnson Pillow (1806-78), a Tennessee native. Fort Pillow overlooked the Mississippi River and was an important part of the Confederate river defense system before it was captured by federal forces in the summer of 1862.

Despite the ferocity of the attack, Fort Pillow was of little significance to the Confederate Army, and Nathan Bedford Forrest's troops abandoned it within hours of the massacre.
In March 1864, Confederate Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest (1821-77) launched a cavalry raid in western Tennessee and Kentucky that was aimed at destroying Union supply lines and capturing federal prisoners. In early April, he determined to move on Fort Pillow, located 40 miles north of Memphis. At the time, Fort Pillow was being held by a garrison of around 600 men, approximately half of whom were Black soldiers.

Fort Pillow Massacre: April 12, 1864

Union survivors’ accounts, later supported by a federal investigation, concluded that African-American troops were massacred by Forrest’s men after surrendering. Southern accounts disputed these findings.

Forrest, himself, claimed that he and his troops had done nothing wrong and that the Union men were killed because Bradford had refused to surrender. Controversy over the battle continues today.

The Fort Pillow site is now a Tennessee state park.

SOURCE : https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/fort-pillow-massacre

2.) Fort Pillow Massacre
American Civil War

Fort Pillow Massacre, Confederate slaughter of African American Federal troops stationed at Fort Pillow, Tennessee, on April 12, 1864, during the American Civil War. The action stemmed from Southern outrage at the North’s use of Black soldiers. From the beginning of hostilities, the Confederate leadership was faced with the question of whether to treat Black soldiers captured in battle as slaves in insurrection or, as the Union insisted, as prisoners of war.

SOURCE : https://www.britannica.com/event/Fort-Pillow-Massacre

3.) At Fort Pillow, Confederates Massacred Black Soldiers After They Surrendered

Targeted even when unarmed, around 70 percent of the Black Union troops who fought in the 1864 battle died as a result of the clash

Erin L. Thompson
Author, Smashing Statues: The Rise and Fall of American Monuments
April 10, 2023

SOURCE : https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/at-fort-pillow-confederates-massacred-black-soldiers-after-they-surrendered-180981952/

Fort Pillow Massacre: Facts, Deaths & Significance | HISTORY

The Fort Pillow Massacre in Tennessee on April 12, 1864, in which some 300 African-American soldiers were killed, was one of the most controversial events of the American Civil War. Though most of the Union garrison surrendered, and thus should have been taken as prisoners of war, the soldiers were gunned down by Confederate forces.

Response by CPL LaForest Gray made Feb 1 at 2024 6:35 AM

CPL LaForest Gray — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 06:35:58 -0500

https://youtube.com/watch?v=TvSgUXStGJ8&feature=share

1.) How the GI Bill's Promise Was Denied to a Million Black WWII Veterans
Erin BlakemoreApr 20, 2021

SOURCE :

https://www.history.com/news/gi-bill-black-wwii-veterans-benefits

2.) After the War: Blacks and the G.I. Bill

SOURCE :

https://americanexperience.si.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/After-the-War-Blacks-and-the-GI-Bill.pdf

3.) 1945 Black veterans return from World War II

In many ways returned Black World War II veterans changed the climate of the South by taking up the deliberate and concerted work of dismantling white supremacy. On July 2, 1946, for example, twenty-one-year-old Medgar Evers, his brother Charles, and four other Black World War II veterans, went to the courthouse in Decatur, Mississippi to vote. They had been the first Black people there to attempt to register to vote since Reconstruction. The six veterans had returned home after fighting for democracy in France and England to find that they were still only second-class citizens.

When they arrived at the courthouse that election day, fifteen to twenty armed white men were waiting for them. So, Evers and his comrades went home to get their guns. The mob was still waiting when they returned to the courthouse, and the six veterans decided not to fight or vote that day. But that wasn’t the end. Both Medgar and his brother would go on to become important leaders in Mississippi’s Freedom Movement, Medgar especially, providing crucial support to SNCC and CORE.

While the United States denounced Hitler’s ideas of Aryan “supremacy” in Europe, U.S. hypocrisy was exposed to Black servicemen and Black civilians alike because Black people remained second-class citizens in the military and at home. Across the country, Black Americans adopted the “Double V” campaign, demanding victory abroad against fascism and victory at home over white supremacy.

SOURCE :

https://snccdigital.org/events/black-veterans-return-from-world-war-ii/

*** this a repost from myself, because people are tooooo comfortable with the status quo ***

He Risked His Life Filming This Mississippi Senator's Plantation In 1964

I have kept this kinescope in my archive since it was recorded by a colleague of mine in 1964. He had the guts to go on to the Senator James Eastland plantat...

Response by CPL LaForest Gray made Feb 1 at 2024 6:50 AM

CPL LaForest Gray — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 06:50:50 -0500

V1 : https://youtu.be/ppjipVpGCAU?si=JnVJxaV3KsW1vvqx

V2 : https://youtu.be/4KKKihonyZg?si=od7UWLduRucqKi8C

1.) African Americans Fought for Freedom at Home and Abroad during World War II

In the face of racism and segregation, Black men and women served in every branch of the armed services during World War II.

SOURCE : https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/african-americans-fought-freedom-home-and-abroad-during-world-war-ii#:~:text=The%20Army%2C%20Navy%2C%20and%20Marine,South%20to%20command%20Black%20infantrymen.

2.) African American Service and Racial Integration in the U.S. Military

Though full integration of the U.S. military was not established until the middle of the 20th century, African Americans have served in American conflicts since before the United States was a free nation. Over time, the presence of black soldiers, sailors, regiments, and squadrons would grow until the value and importance of African American servicemen and women could no longer be ignored by leaders bent on resisting change.

Formal African American service in the American military dates from the Revolutionary War. Many freemen and some slaves already served in Northern colonial militias to protect their homes during conflicts with indigenous tribes. The service numbers rose in 1770 in response to the death of Crispus Attucks, an African American believed to be the first casualty at the Boston Massacre. While George Washington was initially reluctant to recruit black soldiers, military necessity later made him relent.

The most prominent African American soldiers in the American Revolution served in the 1st Rhode Island Regiment, which recruited enough black and Native American soldiers to form more than half of its 225-man total. It was the only regiment in the Continental Army to have segregated units. The 1st Rhode Island Regiment had its most noteworthy action protecting the Colonial withdrawal from Aquidneck Island during the Battle of Rhode Island (August 1778).

Southern colonies, fearing that arming slaves would lead to revolts, opposed the use of slaves in Patriot militia, though some would serve in isolated instances. The British, however, recruited heavily from the South, promising freedom to any slave who fought for the Loyalist cause. Consequently, while an estimated 9,000 black soldiers and sailors fought for the Continental Army, nearly 20,000 fought for the British.

After the Revolutionary War, African Americans were pushed out of military service. The Federal Militia Acts of 1792 specifically prohibited black service in the U.S. Army. As a result, few African Americans participated on the side of the United States during the War of 1812. Only Louisiana was allowed to have separate black militia units in that conflict. Due to a manpower shortage, the U.S. Navy accepted free black recruits in that conflict, making up 15% to 20% of Navy manpower. Many slaves also served in the British Navy in anticipation of gaining their freedom.

SOURCE : https://www.army.mil/article-amp/243604/african_american_service_and_racial_integration_in_the_u_s_military

African American Units of WWII

Did you know the accomplishments of the Black Panthers during WWII?! Segregated units in WWII held some amazing accomplishments.

Response by CPL LaForest Gray made Feb 1 at 2024 7:54 AM

CPL LaForest Gray — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 07:54:06 -0500

V1 : https://youtu.be/8F6Mt_aPMGQ?si=A-UsolM7B7tTiX0F

1.) Executive Order 9981: Desegregation of the Armed Forces (1948)

On July 26, 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed this executive order banning segregation in the Armed Forces.

SOURCE : https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/executive-order-9981

2.) Executive Order 9981, Desegregating the Military
Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument

On July 26, 1948, President Harry Truman signed Executive Order 9981, creating the President’s Committee on Equality of Treatment and Opportunity in the Armed Services. The order mandated the desegregation of the U.S. military.

The first point in the executive order states “It is hereby declared to be the policy of the President that there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion or national origin. This policy shall be put into effect as rapidly as possible, having due regard to the time required to effectuate any necessary changes without impairing efficiency or morale.”

Truman’s order received pushback from politicians, generals, and friends, who opposed an integrated military. Truman wrote in response to his detractors, “I am asking for equality of opportunity for all human beings, and as long as I stay here, I am going to continue that fight.”

SOURCE : https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/executive-order-9981.htm

My forefathers had to fight in order to “FREELY” serve in the military. They were willing to risk their lives, swallow their PRIDE to “PROVE TO THE WHITE MAN” they belonged in America let alone the United States Military.

No the fluff historical FACTS aren’t their only stories.

#neverforget

* US Army Corps of Engineers
* U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters Website

Historical Vignette 011 - Former Chief Played a Part in Army Integration

Desegregation of the U.S. Army became policy when President Harry S. Truman signed Executive Order 9981 on 26 July 1948 stating, "There shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed forces without regard to race, color, religion, or national origin."

The order also established an advisory committee to examine the rules, practices, and procedures of the armed services and recommend ways to make desegregation a reality.

SOURCE : https://www.usace.army.mil/About/History/Historical-Vignettes/Women-Minorities/011-Army-Integration/

26th July 1948: Executive Order 9981 abolishes racial segregation in the US military

Although African-Americans had made significant contributions to the Armed Forces stretching back to the American Revolution, the uniformed military remained...

Response by CPL LaForest Gray made Feb 3 at 2024 6:03 AM

CPL LaForest Gray — Sat, 03 Feb 2024 06:03:28 -0500

Research Guides: Racial, Ethnic, and Religious Minorities in the Vietnam War: A Resource Guide:...

Response by CPL LaForest Gray made Feb 4 at 2024 10:16 AM

CPL LaForest Gray — Sun, 04 Feb 2024 10:16:01 -0500

To ALL RALLY POINT :

Integrity :

* INTEGRITY
Do what’s right, legally and morally. Integrity is a quality you develop by adhering to moral principles. It requires that you do and say nothing that deceives others. As your integrity grows, so does the trust others place in you. The more choices you make based on integrity, the more this highly prized value will affect your relationships with family and friends, and, finally, the fundamental acceptance of yourself.

https://youtu.be/bG6omxJJrw4

The Creed

* I am an American Soldier.
* I am a warrior and a member of a team.
* I serve the people of the United States and live the Army Values.
* I will always place the mission first.
* I will never accept defeat.
* I will never quit.
* I will never leave a fallen comrade.
* I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained, and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills.
* I always maintain my arms, my equipment, and myself.
* I am an expert and I am a professional.
* I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy, the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.
* I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.
* I am an American Soldier.

SOURCE : https://www.odu.edu/armyrotc/about/creed#:~:text=everything%20you%20do.-,Integrity,say%20nothing%20that%20deceives%20others.

Warrior Ethos

What is it'

The Army Warrior Ethos states, "I will always place the mission first, I will never accept defeat, I will never quit, and I will never leave a fallen comrade."

The Warrior Ethos is a set of principles by which every Soldier lives. In a broader sense, the Warrior Ethos is a way of life that applies to our personal and professional lives as well. It defines who we are and who we aspire to become.

SOURCE : https://www.army.mil/article/50082/warrior_ethos#:~:text=The%20Army%20Warrior%20Ethos%20states,by%20which%20every%20Soldier%20lives.

By only retailing the familiar comfortable stories of the ( “African Americans/Black People/Colored/Negro/The African/The Blacks/The Coloreds/The “N-Word”/Mulatto) soldier experience … you’ve left them behind and they are forgotten.

You disgrace their service and contribution by only telling the part of their experience and sacrifices that’s palpable for self-comfort.

My postings are not about shaming, it’s about accountability and growing from these FACTS.

It’s your platform

V/R

U.S. Army Veteran
12 1/2 years Honorable Service ODS Vet : Support Garrison OEF/OIF Vet : Deployed to Theatre
No Political Affiliation

American Serviceman Defends Muslim Worker

From the show "What Would You Do" an American soldier instinctively defends a Muslim deli worker being harassed.Jim On History Episodes: https://www.youtube....

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Feb 5 at 2024 10:27 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 22:27:56 -0500

It was said English military personnel were pissed at how the black Americans were treated by the US military.

Response by SGT Ruben Lozada made Feb 9 at 2024 2:59 PM

SGT Ruben Lozada — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 14:59:32 -0500

Good afternoon. Excellent post. Thank You for sharing this on RP. :-]

Response by CPL LaForest Gray made Feb 14 at 2024 6:32 AM

CPL LaForest Gray — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 06:32:57 -0500

#neverforget
#Thisain’t1919
#DoBetter

V1 : https://youtu.be/dQ-S7qH13bg?si=004Ut_WiOTFuLeuU

V2 : https://youtu.be/Q_1Zwm8N_vo?si=-X_VzrX2x3SxwrZF

V3 : https://youtu.be/8qI2cUkhGEY?si=Xag7qREGcjODTrPI

I.) Red Summer
The Race Riots of 1919

American servicemen returned from the First World War only to find a new type of violent conflict waiting for them at home. An outbreak of racial violence known as the “Red Summer” occurred in 1919, an event that affected at least 26 cities across the United States.

SOURCE : https://www.theworldwar.org/learn/about-wwi/red-summer

II.) Racial Violence and the Red Summer

The Red Summer was a pattern of white-on-black violence that occurred in 1919 throughout the United States. The post World War I period was marked by a spike in racial violence, much of it directed toward African American veterans returning from Europe, where they were often treated much better there than by white Americans, despite their brave service to the country.

* The bloodiest incident occurred in Elaine, Arkansas, where it is estimated that over 100 African Americans were killed

* The presence of racial hostility in the North was partly a reaction of Northern whites to the large influx of African Americans into Northern cities during the Great Migration, though this hostility did not prevent large numbers of African Americans from heading North.

SOURCE : https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/wwi/red-summer

III.) Red Summer of 1919: How Black WWI Vets Fought Back Against Racist Mobs

When dozens of brutal race riots erupted across the U.S. in the wake of World War I and the Great Migration, black veterans stepped up to defend their communities against white violence.

SOURCE : https://www.history.com/news/red-summer-1919-riots-chicago-dc-great-migration

BONUS :

The Deacons for Defense and Justice

The Deacons for Defense and Justice was founded in 1964 in Jonesboro, Louisiana to protect civil rights activists from the Ku Klux Klan. The organization was made up of black veterans from World War II, who believed in armed self-defense. About twenty chapters were created throughout Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.

The Deacons for Defense provided protection for people participating in protest marches in Mississippi in 1966, including the March Against Fear. Many of the records at the National Archives involving the Deacons for Defense are from the FBI Case Files on Civil Unrest.

SOURCE : https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/black-power/deacons

Red Summer | Voice of Freedom | American Experience | PBS

The summer of 1919 - Red Summer - is the crest of one of the most vicious years in American history. In Chicago, like many cities across the country, tension...

Response by Cpl George Matousek made Feb 16 at 2024 4:33 PM

Cpl George Matousek — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 16:33:49 -0500

Race should have nothing to do with VA benefits, he/she is a Vet. that is all that matters. Semper Fi

Response by SSG Bob Robertson made Feb 19 at 2024 1:18 PM

SSG Bob Robertson — Mon, 19 Feb 2024 13:18:31 -0500

There is no such thing as a white, black, brown, red, or any other kind of veteran. We are all brothers who served. This is just one more thing to KEEP us divided. Period. End of discussion.

Response by CPL LaForest Gray made Feb 20 at 2024 2:41 AM

CPL LaForest Gray — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 02:41:34 -0500

African American Units of WWII

Did you know the accomplishments of the Black Panthers during WWII?! Segregated units in WWII held some amazing accomplishments.

Response by CPL LaForest Gray made Feb 20 at 2024 2:46 AM

CPL LaForest Gray — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 02:46:30 -0500

tps://youtu.be/T0cgc3p--VU?si=kIKwAcOZroLwN-Ps

https://youtu.be/I4dBQ9mKu-g

1.) Veterans React to SCOTUS’ Affirmative Action Decision: ‘A Slap In the Face’

SOURCE : https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/supreme-court-affirmative-action-military-veterans-react [login to see] /amp/

2.) Military Academies Exempted from Supreme Court Ruling Ending Affirmative Action

However, the Court specifically exempted the military academies from its decision on race-based affirmative action. The majority opinion, written by Chief Justice John Roberts, said in a footnote that this policy would not impact how military service academies approached admissions, citing "distinct interests" those institutions have.

"The special nature of military academies and their interests was addressed in an important amicus brief filed in Grutter v. Bollinger almost 20 years ago," said Lawrence Friedman, JD, professor of law at New England Law Boston. "The Supreme Court's decision tacitly acknowledges that."

The Supreme Court's decision allows the academies to continue race-conscious admissions policies that have historically been justified by the need for a diverse officer corps. As of 2022 the Department of Defense’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion assessed that while 19% of the military’s enlisted personnel were Black, only 8% of its officers were Black.

"The military knows that if you don't get a diverse set of student leaders into commissioning sources, you don't get diverse officer leadership," said Daniel Walker, an Air Force Academy alum and former F-22 pilot. Currently a JD candidate at Harvard Law School, and a member of the Black Veterans Project, Walker said he believed that less diversity in leadership led to a weaker overall force.

Despite the service academy carve-out, the court's decision will still likely impact the officer corps: Military academies are not the only source for commissioning officers. The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) commissions over half of the military's officers in a particular year, according to a recent Government Accountability Office report.

Additionally, another quarter of the nation's officers commission via Officer Candidate School (OCS) -- some of whom have no prior qualification beyond a bachelor's degree from an accredited college.

SOURCE : https://www.military.com/daily-news/2023/06/29/military-academies-exempted-supreme-court-ruling-ending-affirmative-action.html/amp

3.) Your Military

Service academies exempt from Supreme Court affirmative action ruling

Thursday, Jun 29 2023

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in a footnote in the majority opinion, “No military academy is a party to these cases, however, and none of the courts below addressed the propriety of race-based admissions systems in that context.”

“This opinion also does not address the issue, in light of the potentially distinct interests that military academies may present.”

SOURCE : https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2023/06/29/service-academies-exempt-from-supreme-court-affirmative-action-ruling/

4.) SUPREME COURT

Published June 30, 2023 5:54pm EDT

Footnote in Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling excludes military academies

One expert told Fox News Digital the court 'punted' on the issue and will likely address it at a later date
By Andrew Mark Miller | Fox News

The Supreme Court’s decision Thursday striking down affirmative action in the college admission process included language that will exclude military academies from the ruling.

The majority opinion from Justice John Roberts came with a footnote explaining that military academies are not subject to the ruling because they were not involved in the prior cases that were eventually heard in the Supreme Court.

"The United States as amicus curiae contends that race-based admissions programs further compelling interests at our Nation’s military academies," the footnote said.

"No military academy is a party to these cases, however, and none of the courts below addressed the propriety of race-based admissions systems in that context. This opinion also does not address the issue, in light of the potentially distinct interests that military academies may present."

SOURCE : https://www.foxnews.com/politics/footnote-supreme-courts-affirmative-action-ruling-excludes-military-academies.amp

——-
——-

SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES
Syllabus
STUDENTS FOR FAIR ADMISSIONS, INC. v.
PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE
CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR
THE FIRST CIRCUIT
No. 20–1199. Argued October 31, 2022—Decided June 29, 2023*

Harvard College and the University of North Carolina (UNC) are two of
the oldest institutions of higher learning in the United States.

Every year, tens of thousands of students apply to each school; many fewer are admitted. Both Harvard and UNC employ a highly selective ad-missions process to make their decisions. Admission to each school can
depend on a student’s grades, recommendation letters, or extracurric-ular involvement. It can also depend on their race.

The question pre-sented is whether the admissions systems used by Harvard College and UNC are lawful under the Equal Protection Clause of the Four-
teenth Amendment.

SOURCE : https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/20-1199_hgdj.pdf

Affirmative action ban doesn't apply to military academies

The decision means military academies can continue using race as a factor in their admissions, even when traditional colleges and universities are now prohib...

Response by CPL LaForest Gray made Feb 20 at 2024 8:34 AM

CPL LaForest Gray — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 08:34:47 -0500

Patriotism Betrayed: How the U.S. Military Resegregated From 1913-1939

SOURCE : https://scholarcommons.scu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1270&context=historical-perspectives

V1 : https://youtu.be/5K_4sdRB3ZU?si=p0OVpxyuxzrvWTsW

V2 : https://youtu.be/SepPz7ODnKg?si=k-eObJJxFe8VUDNO

1.) Historical Perspectives: Santa Clara University Undergraduate
Historical Perspectives: Santa Clara University Undergraduate
Journal of History, Series II
Journal of History, Series II
Volume 26 Article 11
2021

Patriotism Betrayed: How the U.S. Military Resegregated From
Patriotism Betrayed: How the U.S. Military Resegregated From
1913-1939 1913-1939

From 1913 to 1939, segregation in the U.S. military grew steadily worse due to President Woodrow Wilson's racist policies, an influx of white officers commissioned during World War I who had no experience working with black soldiers, and white society's fear of black veterans. Popular narratives of racism and the fight against it often unfold as a steady linear progression that gets slowly better with time. However, there are many dispiriting cases in American history in which racial progress occurred, only to be rolled back, leaving things as bad as or worse than before. The imposition of Jim Crow following the collapse of Reconstruction is the best-known example. Sadly, the racial resegregation of the U.S. military during this period stands as another.

SOURCE : https://scholarcommons.scu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1270&context=historical-perspectives

2.) African-Americans and the Selective Service Act of 1917

With the entry of the United States into the Great War in 1917, African Americans were eager to show their patriotism in hopes of being recognized as full citizens. After the declaration of war, more than 20,000 blacks enlisted in the military, and the numbers increased when the Selective Service Act was enacted in May 1917. It was documented on July 5, 1917 that over 700,000 African Americans had registered for military service.

However, they were barred from the Marines and served only in menial roles in the Navy. Blacks were able to serve in all branches of the Army except for the aviation units.

The government made no provision for military training of black officers and soon created segregated training camps for that purpose. Disheartened, blacks protested against this discriminatory practice. Despite the outcry, Fort Des Moines in Iowa became one of the segregated camps and in October 1917 over 600 blacks were commissioned at the camp as captains and lieutenants.

SOURCE : https://history.delaware.gov/world-war-i/african-americans-ww1/#:~:text=After%20the%20declaration%20of%20war,had%20registered%20for%20military%20service.

3.) African-American Troops Fought to Fight in World War I

SOURCE : https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/1429624/african-american-troops-fought-to-fight-in-world-war-i/

———-

When was the US military segregated?

Because of this resistance to the Army's treatment of its black soldiers, military leadership began to attempt to address the issue beginning in 1943, but segregation in the armed forces remained official policy until 1948

SOURCE : https://www.gao.gov/blog/75-years-after-segregation-banned-military-dod-continues-its-efforts-combat-discrimination

“Woodrow Wilson was extremely racist — even by the standards of his time”

BLACK Soldiers/Human-beings were lynched in and out of uniform

viewcontent.cgi

Response by CPL LaForest Gray made Feb 29 at 2024 7:12 AM

CPL LaForest Gray — Thu, 29 Feb 2024 07:12:35 -0500

1.) Before Rosa Parks: Black veteran shot to death for refusing to sit in segregated section of bus in Durham

In 1944, Spicely, stationed at Camp Butner, boarded a Durham city bus operated by Duke Power Company. Spicely refused to sit in a segregated section of the bus and got off the bus at the intersection of West Club Boulevard and what is now Berkeley Street.

The white driver, Herman Lee Council, chased Spicely off the bus and shot him twice at close range in front of other passengers.

SOURCE : https://www.wral.com/amp/21161878/

2.) US military
US army overturns 1917 convictions of 110 Black soldiers charged with mutiny

Officials announced ceremony honoring the Buffalo Soldiers, 19 of whom were executed, to atone for Jim Crow-era racism

The US army is overturning the convictions of 110 Black soldiers – 19 of whom were executed – for a mutiny at a Houston military camp a century ago, an effort to atone for imposing harsh punishments linked to Jim Crow-era racism.

US army officials announced the historic reversal on Monday during a ceremony posthumously honoring the regiment known as the Buffalo Soldiers, who had been sent to Houston in 1917, during the first world war, to guard a military training facility.

Clashes arose between the regiment and white police officers and civilians and 19 people were killed.

The South Texas College of Law first requested the army look into the cases in October 2020 and again in December 2021. The army then received clemency petitions from retired general officers on behalf of the 110 soldiers.

SOURCE : https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/nov/14/us-army-buffalo-soldiers-mutiny-1917-overturned-jim-crow

3.) How the Police Shooting of a Black Soldier Triggered the 1943 Harlem Riots

When a rumor catapulted into an explosion of frustration and rage, a fabled Black neighborhood in Manhattan turned into a battleground.

SOURCE : https://www.history.com/news/harlem-riot-police-1943

4.) The Second Confiscation and Militia Act (1862)

The Second Confiscation and Militia Act of July 17, 1862, was the first step toward the enlistment of African Americans in the Union Army. It did not explicitly invite Black people to join the fight, but it did authorize the president “to employ as many persons of African descent as he may deem necessary and proper for the suppression of this rebellion…in such manner as he may judge best for the public welfare.”

Some Black people took this as their cue to begin forming infantry units of their own. African Americans from New Orleans formed three National Guard units: the First, Second and Third Louisiana Native Guard. (These became the 73rd, 74th and 75th United States Colored Infantry.) The First Kansas Colored Infantry (later the 79th United States Colored Infantry) fought in the October 1862 skirmish at Island Mound, Missouri. And the First South Carolina Infantry, African Descent (later the 33rd United States Colored Infantry) went on its first expedition in November 1862. These unofficial regiments were officially mustered into service in January 1863.

SOURCE : https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/black-civil-war-soldiers#confederate-threats

Before Rosa Parks: Black veteran shot to death for refusing to sit in segregated section of bus...

Before Rosa Parks, there was a veteran riding on a bus through Durham who took a stand against racist Jim Crow laws - but he did not survive his action.

Response by CPL LaForest Gray made Feb 29 at 2024 10:49 PM

CPL LaForest Gray — Thu, 29 Feb 2024 22:49:45 -0500

Response by CPL LaForest Gray made Mar 1 at 2024 7:46 PM

CPL LaForest Gray — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 19:46:38 -0500

V1 : https://youtu.be/RlO7kuQSpTs?si=Tr8ymESbTiBu-gFB

Army sets aside convictions of 110 Black Soldiers convicted in 1917 Houston Riots

By U.S. Army Public AffairsNovember 13, 2023

WASHINGTON — Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth has approved the recommendation of the Army Board for Correction of Military Records to set aside the courts-martial convictions of the 110 Black Soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment (also known as the Buffalo Soldiers), who were convicted following the World War I-era Houston Riots. The records of these Soldiers will be corrected, to the extent possible, to characterize their military service as honorable.

SOURCE : https://www.army.mil/article-amp/271614/army_sets_aside_convictions_of_110_black_soldiers_convicted_in_1917_houston_riots

Hard Habits For Ordinary Men Which Are Easy For Sigma Males

I am working on something and I need your help to answer some questions so email SIGMA Male to the mail down below. Thank youEMAIL: m7.media.info@gmail.comJo...

Response by 1SG Dean Mcbride (MPER) (CPHR) made Mar 2 at 2024 10:52 AM

1SG Dean Mcbride (MPER) (CPHR) — Sat, 02 Mar 2024 10:52:22 -0500

I may be a little late in posting this... However, Better Late Than Never!
Don't forget to celebrate, honor, and remember my good friend and Brother in Arms, Master Sergeant Melvin Hill. One of the finest soldiers I ever served with!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McQ8hzmJ3YU

Melvin Hill Tribute by Bonnie Cooper

SFC Hill as a member of MACV-SOG RT Florida made the first combat HALO jump in Army history 28 November 1970.Pictured with friends Cliff Newman, Jim "Wild Ca...

Response by CPL LaForest Gray made Mar 7 at 2024 9:10 AM

CPL LaForest Gray — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 09:10:37 -0500

Response by PFC David Higgins made Mar 8 at 2024 7:03 PM

PFC David Higgins — Fri, 08 Mar 2024 19:03:13 -0500

It has always amazed me that the Military is so willingly and
openly accepting ldentity Politics and so many are afraid to
challenge it. Whether it be Color, Race, Sex, or Religion, all are
irrelevant while in "UNIFORM." Just think of that word. Two root
words from Latin that ultimately means "ONE FORM" The only
things that should ever matter to any one in the Military is Duty,
Purpose, Courage, Honor, and Oath to God and
Brothers/Country. For ultimately a Country is your Kin, your
Family to one degree or another. Instead of these multiple
'adjectives" the Uniform and Common Standards for all,
irrespective of their origins, race, color, or gender, should be
uniting factors in pursuit of those goals above all else. It is a
shame that we have forgot the most important lessons of the
past, not just our Country's History, but those Republics before
us that we modeled ourselves after.

Response by CPL LaForest Gray made Mar 10 at 2024 2:04 PM

CPL LaForest Gray — Sun, 10 Mar 2024 14:04:36 -0400

V1 :

1.) The Original Airborne Rangers: The Legend of "The Buffalo Rangers"

FORT MOORE, GA, UNITED STATES
02.29.2024

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Jorden Weir
The 75th Ranger Regiment

Before the Ranger Creed existed …

Before the first Ranger Charter was ever thought of …

There existed Rangers: Rough men who stood up when their country needed them, who volunteered for the most dangerous missions, and who met their enemies eagerly and with ill-intent.

This is the story of one such group of men, the legendary Buffalo Rangers, the U.S. Army's first and only all-black Ranger Company.

This is the story of one such group of men, the legendary Buffalo Rangers, the U.S. Army's first and only all-black Ranger Company.

“These gentlemen led the way,” said Capt. Tyree Meadows, a Ranger with the 75th Ranger Regiment’s Military Intelligence Battalion, “Not only for integration for the Ranger Regiment, but also for the Army.”

2nd Ranger Company was only activated for 11 months, from 1950-1951, yet from their first combat action near Tanyang in early January 1951 to the first airborne operation in Ranger History, Operation TOMAHAWK, the effects of their audacity, valor, and heroism in the midst of hellish wartime conditions have rippled across the years and played a pivotal role in shaping the identity of the 75th Ranger Regiment for all time.

SOURCE : https://www.dvidshub.net/news/465045/original-airborne-rangers-legend-buffalo-rangers

2.) RANGERS HISTORY
The 2nd Ranger Infantry Company
“Buffaloes” in Korea, 29 Dec 1950 - 19 May 1951

SOURCE : https://arsof-history.org/articles/v6n2_buffaloes_in_korea_page_1.html

The Original Airborne Rangers: The Legend of "The Buffalo Rangers"

Before the Ranger Creed existed … Before the first Ranger Charter was ever thought of … There existed Rangers: Rough men who stood up when their country needed them, who volunteered for the most dangerous missions, and who met their enemies eagerly and with ill-intent. This is the story of one such group of men, the legendary Buffalo Rangers, the U.S. Army's first and only all-black Ranger Company.