World War II: A Black American soldier’s journal
The information on the Death Notice was spare and emotionless. “Theodore Roosevelt ‘Wheeler’ Wilson, age 81 of Mount Vernon, Indiana. Carpenter, WWII veteran. Death by drowning Dec. 3, 1986.” There…
‘The Red Ball Express’ kept the Allies supplied and armed after the D-Day breakout
After storming the beaches of Normandy and fighting through the hedgerows of the French countryside, the Allied forces invading Nazi-occupied Europe came across one problem they hadn’t anticipated: outrunning their…
Colonel Young rode 450 miles to get a new Army rank. Here’s why.
By the time of his death, Col. Charles Young boasted an incredible military career. He was one of just three African-American officers to graduate from West Point. He led troops on the western frontier, became one of the first-ever U.S. military att…
These 8 Black-American heroes received Medals of Honor decades later
While Black-Americans have been helping America win wars since the Revolutionary War, they have not historically been recognized for their heroism at the same rate as their white counterparts.
These…
These were America’s first African-American paratroopers
During World War II a company of service soldiers became the world’s first black paratroopers and then made history as smokejumpers.
The Army’s first black female three-star grew up an orphan
Two months ago Nadja Y. West became the Army’s first black surgeon general, and on Feb. 9 she will be promoted to lieutenant general, the first female U.S. Military Academy graduate as well as the first African-American woman to hold that ran…
Naval Academy’s first Black female commander makes history
As the undergraduate college of our country’s naval service, the Naval Academy prepares young men and women to become professional officers of competence, character, and compassion in the US. Navy…
This is the first African American to earn the Medal of Honor
Born as a slave in February of 1840, William Carney’s father managed to escape and make his way north via the Underground Railroad, ultimately earning the funds to purchase his wife and son’s freedom.
The family moved to Massachusetts, …
This African American Green Beret battled communists and racism in Vietnam
Colonel Paris Davis is one of the first Black officers to earn the coveted Green Beret of U.S. Special Forces. In the 1960s, America underwent the trials of the civil…
‘You get shot in combat, you bleed red blood’ – vet shares message of unity
On Feb. 28, 2021, during the NHL Florida Panthers’ Black History Night home game event at BB&T Center, the team honored local war hero Sergeant Willie Brinson, a decorated Vietnam…