According to the NAACP, in 1976 scholar Carter G. Woodson’s dedication to celebrating the historic contributions of Black people cultivated into and established Black History Month. Since then, we have recognized February as Black History Month or United Black World Month. ASALH explains that we use this time to recognize and honor the greatest moments and accomplishments of African-Americans.
Black History Month should be an educational opportunity for everyone. Throughout February, there are many opportunities to learn about the resilience stories of African-Americans. This week, our blog post is dedicated to learning about significant African-American military servicemen and servicewomen.
The US Army reports that Black Americans have made sacrifices in every conflict of our nation’s history, having more than 245 years of honorable service. Despite facing great adversity, America has never fought a war without Black Americans. Here are just a few of the honorable African-Americans that have fought for our country, all of which have been identified by USO.
Oleta Crain
https://www.denverpost.com/2007/11/21/retired-army-major-fought-lived-through-bias/
Three hundred women entered officer training during World War II, but only three of them were Black. Olera Crain was one of those three, and following the war she was the only Black female officer to be retained by the entire U.S. Military.
Crain’s career was marked by honorable service while also battling racism and segregation. She completed tours in Alaska, England, and Germany while fighting for civil rights in military training. While she served, Crain brought attention to racial segregation and discrimination in the military. She retired as a respected Army major. However, she continued to fight for civil rights, more specifically for Black women.
Henry Johnson
https://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/johnson/
Pvt. Henry Johnson was a part of the 369th Infantry Regiment, known as the “Harlem Hellfighters.” The 369th Infantry regiment was an all-African American unit in World War I known for seeing more combat than all other U.S. outfits and having a world-famous ragtime band.
President Theodore Roosevelt described Johnson as one of the “five bravest Americans” who served in the entire war. Johnson single-handedly fought off more than 20 Germans and saved a fellow soldier from capture, accomplishing both while injured. In 2015, Johnson was awarded with the U.S. Medal of Honor.
Lawrence Joel
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/lawrence-joel-earns-medal-of-honor
Sgt. 1st Class Lawrence Joel was a member of the 173rd Airborne Brigade during the Vietnam War. Joel is known for the immense courage he showed while against the outnumbered odds during the Vietnam War.
Despite being shot in the thigh and calf when his battalion was ambushed by Viet Cong, Joel was determined to fulfill his duties as medic by attending to the wounded on the battlefield while they were under direct fire. After running out of supplies, Joel persevered throughout the 24-hour battle by using improvised materials in order to save lives.
Joel was presented with the SIlver Star and the Medal of Honor. He was the first medic to receive the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War. Additionally, he was the first living African-American to receive it since the Spanish-American War.
Melvin Morris
https://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/valor24/recipients/morris/?f=recipient_list
Staff Sgt. Melvin Morris went above and beyond the call of duty during the Vietnam War. While leading an advance across military lines to recover the body of a fallen soldier, Morris was shot three times but still managed to destroy four enemy bunkers.
In 1961, Morris became one of the first green berets and was awarded the medal of honor in 2014.
Mary Ehiarinmwian
https://www.uso.org/stories/2923-meet-the-2020-uso-service-members-of-the-year
In 2019, U.S. Army Sgt. Mary Ehiarinmwian was on her way to PT at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii when the car in front of her lost control and ended upside down on a steel property gate. Ehiarinmwian assessed the situation, and managed to remove the driver from the vehicle to safety.
For her bravery, Ehiarinmwian was recognized as the USO Soldier of the Year in 2020. Ehiarinmwian explained that there is no “off-duty” for service members, and she proved so by putting herself in the way of danger to save another life.
For more information on Black History Month, visit: https://asalh.org/about-us/about-black-history-month/
To learn of more moments of bravery in African American military history, visit: https://www.uso.org/stories/2308-bravery-in-african-american-military-history