In God We Trust
These men served in Korea and throughout the world during the Korean War.
Adams was one of three Black-American soldiers who chose not to return to the United States after the active war in Korea ended. He returned to the States in 1966 and died in 1999. He authored the book, An American Dream: The Life of an African-American Soldier and POW Who Spent 12 Years in Communist China.
"Born in Florida in 1929, John Edward Allen joined the U.S. Army Air Corps after graduating from high school. Allen served from 1945-1946 and trained at Tuskegee with the 332nd Fighter Wing. Master Sergeant Allen reenlisted in 1946 and remained in the air force during the Korean and Vietnam conflicts until retiring in 1982. He received the Air Force Commendation Medal for helping de-arm two dozen 500-pound bombs dropped from the wing of a B-52 bomber being prepared for a mission. As a civilian, Allen worked until 2000 in the Weapons Services Division at Kirtland Air Force Base, NM. A recognized community leader, he helped found the General Lloyd W. "Fig" Newton Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen. Allen received the Congressional Gold Medal for service as a Tuskegee Airman. He died July 30, 2013, and is buried at Santa Fe National Cemetery (Section 24, Grave 560)." [Source: www.cem.va.gov]
Born in Plainview, Georgia on November 13, 1930, Andrews was a figural painter in the expressionist style. He attended Fort Valley College, a black state college in Georgia, to study media. He dropped out to join the Air Force, serving from 1950 to July 1954. He trained in Texas and served in Korea as a Staff Sergeant. On the G.I. Bill he attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His first solo art show was in 1960. He received the John Hay Whitney Fellowship in 1965 and taught art in colleges and universities thereafter. From 1982 to 1984 he was the Director of Visual Arts for the National Endowment for the Arts. He died November 10, 2006.
1st black player (began as short stop; moved to first base in 1962) on the Chicago Cubs baseball team (September 8, 1953) . Born January 31, 1931 in Dallas, Texas, Banks began his baseball career with the Kansas City Monarchs (Negro American League) in 1950. He served two years in the US Army and then was traded to the Chicago Cubs. He was a major league ball player from 1953 to 1971. Awards include: National League "Most Valuable Player" - 1958, 1959, led National League in Home Runs - 1958, 1960, led National League in RBIs - 1958, 1959, All Star - 1955-1962, 1965, 1967, 1969, Golden Glove Award - 1960, and National Baseball Hall of Fame Inductee - 1977.
Born Everett LeRoi Jones, Baraka was a highly controversial and revolutionary writer of poetry, fiction, drama, essays and music critics. His 52-year writing career was filled with one controversy after another associated with the Black Arts Movement and his beliefs about communism, Marxism, black liberation, white racism and more. He was born in Newark, New Jersey on October 7, 1937 and died January 9, 2014. He noted that one of his first encounters with racism occurred while he was serving in the US Air Force. He joined as a gunner in 1954 and was stationed at the base library in Puerto Rico when he was accused of communism by a white officer and received a dishonorable discharge.
Blackwell was born in Whitsett, Pennsylvania on August 1, 1931. He was a longshoreman before being drafted into the Army. He served his country from 1953 to 1954, and was a boxing champion during his military stint. After leaving the Army he returned to the Philadelphia waterfront and from 1973-1991 he was president of Local 1332, International Longshoreman's Association of AFL-CIO. Not only was he a powerful union leader, he was also chairman of Philadelphia Gas Works. From 1973 to 1975 he served in the Pennsylvania legislature. For 16 years he was on the Philadelphia City Council. He served in the US House of Representatives as a Democrat from 1991-1995. He was also president of the United Negro College Fund. Lucien Blackwell died January 24, 2003, in Philadelphia.
Charles C. Bookert graduated from Meharry Medical School in 1945. He spent two years at Harlem Hospital and became a medical officer during the Korean War. He came to Pittsburgh in 1955 after leaving the military and served on the medical staff in McKeesport Hospitals Family Practice Department. Dr. Bookert was the only doctor from Pittsburgh and one of two from the state of Pennsylvania that ever attained the national office of President of the National Medical Association (NMA). He served as President of the NMA in 1977.
Steward Third Class Bracey was one of only three Black-Americans veterans who lost their lives on the nuclear submarine USS Thresher on April 10, 1963. Born December 18, 1919 in Mississippi, he enlisted in the Navy in October of 1942. He served in World War II and was also a Korean War veteran. He was the oldest uniformed crewman aboard the Thresher when she sank during a deep-diving test some 200 miles off the coast of New England. He was an ordained deacon of the People's Baptist Church of Portsmouth and a 32nd degree Mason of D.G. Lett Lodge. He was survived by his wife Letha Reed Bracey (1917-2010) and his eight children: Norris, Charles, Robert, Michael, Mary Alice, Carol, Georgia and Patricia.
Brewer was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, and grew up in Centralia, Illinois, raised by his uncle and aunt after his father's death. He was a veteran of the US Army and served in World War II and the Korean War. He was part of the Army that took Saipan from the Japanese in World War II, and he participated in a baseball league that began there. Born in 1923, Brewer died in 2003.
This legendary blues singer and recording artist is known by his stage name, Bobby "Blue" Bland. He was born in Tennessee on January 27, 1930 and died June 23, 2013. Bland recorded for Duke Records, Modern, Sun, ABC, MCA and Malaco record labels. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, the Memphis Music Hall of Fame in 2012, and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997. He served in the Army in 1953-54 and during his military service he performed in a band with Eddie Fisher.
Born on June 30, 1924 in Cayce, South Carolina, Sgt. Maj. Brown served in the U.S. Army for 30 years before retiring in 1973. He served in the US Army Corps of Engineers in Europe during World War II; 14-month combat tourn in Korea with the 77th Engineer Combat Company--the last segregated combat unit in the U.S. Army; Germany; Vietnam, and then five years as Administration Specialist at Ft. Hood.
"Earl Brown began military flying at the dawn of the jet age. Born in the Bronx, New York, he grew up in Englewood, New Jersey. He first dreamed of being a pilot after reading about the "Tuskegee Airmen" in two major black weekly newspapers he delivered after school. His uncle arranged an airplane ride for him at a nearby airport, but Brown soon realized he couldn't afford flying lessons and opted for pre-medical studies at Pennsylvania State University. He graduated in 1949, and after the Korean War started, Brown entered the U.S. Air Force Aviation Cadet Program in late 1950. First he learned to fly the North American T-6 Texan and then the North American F-51 Mustang. He completed pilot training at Craig AFB, Alabama, in December 1951 as a distinguished graduate and received his wings and commission. Next, Brown went to Williams AFB, Arizona, for jet transition in the Lockheed T-33 "T-Bird" and F-80 Shooting Star. During this tour, Brown met Major Woodrow " Woody" Crockett, a Tuskegee Airman who became his role model, mentor, and lifelong friend. Brown went on to Nellis AFB, Nevada, where he learned the art of combat flying in the F-80 and the North American F-86 Sabre. With only eight weeks of training and 103 jet hours under his belt, Brown departed for Kimpo AB, Korea, in April 1952. During his one year tour in the 334th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, he was wingman for three of the Air Force's leading aces: "Boots" Blesse, Jim Jabara, and "Pete" Fernandez. In 125 combat missions, Brown was involved in many dogfights and was credited with damaging one enemy fighter. After Korea, Brown reported to the 2nd Fighter-Interceptor Squadron at McGuire AFB, New Jersey, where he flew the Republic F-84 Thunderjet, North American F-86 Sabre, and the Convair F-102 Delta Dagger. After a tour in Spain flying F-102s with the 431st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, Brown transitioned to the McDonnell F-4 Phantom II at George AFB, California. In August 1965, his squadron deployed to Ubon AB, Thailand, where Brown flew 50 combat missions over North Vietnam and Laos. He then attended Armed Forces Staff College. After graduation, he commanded the 53rd Tactical Fighter Squadron, at Bitburg AB, Germany. In 1969, he returned to Thailand and flew another 50 missions in the F-4 from Udorn AB. During his 100th and final combat mission, Brown's luck seemed to have run out. His aircraft was hit by flak and lost an engine. He soon had to eject. Brown went on to command two flying wings, a numbered air force, and ultimately, Allied Air Forces Southern Europe. He retired from the Air Force in 1985 as a lieutenant general after 34 years of service." [Source: Gathering of Eagles Foundation website]
Browne was a member of the 272nd Field Artillery Battalion, Massachusetts National Guard, the last all-black military National Guard unit to be integrated. The 272nd was sent to West Germany to train troops for the Korean War. After discharge Browne became president of the Dorchester Allied Neighborhood Association, the Meetinghouse Hill Civic Association, and board member of the Dudley Square Main Streets. He was the commander of the William E. Carter American Legion Post and chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee of the Boston branch of the NAACP.
Member of the New York Black Yankees, Burrows entered the Negro Leagues in 1954 as first baseman and pitcher for the New York Black Yankees. A year later, he joined the Indianapolis Clowns. He stayed with the team for five years, until the league ended. Although he preferred first base, Burrows was much in demand as a pitcher.
Black-American music legend Thomas Carey was born on December 29, 1931, in Bennettsville, South Carolina, but grew up in New York. He studies music in the United States and in Europe, eventually performing with opera companies all over Europe. During the Korean War he served in the U.S. military and enjoyed singing to his fellow soldiers. From 1969 to 2002 he taught on the voice faculty of the University of Oklahoma. He was a founder of the Cimarron Opera in Oklahoma. The famous baritone died January 23, 2002.
This civil rights activist and Brooklyn (New York) community leader was known for his success in organizing public demonstrations protesting the unfair education system toward Black Americans. In 1967 he was the executive director of Brooklyn's Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). He was the father of hip-hop artist Professor X. He served in the Army during the Korean War with the 82nd Airborne. Born in 1936, he died in 2002.
Born on May 27, 1919 in Kansas City, Kansas, Cartwright was drafted into the Army in 1941 and attended OCS in 1942. He was promoted to captain and served in Korea in an integrated army. From 1951 to 1955 he was an instructor in the ROTC program at West Virginia State College. He was a colonel during the Vietnam War and was commander of the 108th Artillery Group. He held government positions, and was Director of the National Petroleum Council, the policy-making body of the oil industry. Roscoe died in the crash of a jet liner at Dulles on December 01, 1974.
Born December 4, 1932 in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. He became a licensed Baptist minister at age 13 and was ordained at age 17 at Providence Baptist Church. He enlisted in the US Air Force after high school and served in Korea until he was discharged in 1951. Among his life's accomplishments were: assistant professor of New Testament Theology at Virginia Union University (1962); president of Shaw University (1963); president of Howard University (1968-1989); member of the National Advisory Council to the Peace Corps; a member of the US President's board of advisors of Historically Black Colleges and Universities; and secretary of education in U.S. Virgin Islands. Dr. Cheek died January 09, 2010 in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Born September 27, 1936, in Chicago's South Side, Don Cornelius graduated from DuSable High School in 1954 and joined the Marine Corps during the Korean War time frame. He served 18 months on a South Korean air base. After discharge he held various odd jobs until taking a broadcasting course and landing a job on Chicago radio station WVON as an announcer, news reporter and disc jockey. Concerned that there were limited outlets for soul music, Cornelius produced the first episode of the Black-American song and dance television series, Soul Train in 1970. He continued with that show until 1993. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in 2012.
This Tuskegee airman became director of equal employment opportunity and affirmative action for Eastern Airlines. For further information about Colonel Cox, see the Tuskegee Airmen section.
The only black soldier in his bunker in Korea, Clarence Davis was drafted in 1951 and served 15 months in Korea with the 625th Field Artillery Battalion, 40th Infantry Division. He fought in the battles at the Punch Bowl and Heartbreak Ridge. The father of six children, Clarence's written and oral stories of his wartime service became the subject of a 32-page illustrated comic book, Escape from Kumwha. The book was written by his son, Gary Davis, and is a true account of Clarence's Korean War service. After the war Davis became an industrial arts teacher in the Camden, New Jersey public school system.
Rudolph Davis died on Thursday, November 26, 2020. Rudy, as he was affectionately known, was born in Plaquemine, Louisiana. He graduated from Booker T Washington High School in New Orleans, Louisiana. New Orleans was more than just his home, it was where he developed his veracious love of music. Rudy, can be likened to the jazz music that shaped the many facets of his life: smooth, mellow, and thoughtful, leaving an indelible mark on the hearts of everyone who is fortunate enough to have been in his presence. After graduating with a BA degree in music, from Southern University in Baton Rouge, Rudy joined the Army. During his six years of distinguished service in the Armed Forces, Rudy served in the Korean War. He served his country honorably, while continuing to add fuel to his musical flame: He was director of an Army jazz band known as the Down Beats; Band Director of the 56th and the 289th Army Bands in Korea and Japan, respectively. His bands entertained troops during the Korean War and greeted all the ships that transported troops to Korea. Many of Rudy's former band members went on to play with Count Basie and other "Big Bands" after their service tenure. Rudy, however, decided that Louisiana was where he belonged. He left the Army as a Master Sergeant to return home with the Combat Infantry Badge. Rudy continued his education, receiving his master's degree in music from the University of Southwestern Louisiana after withdrawing from LSU when he was not allowed to direct the band before a white audience because he was black. He began his "formal" teaching career at Southern University as the Assistant Band Director. He left Southern University, and from 1957 through the 60's, during Jim Crow segregation, he taught music at Central High in Natchitoches and Central High in Bogalusa. His last employer was the Lafayette Parish School System, where he taught music at Acadian, Broussard, Youngsville, and Moss Middle Schools from 1968 to 1985. After retirement, he volunteered his music teaching services at Holy Rosary Institute and Immaculate Heart of Mary. Rudy was a leader in his community and spoke truth to power. He worked tirelessly to balance the inequities that existed in a Jim Crow south that demanded submission from black people who were considered "less than." Being a nonconformist was risky, but Rudy decided submitting to the racist customs of the period was not an option. He stopped attending Catholic church when he grew tired of his family sitting in the back pews and taking communion last. He was always on a counter-racist code. As a Korean war veteran, he followed the example of the Deacons of Defense and, along with other black war veterans, protected their neighborhood by implementing organized security protocols. His youngest son was born the year Emmett Till was lynched. He promised his children this would only happen to them over his dead body. In 1971, Lafayette Parish was newly desegregated. Protest arose over the mistreatment of black students at Northside High. There were also demands to hire black teachers, administrators, and coaches. The superintendent told Rudy that he needed to put an end to his sons' participation in these demonstrations; but Rudy, told his son to continue fighting for justice. This unending support and love were again evident when his son was expelled from Port Allen High School in West Baton Rouge Parish and arrested for participating in more demonstrations. Rudy touched the lives of many of his students. He motivated them to work toward their highest degree of proficiency. His enthusiasm was palpable when former students would express how he made a difference in their lives. These moments were cherished because it served as evidence that he had accomplished what he had set out to do: to get them to reach higher and to believe. Rudy believed that everyone deserved respect and could succeed if given order and responsibility. As a result, his bands were not only exceptionally talented and skillful, but well-disciplined and organized. He would accept students in his band that were labeled as "behavior problems." He embraced them and used compassionate discipline to get them back on track. He showed them that someone cared. That was his way. He believed that every child was capable of high academic achievement, no matter their race, income, or zip code. In 1991, he and his son started a boy scout troop that served the black community of North Lafayette. Many of the scouts attended Moss Middle, the lowest performing school in the parish. He wanted to show his scouts that they could achieve the most ambitious goals. They set a goal to backpack the Grand Canyon from rim to rim. They trained for two years and in 1993, he and 17 scouts, ages 12 and 13, backpacked the Grand Canyon from the south rim to the north rim. His scouts continued in high adventure scouting to climb Mount Whitney in California and Mount Rainier in Washington. Rudy was an avid bass fisherman. His favorite fishing spot was Henderson Lake. Upon retirement, he resided in Houma, LA and quickly became a member of the community band. He and his wife Lois Walker Davis, the heart of his life, enjoyed year-round gardening and great fishing. Rudy was preceded in death by his wife, Lois Walker Davis, his parents, Edwin and Edith Taylor Davis, brothers Edwin and Harold Davis, and a sister, Mary Davis. He leaves to cherish his memory four loving children, Rudolph Davis, Jr. and Greg Davis, Sr., and stepdaughters Nell Hebert and Arris Charles, two daughters-in-law, Donna and Dorothy Davis, 10 grandchildren, 17 great grandchildren, two brothers, Donald Sr. and John Davis and 3 sisters-in-law, Iris, Jackie and Shams Davis, and a host of nieces, nephews and friends.
associated with war bond poster. Robert Deiz was born June 17, 1919 in Portland, Oregon, son of William and Elnora Deiz. He graduated from Benjamin Franklin High School in 1937 and then joined the Army. He graduated from Tuskegee as a 2nd Lieutenant on September 6, 1942. From 1943-1944 he flew 93 missions with the 99th Fighter Squadron. He was the subject of a war bonds poster entitled, "Keep Us Flying! Buy War Bonds." After World War II he was an instructor at Tuskegee Army Air Field, and then became a test pilot in the U.S. Air Force. He married Ruby Butler and they had a son Robert Everett Deiz. Robert William retired as a major in 1961. He died of a heart attack on April 6, 1992.
Born on April 13, 1932 in Baltimore, Maryland, Diggs served with the 726th Transportation Truck Company in Korea for two years. After tours of duty in Germany and Japan, he retired from the military in 1970. He then taught in the DC public school system until 1989, and substitute taught at Catonsville High School. He authored ten books during his third career as a writer and historian.
Born July 20, 1934 in Sweet Home, Arkansas, Dumas joined the Air Force and served his country from 1953-1957 at Lackland Air Base and on the Arabian Peninsula. Writing for Air Force publications, he received accolades for his writing skills. After his military service he wrote about his childhood experiences as a black youth growing up in Southern Arkansas. Active in the 1950s civil rights movement in Mississippi and Tennessee, he frequently wrote about the struggles facing black Americans during the 1950s/60s. He was killed by a police officer in a case of mistaken identity on May 23, 1968 in Manhattan.
This prestigious doctor was born on October 27, 1928. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in zoology in 1950 from Roosevelt University and then served two years in the U.S. Army. He received his medical degree from the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle in 1957. From 1966-68 he was interim dean of Meharry Medical School and in 1968-1981 he was president of that college. From 1981-82 he was chancellor at Meharry. He founded the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Meharry Medical College.
Negro League Baseball Player. Delaware Hall of Fame member. Howard was a member of the Negro League teams the Newark Eagles, Baltimore Elite Giants, and the Chicago American Giants. He served in the Army during the Korean War. It was while playing in an Army League football game that Howard injured his shoulder, ending his career as a baseball player. He is a member of the Delaware Afro-American Hall of Fame and the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame. Born September 1929, he died in 2002.
MASH doctor. [See Tribute to James Franklin Fitzgerald.]
Civil rights leader and author. "Foreman was born October 4, 1928 in Chicago, Illinois. He served in the United States Air Force in Okinawa during the Korean War and was discharged in 1952. Forman earned his undergraduate degree from Roosevelt University in 1957 and spent most of the late 1950s working as a journalist and teacher. From 1961 to 1965, he served as executive secretary of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. In 1969, his "Black Manifesto" was adopted at the Black Economic Development Conference held in Detroit, Michigan. During the 1970s and early 1980s, Forman completed graduate work at Cornell University and in 1982 received his Ph.D. from the Union of Experimental Colleges and Universities. Forman wrote several books, including Sammy Younge Jr.: The First Black College Student to Die in the Black Liberation Movement (1969), The Making of Black Revolutionaries (1972), and Self Determination: An Examination of the Question and its Application to the African American People (1984). [Source: Today in African-American History.com]
Pitcher for Negro League Baseball and the minor leagues. "Gibbons, who earned the nicknames 'Dirk' and 'Bubblegum', was raised in the Historic Ybor City District, where he started playing baseball at age eight while pitching for the Pepsi Cola Juniors team. From there, he played with the Pepsi-Cola Giants and the Tampa Rockets of the Florida State Negro League during his teenage years. Upon graduation from George S. Middleton High School in Tampa, Gibbons had the opportunity to play briefly in the Negro National League in 1941, as he compiled just one inning and lost his only decision while splitting the season between the Philadelphia Stars and the New York Black Yankees. Afterwards, Gibbons pitched for the Indianapolis Clowns from 1948 to 1949. Nevertheless, he had his greatest successes neither in Florida nor the Negro Leagues. It came when the Clowns sold him to the Brandon Greys of the Mandak League. Gibbons then went to Canada and joined the Brandon club from 1949 to 1950. In his first season, he was the most dominant hurler in a league that also boasted Leon Day and Satchel Paige, as he went 19-5 and fanned 229 in 198 innings pitched, completing 20 of his 23 starts while leading the club in wins and the league in strikeouts. In addition, 12 of his 19 wins were consecutive and he tossed back-to-back one-hitters at one point. In 1950, he had a 8-4 in a short-season effort, completing 11 of his 12 starts, while finishing second in the league both in wins and complete games. After pitching in an exhibition game against the Jackie Robinson All-Stars late in the year, he was recruited for military service during the Korean War. Following his discharge, Gibbons returned to the Mandak League to play five more years, including a new stop in Brandon (1954) and with the Winnipeg Royals (1953) and the Minot Mallards (1955–1957). Overall, he posted a 60-50 record during his seven years in the league. After his baseball days, Gibbons went back to Florida and managed a night club for 20 years. He later worked for a long time at the training center of the University of Tampa as a supervisor for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL franchise. In his spare time, he enjoyed the Tampa Bay Rays games at Tropicana Field, receiving a standing ovation when he threw out the first pitch in one of those home games. Among his many honors and recognitions, Gibbons gained induction into the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006. Thereafter, he was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays during the 2008 Special Draft of the surviving Negro League players, which was held by Major League Baseball as a tribute for the surviving Negro Leaguers who were kept out of the Big Leagues because of their race. During the ceremony, MLB clubs each selected a former NLB player. He then was honored in 2015 by the City of Tampa as part of its Annual Black History Month celebration." [Source: Wikia.org]
In 1950, Lieutenant Leon Gilbert of the still-segregated 24th Infantry Regiment was court-martialed and sentenced to death for refusing to obey the orders of a white officer while serving in the Korean War. Gilbert maintained that the orders would have meant certain death for himself and the men in his command. The case led to worldwide protests and increased attention to segregation and racism in the U.S. military. Gilbert's sentence was commuted to twenty and later seventeen years of imprisonment; he served five years and was released. [Source: Military History of African-Americans, Wikipedia]
Born August 31, 1928, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He enlisted in the army before finishing high school. He was promoted to lieutenant and was stationed in Japan during the Korean War. Gittens became a US Secret Service Agency in North Carolina, New York, Puerto Rico, and Washington, DC. In 1971 he was appointed special agent in charge of 120 agents in the Washington, D.C. field office. After he retired in 1979 he joined the Justice Department's Nazy-hunting Office of Special Investigators. He died July 27, 2013 in Michellville, Maryland.
"Newman Camay Golden was born in Cincinnati, OH, on October 12, 1919. He joined the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, graduated from the Tuskegee pilot training program in 1944, and served with the 99th Fighter Group in Italy. On March 20, 1945, during a bomber escort mission over Austria, Golden parachuted from his damaged aircraft. He was imprisoned at Moosburg until Allied forces liberated the camp. Golden then enlisted to serve in Korea. On October 17, 1951, First Lieutenant Golden's aircraft was hit, burst into flames and crashed. Golden was missing in action until March 31, 1954, when his status was changed to killed in action. Golden received the Purple Heart and, in July 2014, a memorial for him took place at Sacramento Valley National Cemetery (Section MW, Row A, Site 01-A)." [Source: www.cem.va.gov]
founder of Motown Records in Detroit. In his early life he was a journeyman. He dropped out of school to begin a career as a boxer, but was drafted into the Army and served in Korea in 1951. He was discharged from the Army in 1953. After that he worked on an assembly line at Ford Motor Company in Detroit. He began writing music while there and then started his own music company. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.
See Black-American Firsts section.
Born in 1926 in Birmingham, Alabama, Grier was co-author with Price M. Cobbs of the landmark book, Black Rage, a study that proclaimed black anger was the result of racism and white oppression. The book led to an ABC television special entitled To Be Black in 1969. In 1971, the two authors published the book Jesus Bag, an examination of the relationship between Black-Americans and Christianity. Grier received his MD at the University of Michigan in 1948. He died in Carlsbad, California, in 2015 at the age of 89.
A Korean War veteran, dentist, and Presbyterian minister, Reginald Hawkins was an important civil rights leader in Charlotte, North Carolina. His entire life was devoted to fighting against racial discrimination. Dr. Hawkins earned the rank of Army captain in World War II and then provided dental services to soldiers at Fort Bragg during the Korean War 1951-53. He led successful sit-ins and protests in Charlotte and fought for integration of businesses. He escorted Dorothy Counts, the first Black-American to integrate Harding High School in 1957. White teens and adults spit on her and yelled racial slurs as they approached the school. On November 22, 1965, the homes of four Charlotte civil rights leaders were bombed, including the Hawkins' home. Dr. Hawkins died in 2007.
Civil rights activist Roy Innis was born in the U.S. Virgin Islands on June 6, 1934. An advocate of the Black Power movement, he enlisted in the Army and served his country during the Korean War. In 1967 he was one of ten Black-American men that formed an investment corporation known as the Harlem Commonwealth Council to help bring stability and economics to Harlem. He was founder and co-editor of the Manhattan Tribune newspaper. He entered politics in the 1980s as a political conservative, and was associated with several conservative organizations, including serving on the Board of Trustees of the National Rifle Association.
This Annapolis graduate was killed in action in Korea on September 01, 1951 while serving with B Company, 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He was born April 5, 1929 in Parole, Maryland, a son of Stephen Gilbert Isaacs (1898-1958) and Adele Queen Isaacs (1900-1965). He was survived by siblings Anna Katherine Isaacs Hawkins, Warren O. Isaacs, Lovey Ann Isaacs Short, Stephen G. Isaacs, Muriel Isaacs McPherson, Joan Isaacs Adams, Barbara Isaacs Hill, Golda Isaacs Banks and Doris Isaacs Smith. He is buried in Annapolis Cemetery.
Born in Lackland, Florida on February 25, 1920, he graduated from Lakeland High School in 1938. He joined the Army in 1943 and in 1944 he led a unit of the 531st Combat Engineers onto Normandy Beach to prepare for the invasion to come later. In 1945 he decided to make the Army his career and made 2nd Lieutenant while serving in the Korean War. He attended various colleges while in the military, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in 1975 from Western Washington University. After a 20-year military career he retired in 1963 as a major. In civilian life he worked for the city of Seattle for more than 20 years. He was Project Manager with the city's Urban Development Program and other projects, and an outstanding community volunteer. He died May 6, 2008 at the age of 88.
This painter, sculptor and printmaker of note was born November 20, 1929 in Albany, Georgia. After graduating from high school he joined the Army and was stationed at Fort Polk, Louisiana. He also served briefly in Korea. While at Fort Polk he became the company artist and made extra money by designing shirts and making paintings for his fellow veterans. After discharge he moved to Chicago, attending the Art Institute of Chicago, from which he graduated in 1958. In 1971 he and his family moved to the east coast and he began to teach at Howard University. The family moved to Athens, Georgia, in 1977, where he became a professor at the University of Georgia and remained there until 1988. During his illustrious art career Jarrell has created numerous sculptures and paintings, received several prestigious art awards, and participated in numerous solo and group art exhibits.
Joel joined the merchant marine when he was 17 and then joined the army in 1946, serving with occupying forces in France, Germany and Italy following World War II. He was discharged in 1949, but rejoined the Army in 1953 when the Korean War broke out. He trained as a paratrooper at Ft. Benning, and saw combat in Vietnam. President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1967 awarded Specialist Five Lawrence Joel, a Korean War veteran, the Medal of Honor for his service in Vietnam. Johnson was the first black medic and first living black American to receive the award since the Spanish-American War. He was a member of HQ & HQ Company, 1st Battalion (Airborne;), 503d Infantry, 173d Airborne Brigade when he received the Medal of Honor for acts of bravery on November 08, 1965. His citation reads: "For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. Sp6c. Joel demonstrated indomitable courage, determination, and professional skill when a numerically superior and well-concealed Viet Cong element launched a vicious attack which wounded or killed nearly every man in the lead squad of the company. After treating the men wounded by the initial burst of gunfire, he bravely moved forward to assist others who were wounded while proceeding to their objective. While moving from man to man, he was struck in the right leg by machinegun fire. Although painfully wounded his desire to aid his fellow soldiers transcended all personal feeling. He bandaged his own wound and self-administered morphine to deaden the pain enabling him to continue his dangerous undertaking. Through this period of time, he constantly shouted words of encouragement to all around him. Then, completely ignoring the warnings of others, and his pain, he continued his search for wounded, exposing himself to hostile fire; and, as bullets dug up the dirt around him, he held plasma bottles high while kneeling completely engrossed in his life saving mission. Then, after being struck a second time and with a bullet lodged in his thigh, he dragged himself over the battlefield and succeeded in treating 13 more men before his medical supplies ran out. Displaying resourcefulness, he saved the life of one man by placing a plastic bag over a severe chest wound to congeal the blood. As one of the platoons pursued the Viet Cong, an insurgent force in concealed positions opened fire on the platoon and wounded many more soldiers. With a new stock of medical supplies, Sp6c. Joel again shouted words of encouragement as he crawled through an intense hail of gunfire to the wounded men. After the 24-hour battle subsided and the Viet Cong dead numbered 410, snipers continued to harass the company. Throughout the long battle, Sp6c. Joel never lost sight of his mission as a medical aidman and continued to comfort and treat the wounded until his own evacuation was ordered. His meticulous attention to duty saved a large number of lives and his unselfish, daring example under most adverse conditions was an inspiration to all. Sp6c. Joel's profound concern for his fellow soldiers, at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty are in the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country." Lawrence Joel was born February 22, 1928 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and died February 04, 1984 in Winston-Salem. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
This distinguished Black-American was from Mount Hebron, Alabama. In 1923 he joined the army and was discharged in 1929 as a corporal. He then joined the Navy and served in that branch of service for nearly ten years. He was on the USS Wyoming during the attack on Pearl Harbor, and served on Guam during World War II. He transferred from the Navy to the Marine Corps, serving in it for 17 years as one of the first blacks to join the USMC. In 1943 he became a drill instructor at Montford Point. During the Korean War he served with the 1st Shore Party Battalion, then with the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines. He continued in the Korean War as an advisor at Headquarters, Korean Marines. In 1974 Montford Point Camp was renamed Camp Johnson in honor of his distinguished career in the Marine Corps. He died of a heart attack on August 5, 1972 in Jacksonville, North Carolina.
"Born in Florida in 1933, Rosamond Johnson, Jr., joined the army at 15. He was the first Black-American from Escambia County to die in Korea. Johnson served in the 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Division. Private First Class Johnson was killed in action on July 26, 1950, after carrying two wounded men to safety, for which he received the Purple Heart posthumously. The county named a blacks-only beach for him in the 1950s. Today Johnson Beach is part of Gulf Islands National Seashore, where a monument in his honor was placed in 1996. Johnson was buried at Barrancas National Cemetery on April 23, 1952 (Section 8, Grave 65)[Source: www.cem.va.gov]
Born May 1, 1911 in Montgomery County, Maryland, Johnson served as White House butler for President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the 1930. He graduated from Howard University in Washington, D.C. in 1934 and Howard's law school in 1939. He passed the District of Columbia bar exam in October of 1941 and the next month he was called to active duty as a Reserve infantry officer. He was shipped to Italy with the all-black 92nd Infantry Division in 1944. He was discharged from the Army in February of 1946. He opened a private law practice in D.C., but moved to California in 1949 and opened a private practice there. In October of 1950 he was recalled to active duty and deployed to Korea in September 1951. There he was appointed as Assistant Staff Judge Advocate at Headquarters, 2nd Logistical Command. He also served as defense counsel at special courts-martial held in Korea. After leaving active duty he remained in the Army Reserve. He transferred to JAG Corps on February 20, 1959. He continued serving in the Army Reserve, retiring in 1971 as a Lieutenant Colonel. He closed his law practice in 1978. He died July 1, 2007.
actor. Born January 17, 1931 in Arkabutla, Mississippi, at the end of the summer of 1953 he enlisted in the ROTC and then got orders to Ft. Benning, Georgia, to attend Basic Infantry Officers School. He said he washed out of Ranger School. His regiment was established as a cold weather training unit at Old Camp Hale near Leadville, Colorado. He never saw live action in Korea. He was discharged as a 1st Lieutenant. During college he joined the Reserve Officer Training Corps and became a cadet on the Pershing Rifles Drill Team. The recipient of Tony Awards, a Grammy Award, an Oscar and an Emmy, he was also the voice of Darth Vadar in Star Wars.
This successful entrepreneur in Tacoma, Washington was also the founder of the Ninth and Tenth (Horse) Cavalry Museum in Tacoma. Born July 15, 1918 in Arkansas, he was one of the last Buffalo Soldiers. He enlissted in the US Army on March 5, 1941 and was assigned to the 10th Cavalry. The 9th and 10th Cavalry integrated into the Army Air Corps during World War II with the mission to build airfields for B-17 bombers in North Africa and Italy. He also had assignments in Casablanca, Morocco, Naples, Italy, and Manila, Philippines. In 1946 he was assigned to an all-black unit, the 503rd Field Artillery Battalion attached to the 2nd Infantry Division. He arrived in Korea on August 3, 1950 and when his unit was overran he was taken Prisoner of War at Pyok-Dong for three years. After 20 years of service he retired in 1961 as a Master Sergeant. William Jones died December 3, 2009 at the age of 91.
This acclaimed artist was born July 29, 1925, in Wichita Falls, Texas. He received a bachelor's degree from Langston University in Oklahoma and then a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1949 from the State University of Iowa. He entered the military, serving from 1950-52. He was commissioned to draw illustrations for training aids while serving, and later became art editor and chief cartoonist for the Fort Campbell, Kentucky post newspaper. He was discharged in 1952. He was artist and head of the Department of Fine Arts at Southern University of New Orleans from 1961 until his death in 1999. Among his famous works are Going Home, Negro Girl Skipping Rope, and an untitled mural at Southern University that was destroyed in the Katrina flood. Professor Jordan died on December 9, 1999.
He and his wife Thelma founded J.M. Products, Inc., the largest black-owned company in Arkansas. Their multi-million dollar company manufactures ethnic haircare products. He was born November 03, 1928 and enlisted in the Army in 1946. He was discharged in 1949 and then recalled to active duty in the Army, serving from 1953-56, including time in Korea. Mr. Joshua died September 22, 2005.
Born Benjamin Goodman in 1932 in Suffolk, Virginia, Karim served in the US Air Force during the Korean War. After he left the military, he worked as a recording engineer for a recording company. In 1957, influenced by Malcolm X, he converted to Nation of Islam, called himself Benjamin 2X, and became one of the closest aides to Malcolm X. He was a Black-American historian and civil rights leader. Karim died August 2, 2005.
Kennard served seven years in the US Army--first in post-war Germany and then as a paratrooper in the Korean War. He gained notoriety in 1969 when he dared to attempt to enroll in the all-white Mississippi Southern College. He ultimately ended up in prison, framed and found guilty of various felonies by an all-white jury. The charges against him were later debunked and he gained his freedom, but the felony conviction precluded him from ever applying for admittance into an all-white college. Born in 1927, Kennard died in 1963 of cancer.
Knight was born April 19, 1931 in Corinth, Mississippi. He tried to join the military underage, but was kicked out. He rejoined at age 18 and served as a medical technician in Korea until he was discharged after receiving shrapnel wounds in 1951. While in Korea he became addicted to drugs and that addiction continued after he returned to the States. To fund his habit he turned to crime and spent eight years in Indiana State Prison in Michigan City as a result. In 1963 he began to write poems in prison. His first work was Poems from Prison, published in 1968. After he became one of the most popular poets in the Black Arts Movement, he became a writer-in-residence at the University of Pittsburgh, Hartford University, and Lincoln University. His most critically acclaimed work was Born of a Woman: New and Selected Poems. Knight died March 10, 1991 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
After one season at Scottsbluff Junior College in Nebraska, Lane joined the army at age 19. He was a lieutenant colonel in World War II and the Korean War. After his military service he played football for the Los Angeles Rams, Chicago Cardinals, and Detroit Lions. In his 14-year career he played in seven Pro-Bowl All-Star games. He retired in the 1965 season was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1974. Night Train Lane died in 2002.
"Charles W. Ledbetter was born in April 1922 in Tennessee and entered military service in October 1942. He joined the U.S. Army Air Corps and served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Master Sergeant Ledbetter trained at Tuskegee. During the Korean conflict he was a top turret gunner. As a civilian, Ledbetter taught disabled children at Perris Union High School and became president of the Moreno Valley School Board. In that position, he advocated for minority populations in the community. Ledbetter's advocacy also was felt in his work as a columnist for Black Voice News. Ledbetter died July 23, 2003, and is interred in Riverside National Cemetery (Section 26, Grave 1426)." [Source: www.cem.va.gov]
Known as Meadowlark Lemon throughout his basketball career, Lemon was born April 25, 1932, in Wilmington, North Carolina. He attended Florida A&M University, but while there he was drafted into the US Army. He served two years overseas in Austria and West Germany. In 1957 he joined the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team. The "Clown Price of Basketball" played 16,000 games with the comical and theatrical Globetrotters. Later he played with the Basketeers and the Shooting Stars, formed his own Globetrotter's-like team Meadowlark Lemon's Harlem All Stars, and then again with the Globetrotters. In 1986 he became an ordained minister. Meadowlark Lemon died December 27, 2015, in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Creator of Hasbro's G.I. Joe action figure (based on a concept of "outfitted action figures" created by Stanley Weston) and the Kenya doll series. Raised in Forest Hills, Queens, and Great Neck, Long Island, Levine attended Syracuse University where he got a degree in business administration. He was drafted into the Army and participated in the Inchon Landing in September of 1950 with an army infantry unit. After discharge he tried various business adventures before going to work for Hasbro in 1959. By 1963 Levine was vice president and director of marketing and development for Hasbro Toys. G.I. Joe was created by Levine in 1963 and released to the public in 1964. G.I. Joe has now netted over $500 billion in worldwide sales. In an interview with the 700 Club, Levine said, "For almost two years I served in the Korean War and the word ‘heroes' became very important to me," Don said. "Men I served with insured that I came home safely, and so I wanted to create a line called ‘GI Joe - A Real American Hero' in order to recognize and appreciate my life, because of those military heroes; and incidentally are still our Heroes around the world today!" Donald Levine left Hasbro in 1975 to form his own successful toy development company. He developed "Kenya"--one of the bestselling dolls in the world. The doll is particularly marketed to Black-American girls. Levine and John Michlig co=authored the book, "GI Joe: The Story Behind the Legend; An illustrated history of America's greatest fighting man".
A follower of modern art with focus on transcendentalism, Joe Light was an American painter. He enlisted in the Army in March of 1951 but was discharged in August of 1951. He stated that he hurt his arm when he found out he was going to be sent to Korea. He was imprisoned from 1954-55 for armed robbery of a grocery store and then imprisoned again 1960-1968. After he left prison he married and raised a family of ten children near Memphis, Tennessee.
Perry Willis Lindsey was born in New Albany, Indiana, in 1922. He was studying at Indiana State Teachers College in November 1942 when he enlisted in the Army in nearby Louisville, Kentucky. As a warrant officer, Private Lindsey trained as a navigator, bombardier and pilot. He reenlisted in 1944. During the two-year tour he graduated from flight school at Tuskegee with the rank of second lieutenant. Lindsey fought in Korea, 1951-1953, with the U.S. Air Force. As a civilian, Lindsey earned a commercial pilot license but was unemployable due to airline-industry practices. Lindsey returned to teaching, and in 1969 became the first Black-American principal and administrator in the Unified School District at Long Beach, CA. He retired in 1987 and the city's Perry Lindsey International Studies Magnet school is named for him. First Lieutenant Perry died January 30, 2004, and is buried at Riverside National Cemetery (Sec 52B, Grace 274)" [Source: www.cem.va.gov]
This decorated Korean War veteran, actor, producer, director, and author was born May 20, 1930, in Rennert, North Carolina. He served in the US Army before and during the Korean War. In Korea he served in King Company, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He received a Silver Star for actions in Korea. (See Silver Star section.) After leaving the military McEachin was a fireman and a policeman. He also was a record producer known as "Jimmy Mack" who worked with recording artists such as Otis Reddy. In the 1960s he was a contract actor, making guest appearances (more than 150 film and television credits) on shows such as Rockford Files, Mannix, Dragnet, It Takes a Thief, Dirty Harry, Perry Mason, etc. He semi-retired from acting in the 1990s and authored numerous books. He worked tirelessly to honor veterans, including writing, producing, directing, and acting in Old Glory.
Dr. Mack is a native of Detroit who enlisted in the Army in 1947. He served in Korea in 1952 with Company C, 808th Engineer Aviation Battalion, SCARWAF. He remained in the Army for more than 20 years. Among his assigned posts were the Presidio, commanding officer of the Nike Hercules Missile Base in Carleton, Michigan, and the Pentagon. After his retirement he was chairman and CEO of Traintex, Inc., a management consulting firm. He was a civil rights advocate for more than 60 years, and a volunteer to schools and the community of Dade County, Florida.
Player with the New York Giants, San Francisco Giants, and New York Mets. Drafted. Served in the U.S. Army in the Korean War 1952-54. He reported for duty in the Army May 29, 1952, was inducted at Camp Kilmer in New Jersey and then sent to Ft. Eustis, Virginia, where he spent most of his time in the Army playing baseball. He missed 266 regular baseball games due to his military service. At Ft. Eustis he was initially assigned to the Transportation Replacement Training Center for eight weeks of basic training. He then became an instructor in physical training and a baseball instructor. He never went overseas. He played baseball for the Ft. Eustis Wheels ball team, lived off base and also played weekend games for the semi-pro black team, "Newport News Royals." He filed for early discharge due to the fact that he had 12 dependents, but the Army refused to release him from duty, even when his pregnant mother died in childbirth while Mays was at Ft. Eustis. Mays chipped a bone in his left foot while sliding into third base during a game for Ft. Eustis on July 25, 1953. His foot was in a cast for six weeks and he was confined to the base hospital. He was released from military duty in March of 1954.
Born on June 25, 1933 in Kosciusko, Mississippi, Meredith served in the US Air Force for nine years after high school graduation. Five years into his service he was posted to Japan in 1956 and received his honorable discharge in 1960. He attended the all-black Jackson State College and then enrolled in the all-white University of Mississippi. He was accepted, but his application was later rejected when his race was made known. He sued the university and the case ended in the Supreme Court in his favor. He authored Three Years in Mississippi, and became a political activist. He ran unsuccessfully for the House of Representatives and the US Senate, but remained in politics.
Better known by his stage name, Louisiana Red, Minter was a blues guitarist, harmonica player and singer who recorded more than 50 albums. His most well-known song was Sweet Blood Call. He joined the US Army as a parachutist and trained as a parachutist with the 82nd Airborne. When he was sent to Korea in 1951, he was assigned as a Ranger with the 3rd Infantry Division.
Montgomery was born in 1918 in Waco, Texas. He joined the Air Force, serving in Italy during World War II and was later in the Korean War, attaining the rank of sergeant. He moved to Jackson, Michigan in 1956 when he became supervisor in the psychiatric clinic at Southern Michigan Prison. He held that job until retirement in 1984. A community organizer, in the 1950s he led the United Civic Association of Jackson and formed the Association of Neighborhood Block Clubs in the 1960s and the Southside Self-Help Neighborhood Improvement Association in the 1980s. According to author McKenna Ross, "Beyond neighborhood improvement, Montgomery was a union delegate for state employees and recorded the stories of Black-American veterans, including those who served in World War II with the Tuskegee Airmen – a group in which he also received training – to make sure they weren't forgotten. Montgomery also was commander of the Jackson County American Legion and earned a lifetime membership title from Sauk Trail Post No. 246 in 1997." Montgomery died in 2001.
actor, singer, comedian, producer. Born Rudolph Frank Moore on March 17, 1927, in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Rudy was drafted into the Army in 1950 and served in an entertainment unit in Germany. While serving in the Army for 34 months, he adopted the persona "Harlem Hillbilly". He also performed for troops in South Korea and Japan. Following his military service his life was devoted to acting, singing, and other forms of entertainment. He was well-known for creating the comic character "Dolemite". Rudy died on October 19, 2008 in Akron, Ohio.
This American actor was best known for his starring role as Barney Collier on Mission Impossible. He also appeared in The Six Million Dollar Man, Vega$, Password and more. He was born September 27, 1933 in Cleveland. He served in the US Army during the Korean War (1952-1955). He died August 27, 1996.
[See Black-American Firsts section.]
His 30-year military career was mostly working in the U.S. Information Agency (USIA) as a personnel officer, management and budget officer, and executive officer. He was born July 19, 1931 in Little Rock. He joined the US Air Force and from 1949-1954 he served in Alaska, Germany, and France. While with the USIA he lived in Jamaica, Bolivia, Bangkok, Thailand, and the Philippines. He held the ranks of 1st Lieutenant and Career Minister and earned numerous accolades for his devotion to the military and his country.
player with the Brooklyn Dodgers 1949-51 and 1954-58. Born July 14, 1926 in Madison, New Jersey, he was the first Black-American pitcher in MLB. "Newcombe pitched in the Negro Leagues before breaking in with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1949. He led the Dodgers to the pennant with 17 victories, winning the National League Rookie of the Year award. And he kept getting better; he won 19 games in 1950 and 20 games in 1951. Then he was drafted. He missed two seasons, and when he returned, he went just 9-8 with a 4.55 ERA in 1954. A year later, he helped lead the Dodgers to their first World Series title, and he won the NL MVP and NL Cy Young awards in 1956." [Source: Bob Nightengate, USA Today, July 01, 2013] Newcombe served in the Army Medical Corps, mostly as part of a special demonstration unit at Brooke Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. He had tried to join the Army in 1942 but was underage. He then joined the Navy in 1943, but was discharged after a month because he was still underage. He served in the Army during the Korean War (1952-1953), physically training
recruit Army doctors at Camp Pickett, Texas. Newcombe was the only man in baseball history to receive all three of the sport's major awards: Rookie of the Year, Cy Young Award, and Most Valuable Player.
black television broadcaster and journalist. He was born February 22, 1932 in Harlem, New York, and graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School in 1949. He was drafted into the Army during the Korean War and served as a medic. After his military service he became a reporter for WLIB in 1962 and WLIB in 1962. In 1967 he joined WABC-TV. He was the host of "Like It Is" for 43 years. The show became the second longest-running US black public affairs program. He was the recipient of 11 Emmy awards. In 1984 he established the National Black Archives of Film and Broadcasting. He died April 5, 2012.
This high regarded artist and community activist was born March 12, 1933 in Greenville, North Carolina. He used discarded materials to explore issues surrounding personal identity (family, community, environment). He attended Agricultural and Technical University at Greensboro, North Carolina, to study mechanical engineering. He left his studies to join the U.S. military. His tour of duty took him to Europe. After discharge in 1956 he attended Chicago Academy of Art and later the American Academy of Art. He was director of the Watts Towers Arts Center, participated in group and solo exhibitions, received the California African-American Museum lifetime achievement award, and was awarded fellowships. He died November 12, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.
professional baseball player for St. Louis Cardinals, 1956. He was drafted into the Army in 1951. According to the Society for American Baseball Research, "While his military service cut into his professional career, he nonetheless spent most of his two-year hitch playing baseball. Initially, it was for his post team at Camp Pickett in Virginia. There, according to the Norfolk Journal and Guide, the Black-American newspaper for his hometown, he batted clean-up and hit .382. When the Army sent him to Asia for fifteen months, until his discharge in 1953, he was a member of the Special Services division, playing baseball as well as football to entertain American troops in Japan and Korea." He was honorably discharged in 1953. Born February 22, 1929, in Franklin, Virginia, he played in the Negro League before moving into the major league. He was only in pro ball one year (1956). En route to play winter ball, he was killed in a plane crash at age 27 along with his wife, Nettie, and their three small children, Ken, Karen and Deborah. There is a little league baseball field named in his honor in Portsmouth, Virginia, the city where he grew up.
This World War II and Korean War veteran was one of three Black-Americans who lost their lives when the submarine USS Thresher (SSN 593) was lost as sea on April 10, 1963. Born on October 3, 1924 in Texas, he grew up in Fort Worth. He enlisted in the Navy in January 1943 and served as an electrician's mate during World War II. He took part in six war patrols aboard submarines USS Sea Dragon SS194 and USS Spikefish SS404. He served in the Pacific during the Korean War. His final assignment was on the Thresher as part of the commissioning crew. The Thresher was the first submarine in a new class of nuclear fast-attack subs. Pennington's job on the Thresher was lead chief reactor technician. The submarine's nuclear reactor shut down while undergoing deep-diving tests and she sank under the sea's water pressure. Roscoe Pennington was one of the 129 Navy sailors and civilians who died in this tragedy. Pennington was survived by a six-year-old son, Gregory.
This renowned dermatologist was born April 4, 1922 in Philadelphia. He received a Bachelor's degree from Lincoln University in 1942 and then received a Medical Degree in 1946 from Howard University's College of Medicine. During the Korean War he was assigned chief of dermatology at the 1600 US Air Force Hospital at Westover Air Force Base in Massachusetts. In 1954 he became general medical officer with the 111th Fighter Bomber unit. He resigned from the Air Force National Guard in 1976 and was promoted in 1987 to brigadier general while on the retirement list. Active in civil rights and a friend of Martin Luther King, he authored Cosmetic Plastic Surgery on Non-White Patients in 1982. For several years he was assistant professor of dermatology at Howard University. He died October 25, 2006 at the age of 84.
A saxophonist and jazz musician of note, Redman was born May 17, 1931 and died September 2, 2006. Just after the active war in Korea ended, he was drafted into the U.S. Army. He was stationed in El Paso, Texas, where he played in clubs at night. During his jazz career he played with Keith Jarrett's American Quartet, Charlie Haden, Pat Metheny and Ornette Coleman. He died on September 02, 2006.
Born April 10, 1932 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Rhodes lied about his age to enlist in the Marine Corps at age 15. During the Korean War he gained the rank of Sergeant and led a reconnaissance platoon behind enemy lines. He was wounded at the Chosin Reservoir. After his military service he became an actor and writer. He appeared in 66 films or television programs during his career, including Conquest of the Plant of the Apes. He authored the book Chosin Few which featured information about black Marines in combat. Rhodes died January 15, 1992 in Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California.
"Robinson was a New York City native who played for the Philadelphia Stars, Indianapolis Clowns, and Kansas City Monarchs between 1952-1958, earning multiple selections to the famed East-West All-Star Game as an infielder. A Korean War veteran who once played in the Negro League, Robinson worked as the head baseball coach at South Carolina State University before returning to New York where he worked for the NYC Housing Authority for 28 years." [Source: Forbes Magazine]
Born December 12, 1923 in Los Angeles, California, Shambrey enlisted in the Army Air Corps on October 27, 1942. He served with the Tuskegee airmen in Italy with the 100th Fighter Squadron of the Air Corps' 332nd Fighter Group. H was a mechanic during World War II and then a National Guard combat engineer during the Korean War. Joseph Shambrey died January 05, 2015 in Los Angeles.
Clarence Laudric Shivers was born on October 14, 1923 in St. Louis, Missouri, and departed this life February 17, 2007. His parents, Clarence and Flossie Shivers, and his two older sisters, Alice and Claryce preceded him in death. Clarence volunteered into the military during World War II. The high score he received on the entrance exam qualified him to be accepted into the elite Tuskegee Program, where the first black military pilots were being trained. He loved flying and always said he felt "at home" the first time he sat in a cockpit. After the war ended, Clarence concentrated on completing his education. He is a graduate of Summer High School in St. Louis and an honors graduate of Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, where he received a BFA Degree. His senior project, a huge mural at the Carver Community Center in Peoria, is still in existence today. After college, Clarence taught art at Jackson State University until recalled to military service during the Korean War, when pilots were much needed. He remained in the Air Force until his retirement in 1969 at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Upon retirement, he and his wife Peggy relocated to Madrid, Spain where they remained for ten years. Though a career military man, Clarence always maintained an active art studio. In Spain he was able to paint full time for the first time. He became well known throughout Europe for his paintings of Spanish Guardias and colorful abstracts. One of his paintings from this time was featured prominently in the film "A Piece of the Action", directed by Sydney Poitier. The Shivers returned to live in the United States in 1979, settling in Colorado Springs where Clarence established a studio and continued to pursue his artistic endeavors. He was commissioned by Miller Brewing Company to create their 1983 and 1986 historic calendars entitled "Civil Rights Leaders" and "Black Political Firsts" respectively. In 1985, Clarence was commissioned by the Hooks Jones Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen to sculpt a life-sized statue as a memorial to the Tuskegee Airmen. It was unveiled May of 1988 and stands proudly on the grounds of the USAFA. In 1993, Clarence and his wife established the African American Historical and Cultural Collection at Pikes Peak Library District. They also established the Shivers Fund at the Library, which supports a concert series and encourages young people in the arts by awarding grants and providing educational opportunities. Clarence is survived by his wife, Peggy; two daughters, Saundra Jenkins (St. Louis, Missouri) and Karen Shivers (Seattle, Washington); and two sons, Carver Shivers (Houston, Texas) and Hugh Flake (Ft. Worth, Texas); two nephews, six grand children, two great grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren as well as a host of cousins and dear friends. He will be greatly missed by all. A memorial celebration of his life will be held at 11:00 a.m. Sat, March 3 at Sunrise United Methodist Church located on Briargate Blvd. near Union. Inurnment will take place at the United States Air Force Academy immediately following the service. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Shivers Fund at Pikes Peak Library District, Peoples United Methodist Church, or Pikes Peak Hospice. [Source: Findagrave]
An abstract expressionist and painter, as well as collector and dealer of African and tribal art. He was the first Black-American to receive a prestigious five-year fellowship from the Charleston Scientific and Cultural Education Fund. He left South Carolina in 1949 and attended New York University and then Cooper Union. He enlisted in the Air Force in 1951 and had basic training at Griffiss Air Force Base near Utica, New York. He was assigned to Special Services and also played in the Air Force band, but he was an official Air Force artist, painting portraits of a number of commanders, including Dwight D. Eisenhower. Some of his paintings are still on display in the Pentagon. Simpson was a member of the Spiral Group, formed so Black-American artists could discuss political and social issues of the times. He died March 9, 2013, in Manhattan, New York.
This New Yorker was a Black-American smokejumper during World War II (the Triple Nickles) and then went on to serve as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne in Korea. He received two Purple Hearts. He and other black Rangers were among the first black paratroopers in combat in Korea.
Also known as "Clarence 13X" and "Allah the Father," Smith served in the Army during the Korean War. After returning he joined the Nation, but later broke off and established the "Five Percent Nation" in Harlem, encouraging Black-Americans to fight for racial equality and self-determination. Smith was assassinated in Harlem on June 13, 1969, and his assassin was never determined.
The author of more than 30 books that he wrote from a libertarian conservative perspective, Sowell is an American economist, social theorist, and senior fellow at the Hoover Institute. He served in the Marine Corps during the Korean War. Sowell was born June 30, 1930.
Born on May 9, 1929 in Newport News, Virginia, Ernest Stewart played quarterback at Virginia State College. He served two years in the army during the Korean War, serving in a segregated Black-American unit based in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. After training in artillery, he was deployed to Korea and served in combat. After military service he attended Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry. In 1955 he was a lab assistant for both Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin during the search for a cure for polio. He moved to Akron, Ohio in 1961, and opened the first black-owned business on Copley Road in Akron. This busy dentist took time from his regular schedule to take care of the dental needs of children at the Akron Children's Home and inmates at Summit County jail. He was a fierce advocate for civil rights. He died April 22, 2020, of Covid.
Sullivan was one of three Black-American soldiers who chose not to return to the United States after the active war in Korea ended. He returned to the USA in 1958 and died November 2014.
civil rights activist and lawyer who represented controversial figures such as Malcolm X in 1965. Sutton became the highest-ranking Black-American elected official in New York City in 1966. He was the elected president of Manhattan borough, serving until 1977. He was influential as leader of the Harlem Clubhouse. Percy Sutton was born November 24, 1920 in San Antonio, Texas. He enlisted in the army in World War II, and served as an intelligence officer with the Tuskegee Airmen. He was discharged as captain. He then enlisted in the Air Force during the Korean War and worked as an Air Force Intelligence Officer. He returned to civilian life in 1953. Sutton died December 26, 2009 at the age of 89.
"Life-long Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, resident Charles William Tate was born in 1922, and he left Oliver High School in December 1942 to join the U.S. Army Air Corps. He attended the pilot-training program at Tuskegee and graduated in 1943. Second Lieutenant Tate served overseas during World War II, 1944-1945. He achieved the rank of first lieutenant in the Air Corps, and reenlisted during the Korean conflict. Tate returned to Pittsburgh and civilian service as a postmaster and manager. Captain Tate received the Distinguished Flying Cross, among other honors, and was recognized posthumously with the Congressional Gold Medal awarded to the Tuskegee Airmen in 2006. Tate died November 18, 2005, and is buried at National Cemetery of the Alleghenies (Section 1, Grave 1118)." [Source: www.cem.va.gov]
Born on November 20, 1935 in Jonesboro, Louisiana, Thomas was a co-founder and leading force in the Deacons for Defense and Justice, an armed black self-defense militia that helped protect civil rights workers from the Ku Klux Klan. Earnest Thomas was a Korean War veteran (US Air Force) and the vice president of the first chapter of the Deacons in Jonesboro. He died on February 21, 2006 in California. The father of five children, he is buried in Rose Hills Memorial Park, Whittier, California.
"Edward Benjamin Townsend was born in 1929 and as a child sang in his father's African Methodist Episcopal church. He graduated from Arkansas State College before enlisting in the Marines in 1951. Corporal Townsend served for two years in Korea, where he was discovered by bandleader Horace Heidt. With Heidt, Townsend toured Asia before he settled in Los Angeles, where he would write more than 200 songs – most notably, "Let's Get It On" with Marvin Gaye. Townsend died August 13, 2003, and is buried at Riverside National Cemetery (Section BA, Grave C-213)." [Source:www.cem.va.gov]
Edward was born in 1923 and raised in Detroit, Michigan. He graduated in 1941 from Northwestern High School. He joined the Army Air Corp, but WW II ended before he got a chance to fly the famous red-tailed P-51 Mustangs of the Tuskegee Airmen in combat. He was among the last of the groundbreaking Tuskegee Airmen trained in 1945 to fly the Army Air Corps' high-performance fighters. They were the unit had been the first Black-Americans trained as Air Corps pilots, and many of them served with distinction in the skies over Europe. The war ended before his class could be shipped overseas. He returned to college in Detroit after leaving the military. He earned a degree in accounting in 1950 from Detroit Institute of Technology and joined the Internal Revenue Service in 1951. He worked for 27 years as a revenue officer and in the criminal investigations division. After a brief retirement, he was talked into a second career as an investigator for the Federal Defender's Office. He retired again in 1997. He served 14 years as treasurer of the Detroit Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen. He was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and a life member of the NAACP. He was an avid golfer, too, often using the sport to raise money for charity. He and his golf partners, former Tuskegee Airmen Richard Macon, Lou Johnson and Richard Jennings, raised thousands of dollars for charity every year playing in various tournaments. They last played together in May at the annual Multiple Sclerosis Longest Day tournament. He died from liver cancer in Sinai Grace Hospital, only three weeks after being diagnosed with the disease. Survivors include his wife of 41 years, Marlena; two daughters, Michele Tunstall and Nichol Smiley; three grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and a sister. He died November 11, 2005. [Source: Findagrave]
Commanding Officer, 24th Infantry. He was the second longest-serving rifle company commander in frontline action in Korea. "Pioneering paratrooper Roger Stanley Walden was born on May 21, 1922 in Des Moines, Iowa. Attending St. Anselm's School in Chicago and Barber Intermediate School, Munger School, and Chadsey Schools in Detroit, Walden graduated from Eastern High School in 1941. A tool apprentice at Ford at the onset of World War II, Walden enlisted on December 7, 1942. Assigned to the 365th Infantry Regiment, Walden volunteered for the first black test platoon of 20 paratroopers. At Parachute School in Fort Benning, Georgia, Walden and fifteen others earned their parachute wings as the Sweet Sixteen in February of 1944, becoming the first Black-American paratroopers in United States military history. Promoted to sergeant in the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, Walden and his group were transferred to Camp Mackall, North Carolina. Walden received his commission as a second lieutenant of infantry in March of 1945 when he finished Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning. After receiving special training to combat Japanese balloon bombs at Camp Pendleton, Oregon, the 555th was soon deployed as Army fire jumpers. Shipped to Gifu, Honshu, Japan in 1949, Walden served as commander of Company A of the 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division of the Far East Command. In 1950, Walden as a captain commanded Company F in Pusan, Korea and he was made a Battalion S4 before being rotated back to the United States. Promoted to Major, Walden served in Europe from 1957 to 1960 with the 3rd Armored Rifle Battalion, 51st Infantry, 4th Armored Group. Earning his B.A. degree in social studies from San Francisco State University under the Army's Bootstrap Program, Walden was promoted to lieutenant colonel. He taught military science at Central State University until his retirement in 1966. Walden worked as manager of the City of Detroit's Vacant Housing Rehabilitation Program until 1984. Walden passed away on September 17, 2013." [Source: "Pioneer African-American Smokejumper Laid to Rest at Arlington National Cemetery., U.S. Department of Agriculture, February 21, 2017]
Environmental leader. Born December 17, 1937 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, he entered the Army in August of 1959. In December 1963 he was made chief of the Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Center in the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff, 7th Logisti Command, 8th US Army in Korea. He retired from the Army on November 30, 1991, as one of the highest-ranking Black-Americans in the armed forces. In July 1995 he joined the environmental contractor Kaiser-Hill as Senior Vice President for Department of Energy programs. Between 1995 and 2005, Haiser-Hill managed a cleanup of radioactive hazardous materiaqls from Rocky Flats, a former nuclear weapons plant outside of Denver. Waller died of a heart attack on May 9, 1996 while visiting Washington, D.C.
Born April 20, 1930, Johnny Washington played for the Chicago American Giants and the Houston Eagles in baseball's Negro League. Washington was born in Chicago and attended that city's Morgan Park High School, graduating in 1949. In 1951 Washington joined the U.S. Marine Corps, serving in Korea. He played on the Marine's national championship baseball team in 1952. Washington received two Purple Hearts and a Silver Star. Doctors advised him to abandon baseball because of injuries he received during military service. He continued to play in minor leagues until 1959 and in the Chicago and Midwest League until 1963.
Leader of the Zion Harmonizers and the godfather of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival's Gospel Tent. The Harmonizers was the longest-running gospel vocal group in New Orleans. Washington was an Army truck driver during the Korean War, spending 17 1/2 months in Korea.
Lawyer, civil rights leader and social activist, Mayfield Webb was born November 10, 1927 in Baltimore, Maryland. After serving in the Army during the Korean War he attended Morgan State University in Maryland and Howard University in Washington, D.C. He received a law degree from Northwestern School of Law at Lewis & Clark College. In 1963-64 he was president of the Portland Chapter of the NAACP, leading efforts to desegregate Portland's schools. From 1965 to 1968 he was director for the Metropolitan Steering Committee. In 1968 he became executive director of the Albina (industrial) Corporation. In that capacity he worked to enhance blighted neighborhoods in North Portland. He also served on the board of directors of Goodwill Industries in Portland. He died October 31, 1996 in Portland.
This Annapolis graduate was a member of K Company, 3rd Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division when he was wounded twice in Korea. He suffered one severe wound on September 17, 1950, but returned to duty on December 9, 1950. He was killed in action at Hoengsong, Korea, on February 12, 1951. He is buried in Brewer Hill Cemetery, Annapolis, Maryland.
"James Edward West (February 10, 1931–) was born on February 10, 1931 in Prince Edward County, Virginia. After graduating from high school he attended Hampton University before being drafted to serve in the Korean War, where he earned a Purple Heart. After his return to the U.S. after the war, he transferred to Temple University, where he studied physics. While in school, West worked during the summers as an intern for the Acoustics Research Department at Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, New Jersey. Upon graduation he was hired by Bell Labs to work full-time as an acoustical scientist specializing in electroacoustics, physical and architectural acoustics. In 1960, West teamed with Gerhard M. Sessler, a German-born physicist, to develop an inexpensive, highly sensitive and compact microphone. At the time, condenser microphones were used in most telephones, but were expensive to manufacture and necessitated a large battery source. Microphones convert sound waves into electrical voltages, thus allowing the sound to be transmitted through a cord to a receiver. Their electric microphone solved every problem they were seeking to address. By 1968, the microphone was in wide scale production and was quickly adopted as the industry standard. Approximately 90% of microphones in use today are based on this invention and almost all telephones utilize it, as well as tape recorders, camcorders, baby monitors and hearing aids." [Source: American Institute of Physics]
White was one of three Black-American soldiers who chose not to return to the United States after the active war in Korea ended. He returned to the States in 1965.
Olympic gold medalist. He set a world record at the NCAA championships with a 46.1 second run and then became a gold medalist at the Berlin Olympics. After earning a pilot's license, he became one of just fourteen Black-Americans to be commissioned during World War II in the aviation meteorological cadet program. He went on to serve as a flight instructor and meteorology teacher at Tuskegee. He retired from the Air Force in 1964 as a Lieutenant Colonel.
S-2, 24th Infantry Regiment, Korea. During World War II he was a pioneering officer of the black 555th Parachute infantry Battalion.
John was born July 05, 1915 in Connellsville, Pennsylvania. A middle-distance runner and winner of the 800m event at the 1936 Summer Olympics, he graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1939 and entered the military in 1941 as a second lieutenant. He was a Tuskegee Airman who was discharged from the service as a captain in 1945. He re-entered the military during the Korean War and retired in 1957 as a lieutenant colonel He was battalion commander of the 369th Artillery, later the 569 Transportation Battalion, New York Army National Guard.
A decorated World War II veteran, Woodson enlisted in the Army on December 15, 1942. He became a medic in the racially-segregated 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, receiving a Bronze Star and Purple Heart for his acts of bravery on D-Day and beyond. He received a medical technology degree from Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. He returned to active duty during the Korean War. After 1952 he began a long career at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda, where he was director of the morgue and taught anatomy classes. He retired in 1990 as supervisor in the Clinical Pathology Department at the National Institute of Health. He died on August 12, 2005.