Blacks In The Military Essay

Although blacks were theoretically qualified for several positions in the Army, very limited blacks got the opening to serve in combat divisions. Most were limited to labor battalions. The combat elements of the U.S. Army were kept completely segregated. There were criticism from the African American community, however, the War Department created two black combat units the 92nd and 93rd Divisions, in 1917. Although African Americans were receiving upper positions in the Army, they did not necessarily get equal treatment. Black recruits were treated with extreme hostility when they arrived for training. White men negated to salute black officers and black officers were often excluded from the officer’s clubs and quarters. African American soldiers …show more content…
Sergeant Henry Johnson of New York's 369th Infantry Regiment was the first American, black or white, to receive the French Croix de Guerre (Cross of War). France awarded its Croix de Guerre to 34 black officers and 89 black recruited men during the war. In the 92nd Division, 14 black officers and 34 black recruited men received the United States Army Distinguished Flying Cross. Ten officers and 34 recruited men of the 93rd Division were DFC receivers. Medal of Honor was not given to a black serviceman during World War I. But in 1988 the Department of the Army investigated the National Archives to determine whether racial barriers had prohibited award of the nation's highest medal for bravery. The archives examination produced confirmation that Corporal Freddie Stowers of Anderson County, South Carolina, had been recommended for the Medal of Honor; for "unknown reasons," however, the recommendation had not been processed. Stowers was a squad leader in Company C, 371st Infantry Regiment, 93rd Division. On September 28, 1918, he led his squad through heavy machine gun fire and destroyed the gun position on Hill 188 in the Champagne Marne Sector, France. Mortally wounded, Stowers continued to lead his men through a second trench line. President George Bush later present the Medal to his sister on April 24,