Black History Month: a celebration of service and sacrifice

Black History Month: a celebration of service and sacrifice

It is Black History Month. As veterans, the month of February is a time we remember the sacrifices of African-American servicemembers such as the Buffalo Soldiers, the Harlem Hellfighters and the Tuskegee Airmen. And we honor the African-American men and women who continue to serve their nation with honor and distinction. They helped mold America into the nation that we are today, and I am proud that many continue their service through membership in The American Legion.

Autrey James, a Paid Up For Life member in the Department of California, wrote a personal account of what Black History Month means to him. I encourage you to read it in its entirety at  legion.org/honor. James, in part, wrote:

“I think of it (Black History Month) as celebrating the contributions of Black Americans to American history. I want us all to think of this month as a way to celebrate the service of Black Americans who have fought and died on foreign soil and on American soil to make sure the America we love lives up to the ideals of our founding fathers.

“As a Black American veteran, I know that I stand on the shoulders of giants who have paved the way for me. I am both grateful for the path they have laid and aware that it is my responsibility to pave the way for others who come after me.

“As a Black American and a veteran, I know that deeply ingrained in us are both the horrors we have endured in America and the pride in which we have continuously and faithfully served her. The history of my own family is but one example. These men (grandfather and great uncle) instilled in my family the love of country, people and service to this nation. They believed that their service would pave the way toward making equality a reality as opposed to an idea.

“Black Americans (and veterans) like my grandfather and great uncle have long believed that service to this nation in time of need would force America to live up to the ideals that its founding fathers wrote of but did not implement in their time.The men of my family believed that war and service would be transformative for America. After all, how could any nation expect its citizens to go abroad and fight for democracy and then continue to deny democracy to those very citizens who risked their lives for the American way of life.

“My grandfather and great uncle were right. Their service was transformative for America but what they did not realize was though the fight over there was over it was just beginning at home” ... the fight for civil rights for all Americans.

African-American military service statistics
2.15 million:  Black military veterans nationwide
30.2%:  Active-duty enlisted women in 2016 who were African-American
17.1%:  Active-duty enlisted men in 2016 who were African-American
20,000+:  Black Marine Corps recruits who received training at Montford Point camp in North Carolina during World War II
21:  African-Americans who received the Medal of Honor for actions during the Vietnam War
7,243:  Deaths of active-duty Black servicemembers in Vietnam
3,075:  Deaths of active-duty Black servicemembers in the Korean War
901,896:  African-Americans who served during World War II
24%: of the 500,000 U.S. military personnel deployed to the Middle East during the Persian Gulf War who were African-American
350,000+:  Black soldiers who served in American Expeditionary Forces units on the Western Front in World War I

Sources: 2016 American Community Survey, Statista, the Congressional Research Service, the National WWII Museum and the U.S. Army.