Final call of honor

In honor of Black History Month, below is a list of some prominent African American veterans who died in 2022.

Clifford Alexander Jr. was a graduate of Yale Law School who became the first African American to be named secretary of the Army.

Lawrence N. Brooks served in the mostly-Black 91st Engineer General Service Regiment and was the oldest living American veteran of World War II.

John Canley was the first living Black Marine to be awarded the Medal of Honor, 50 years after his heroism in the Vietnam War.

Johnnie A. Jones Sr. was a pioneering civil rights lawyer after returning from World War II as a wounded veteran of D-Day. He was a member of American Legion Post 502 in Baton Rouge, La.

Charles McGee, one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, flew 409 combat missions over the course of three wars. As he told The American Legion Magazine in 2007, “I found acceptance for the ability I brought to the table.”  

Sidney Poitier lied about his age to join the Army. After embarking on a career as an actor, Poitier started a long climb to the top that culminated in a Best Actor Oscar for “Lilies of the Field” in 1964.

Bernard Shaw served in the Marine Corps before beginning a career in news broadcasting, ultimately joining Ted Turner's upstart Cable News Network (CNN) as lead anchor in 1980.

Sources: Council on Foreign Relations, Military.com, New York Times