BLACK VETERANS AND MEMORIAL DAY

Irving Bunton (left), with older brother William Bunton Jr. who served in World War II. Bunton family archives

In the past few years, we have seen a rise in interest around Black military history and culture. ​Black veterans have been fighting for their country since the Civil War.  ​They went to war. They came home, but  weren't considered citizens and couldn't even vote.

My father's older brother William Bunton Jr. was a casualty in Germany while serving in the military during World War II.  He volunteered to serve.  As my mother Ragina Bunton tells the story, he begged his parents to go.  In combat, he was  blown up by a tank.  Prior to the officers coming to tell his parents the news, my grandmother Gillie Ann Bunton had a premonition of his death.  Unfortunately, she was right.  Since my father, Irving Bunton was their only remaining son, he was never drafted as that was the government policy not to send the last.

The tragic outcome of this story and others are why many are hesitant to sign-up for the military.  And yet, there are those who boldly go.  If they return, they've experienced the gamut: victory, defeat, pain, struggle all in spite of horrific unspeakable circumstances.  Whether or not we understand the reasons they decided to go, it is important to document and share these stories of valor and strife to learn from them.  

Our ancestors fought on both sides of World War I, but when it came time to receive benefits for their service—including access to education and land ownership—most Black soldiers were ignored or denied these opportunities due to discrimination against them based on the psychological insecurities of racism.

Black soldiers fought to free the country, and then came home to find out that they couldn't vote. While some states allowed African Americans to vote, others did not. This meant Black veterans who had served the Union (and been allowed to vote in Northern states) were unable to exercise this right in Southern states. In fact, many ex-soldiers who had risked their lives for America were even denied citizenship rights!

This denial of citizenship continued throughout World War II and beyond—serving as another example of how our country's values are hypocritical at best and racist at worst.

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Many Black veterans were never fully recognized for their service in the military.  ​They served in the same conditions as other American soldiers, but did not come home identified as heroes.  Instead, they often faced discrimination both during and after their service.

This was especially true when they returned home to communities where they were treated as second-class citizens. Once again, these Black Americans had to fight for acceptance. While progress has been made over the last century, there is still work to be done.

​Though government policies and practices were against them, our brave ancestors didn't give up; instead, they continued fighting for justice and equality. Some traveled across the country on foot or on horseback all the way from Kansas City to Washington, DC—understanding that if they didn't make their voices heard then no on would know their story.

The Military Earned Them Citizenship.
​The Government Forgot or Refused to Give It.

Tuskegee Airmen

The Red Tails were the 99th Fighter Squadron of the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African-American pilots who flew P-51 Mustangs in World War II. The Tuskegee Airmen were based out of an airfield in Alabama called Tuskegee Army Air Field (TAAF). The 332nd Fighter Group and 477th Bombardment Group made up the bulk of these brave men who fought for the country while overcoming prejudice and discrimination against them.

Red Tails movie

In the movie, we follow a group of African-American pilots who volunteer for something called "The Tuskegee Experiment," (not to be confused with its namesake that hid medical information from Black patients) which is supposed to be an experiment in pilot training. But things go wrong when their instructors are racists and don't want them learning how to fly planes. The movie follows these pilots as they fight against the odds in order to prove themselves as equals in America's military.

The long-awaited film was directed by George Lucas (Star Wars) and released in 2012 by 20th Century Fox. It stars Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard, Nate Parker, David Oyelowo (Selma), Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) and John Amos (Good Times). The movie received mixed reviews from critics but did well at the box office when it was released—it grossed $58 million domestically on a $58 million budget!

Consider reading more about the Tuskegee Airmen.  The list below contains books for adults and children:

• The Illustrated History of the Tuskegee Airmen
• You Can Fly : The Tuskegee Airmen by Carole Boston Weatherford
• ​Who Were the Tuskegee Airmen? by Sherri Smith
• ​Flying Above Expectations by Larry Simmons

Buffalo Soldiers, Black 24th Infantry Regiment

Black soldiers were sent to the West and fought in the Indian wars. They were called buffalo soldiers because they were so good at what they did that Native Americans called them "buffalo" for their strength and bravery. The Black soldiers had a hard time in the army because of discrimination, but they still served with distinction.

Black soldiers received half as much pay as white soldiers even though they did all the same work, so some deserted and went to Mexico instead where they could earn more money. Others resorted to selling their uniforms to survive until finally being paid by Congress in 1866! In 1869, these men became part of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show where their performance was so popular it attracted hundreds of thousands of spectators around Europe (and later North America). Later on, these brave men would be called upon once again -- this time by Teddy Roosevelt -- when he needed help protecting Yellowstone National Park from poachers!

Curtis Morrow is a Korean War (Buffalo Soldier), former member of the then all Black 24th Infantry Regiment.  He tells his story in a memoir called, "What's a Commie Ever Done to Black People?"

This excerpt alone is enough, "to make a Negro turn Black," as Lu Palmer used to iconically say on his weekly radio program.  Read with caution:

"I, like the others advancing soldiers, repeated the yell loudly and ran forward to get aboard the craft. The river was about a hundred yards across. Halfway across bullets began striking the side of the landing craft. I heard a scream of pain from somewhere inside our craft. But we were so packed in that I couldn't see who or how many were hit, or how bad. Enemy mortars exploded so close to the craft that water splashed over the side and on us. Finally we reached the other side of the river and, like others before us, charged of the low front end of the craft like mad men, screaming from the pits of our stomachs. We were met by a hail of enemy small-arms fire, mixed with exploding mortars that fell among us. We had to cover at least a hundred yards to reach the base of the mountain that was our objective to seize at all cost.
I began to notice dead bodies as we continued our charge forward[.] Bodies of our men. As I ran forward I fired shot after shot at everything or place in front of me that might conceal an enemy soldier. Bullets were whizzing by me, sometimes even glancing off my steel helmet. There was no place to duck. Every so often, the enemy firepower would be so intense that until someone knocked the particular machine-gun out, we would have to take cover behind or under something, even if it was the body of a fallen comrade or enemy soldier.
"Let's go! You men over there, Come on, let's go!"
And up we would get and charge forward again, right into the hail of bullets, firing our weapons and yelling like mad men."

Consider adding this memoir to your personal library.  I've had the pleasure of knowing Baba Curtis for years on Chicago's South Side.  When I first met him he was making beautiful jewelry .  He was even able to design his own charms since he knew how to solder and shape the copper, brass, silver, and gold metal.  He is also a photographer and painter.  He lives life to the fullest.  Though he's over 80, he's still growing strong.  I invite you to check out his website here.

Want to know more?

​As always, I appreciate that you have read through this blog post.  I hope that you’ve become curious to read more books about Black. Veterans beyond Memorial Day.  Here's a short video promotion:  https://youtube.com/shorts/R7FPPjQW36E.  We ask that you consider purchasing your books from our Black owned bookstore, Afriware Books, Co.  If there is a title you’d like to purchase that is not mentioned here, or could not be found on the website, feel free to email us at:  afriwarebooks@afriwarebooks.com