Seven Blacks Finally Gain
Recognition
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Blacks began winning Medals
of Honor during the Civil War
and since then until World War
II; however of the 300 awarded none of
them were black. In 1993, Shaw
University conducted a study of
Medal of H onor
recipients and focused on the
racial disparity in the Army.
The study resulted in the
recommendation to consider ten
black soldiers for the Medal of
Honor, and seven were ultimately
recommended to receive the
award. In 1996, Congress passed
the legislation which allowed
the President to award the
Medals of Honor. On January
13th, 1997 President Bill
Clinton would present six of the
medals to families of the
deceased men, and one soldier,
1LT Vernon Baker was able to be
present to receive his medal.
Read more about each man's
bravery and action in the
Medal of Honor section. One
of the recipient's body, SSG
Edward Carter, was exhumed and
moved to rest in Arlington
National Cemetery.
The three
variations of the Medal of Honor
today |
Facts...
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- General
Benjamin O.
Davis' (the
first black Army
General)
son, Benjamin
Davis, Jr.
became a
three-star
General (In the
Air Force)
- Roscoe
Robinson, Jr., a
graduate of the
U.S. Military
Academy at
West Point,
became the first
black four-star
General in the
Army
- Hazel W.
Johnson became
the first black
woman General in
the Army in 1979
- Colin L.
Powell became
Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of
Staff in 1989,
the highest
military
position in the
United States
- The Army has
continued to led
the services in
the number of
black officers
with almost
double the
percentage at
times
- Pentagon
Data (2009):
-5.6% of the 923 general Officers or Admirals are black
-Eight blacks are three-star Lieutenant Generals or Vice Admirals
-17 are two-star Major Generals or Rear Admirals
-26 are one-star Brigadier Generals or Rear Admirals
-Three of the black Brigadier Generals are women |
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