An overview of the impact of military service on the pre

and post World War II generation of African-

Americans.

Andrew and Silas Chandler (Free Black) both regularly enlisted in the 44th Mississippi

Infantry. Silas saved Andrew's life at the Battle of Chickamauga, Tenn. 1863

A typical slave family circa 1861

Most landed white southerners were raised by “Mammies” who were not

only mid-wives ,but nursed the children as well. These women did all

the work of a mother with none of the benefits.

The usual circumstance in the Confederate Army (CSA) found the slave still in the role of a servant on the battlefield instead of the cotton field. These men, for the most part, went uncompensated for the risk of combat (unarmed, of course!) though a few did receive pensions, medals and in some cases, their freedom.

Now Playing “I Found a New Baby” the Chicago Rhythm Kings - 1901

At the turn of the century, although small in number and politically weak, the black middle class of both rural and urban America managed to attain a surprisingly comfortable and upwardly mobile lifestyle despite the social and legal limitations of the day.

My Grandparents were married in 1925 and remained so for the next 67 years. They began their marriage under the “Jim Crow” segregation laws of the late 19th and early 20th century and lived long enough to see the triumph of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Martin Luther King Jr. visited my Grandma’s church in 1964 and at the time I had no idea what the fuss was all about.

My Grandparents on their wedding day in 1925

Civil War Teamsters (former Slaves) Virginia, 1864

Four Black Officers of the 366th Regiment Colored) U.S. Army, France 1918

Black Lawyer before the Patent Board in 1902

Grave marker of Joseph Wallace, my wife’s Great grand uncle, 54th Mass.

Infantry 1863

At the turn of the century the average American was beginning to enjoy a higher standard of living than his European contemporary, who, would in all likelihood would be emigrating to this country to escape the poverty of his homeland.

These men and women of the late 19th and early 20th century lived in a world of institutional racism. While whites and blacks were integrated in some jobs, the military remained a viable way for black men to advance in society beyond the average working class citizen of the day. A great many were the children of slaves who by their own ingenuity and courage managed to secure a middle class lifestyle in the face of the “Jim Crow” mindset of the average white person circa 1900.

Throughout this presentation you will find much of the progress among the black community is directly related to service in the Armed Forces. My family on both sides has served in the military since the Civil War. I have had a direct ancestor in every American conflict up to the present “Gulf Wars”.

Integrated Government office circa 1890

Black soldiers fight at Vicksburg in 1864

Share cropper circa 1890

Blacksmith circa 1910

My Great grandfather William Marshall and his wife Mary had four children Francis, Lillian, Theima (my grandmother) and Alpha who everyone called Abby. William was a Teamster (in those days anyone who drove horses) for the National Brick Yard in S.W. Washington D.C. his wife was a maid and laundress.

These were not the most prestigious jobs in town, like the Reverend of a large church or an owner of a popular funeral home or revered like a Teacher or Physician, but solidly middle class, where you would find your Cooks, Waiters, Doormen Elevator Operators, Pullman Porters and Cabbies.

Her brother Francis was “regular Army” meaning he had enlisted in 1914 and was “called up” in early 1917. He served in the D.C. National Guard and his unit was sent to France as part of the A.E.F. (American Expeditionary Force). These men were commanded by Gen. John J. “Black Jack” Pershing who was so called because he commanded “colored” troops during the Mexican expedition to capture Poncho Villa, the notorious Mexican bandit and revolutionary. He returned home to his family but remained active among WWI vets as a VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) official. My Grandmother graduated from Minor’s Teachers College in 1924. She taught Grade School until the out break of WWII when the U.S. Government finally opened up for minorities and women and she went to work for the Treasury Dept. from which she retired in 1962. All the while she managed to raise 7 children and mentor 22 grand-children and 11 great-grandchildren.

Most of us today can’t even imagine that kind of accomplishment.

William & Mary Marshall circa 1948

Black Men on and off the plantation were called to fight for their freedom byAbolitionist posters likeThe one at the top. My GreatGrandfather’s Dad went off to war from the Eastern Shore of Maryland. When he returned my Great grandfather listened to his tales of the “North” and decided to leave the farm and walked to to Washington, D.C. where he married, worked and raised a family . Besides two daughters, he had two sons, one serving in WWI and one in WWII. All of his Grandsons served in the military from Korea through Vietnam.

General John J. Pershing

José Doroteo Arango Arámbula aka Francisco “Poncho” Villa, Bandit Chieftain, Revolutionary and sometime politician. On 9 March 1916, General Villa ordered nearly 500 Mexican members of his revolutionary group to make a cross-border attack against Columbus, New Mexico killing 18 Americans.

Now Playing “Ballin’ the Jack” Eubie Blake - 1898

My Grandfather, Ellsworth Davis Sr. was the fourth of six children. Born Sept. 5th, 1902 on Hobart St. N.W. (around Howard U) in Washington, D.C. At the time, his was a relatively new neighborhood. (My Great-grandfather, William Marshall, once told me that when he came to D.C. in 1884 the city line was Florida Ave).

Ellsworth's father, a veteran of the Spanish American War (1899-00), had lost two fingers on his left hand when his Navy Destroyer was attacked off the Cuban coast. Despite this injury he managed to start and build up a laundry business that my Grandpa declared “had one of the first Model-T delivery trucks!”

A few young black men , like my Grandfather, managed to finish Secondary School (eighth grade) and then enter the family business or find some other means of employment. The Army looked like a real opportunity and a lot of men joined up.

They fought in the Philippine Islands, Mexico and China. Their service in these forgotten conflicts is often a footnote in the historical record as these wars were mostly undeclared “police actions “. His brother Raymond, like many young men at the time, had joined the D.C. National Guard as a way to supplement his income. He was called up in 1917 and his battalion was seconded to the French Army during the war.

He often talked about his treatment in the “Auxiliaries” where black troops were shown a measure of equality. As a matter of course , black troops were not awarded medals for valor by the A.E.F. (American Expeditionary Forces) my uncle Ray used to let me play with his Croix de Guerre and his French Cross. As a child I didn’t really understand what these medals had cost him both physically and emotionally.

In the days after World War I, jobs were scarce or limited for young black men and their access of “decent” jobs was almost non-existent. In 1917 President Woodrow Wilson officially segregated the government work force. It would be over 25 years before blacks could seek these white collar jobs again.

From left to right-Ellsworth, Ruby (sitting), Mamie, Retha, Raymond

and Lawrence in the rear.

My Great Grand-mother Mary Jane (right)

1915 Model T Ford panel truck

Soldiers of the 25th Infantry (Colored)

filmed by Thomas Edison in 1902

I had two Great uncles in the First World War. Francis, on the left, is my Grandmother’s older brother. Raymond, on the right , is my Grandfather’s older brother. The U.S. Army at this time was, of course, segregated. None the less these two men were distinguished combat veterans. They carried on a tradition of black arms that dates back to the Revolutionary and Civil Wars where blacks were either battlefield servants or soldiers. Both of my uncles saw action in France and both were decorated for valor against the enemy, by not only the U.S. Army, but also the nation of France itself. Black soldiers returning from combat in the trenches of Europe were less likely to knuckle under to the “Jim Crow” segregation that they returned home to. They were more determined than ever to ensure that their children had a better chance at equality than they did. When the hard times of the Depression hit in 1929, it was these men and others like them that preserved the black family against the economic hardships that gripped the nation as a whole and black people in particular.

Sgt. Francis Marshall D.C. National Guard Sgt. Francis Marshall D.C. National Guard France, 1918France, 1918

Pvt. Raymond Davis Sr. 1Pvt. Raymond Davis Sr. 1stst Separate Battalion Separate BattalionFrance / 1918France / 1918

Now Playing “ Pack Up your Troubles” George Asaf - 1914

Member of the 369th Infantry“Harlem Hell Fighters” returns

home.

“Dough Boys” of the 1st Separate Battalion hurl grenades at German

Positions in the Marne in 1918.

Black 1st Lieutenant. of the American

Expeditionary Force (A.E.F.) 1917

Gen. Benjamin O. Davis Sr.Highest Ranking Black Officer in

1916.

Black Officer Recruits trainingAt Ft. Des Moines, Ia. 1917

A great many stories of courage and

patriotic bravery have been left out of the American historical record pertaining to the contribution of black Americans

during the First World War. While many may

know of the participation of

enlisted men of color, few are aware that

there were a significant number of Black Officers in the

U.S. Army.Some of these men were trained at Ft.

Des Moines, Iowa in 1917. While no black soldier was awarded the Congressional

Medal of Honor during the war.

Pres. George Bush I awarded a

posthumous medal in 1991 to Cpl. Freddie Stowers for actions in

France in 1918. Although Stowers and

some 40% of his company were killed during the assault on a heavily fortified hill, his sisters survived to receive the award for

him.

Jacques BullardOnly Black Combat

Pilot of WWI’sLafayette Escadrille

1914

William and Mary Marshall in 1949 on the occasion of their 65th wedding anniversary My Grandmother’s graduating class of 1924, Minor Teachers College now Howard

University. Note: there is only one male class member in the middle row left.

William Marshall is congratulated on his 91st Birthday by Rev. Clarence Long of Mt. Airy

Baptist Church flanked by my Grandmother (right) and her sister Lillian. 1960

Ellsworth and son at Ft. DuPont 1932 (at least in D.C. most public facilities were

not segregated) although I remember being able to go to Glen Echo Amusement Park

only on Sundays in 1962.

My Grandmother‘s 18th birthday, Sept. 25th, 1920. at the time this picture was taken she was a sophomore at Howard

University in Washington, D.C.

Now Playing “ Azure” Duke Ellington - 1935

The Great Depression of the 1930’s had aparticularly devastating effect on the black communities of Washington D.C. as well as the rest of the nation. Rural blacks begin to leave the farms of the deep south and headed for factory and other private sector jobs in the north left open to them by the drafting of white men into the Armed Forces and women into the war effort. My Grandmother’s little brother Alpha (top left with his wife Louise) served in the infantry in France, Belgium and Germany. He served with distinction winning a Bronze Star and Purple Heart among other decorations. His unit was among those that first encountered and liberated a number of German Concentration Camps. The things he saw there affected him for the rest of his life. The guards and officers of the camps were not eager to surrender to Black American troops or their officers. Once evidence of their crimes were uncovered, the troopers realized what the conclusion of state sponsored racism could be.

My Grandfather landed a job at the Post Office in 1940 when, as he put it “all you had to do was lift a 75lb. bag of mail.” he carried that mail for the next 35 years and people on his route of K St. to Pennsylvania Ave. still remembered him long after he retired. My Grandma, as I mentioned earlier, worked at the Treasury Dept. and together they purchased a house on Delafield Pl. N.W. in 1950. That’s where I grew up. Among these brave and wonderful people whom I’ve only recently begun to appreciate. When the Civil rights movement of the 1960’s began in earnest they were at the forefront of the struggle for equality.

Alpha (Abby) Marshall and his wife Louise.

My Grandma at Asbury Park, NJ in 1949.

My Grandparents in front of their home on Delafield Pl. NW. in 1954.

Grandma, Abby, Louise, my Mother Granddaddy and Aunt Lois, Christmas 1954

World War 2 brought new opportunities for all minorities through service in the armed forces. Blacks as well as Latinos, Nisei (Japanese), Native Americans and others were offered the chance to serve in capacities that were denied them in previous conflicts. The Afro-American has served in every major war or conflict since before the Revolution either as a servant/soldier or as an irregular (e.g. scout or Quartermaster)

WWII was the first conflict were Blacks Served in every arm of service and were allowed officer status in great numbers. While most know of the exploits of the Tuskegee Airmen, few know of the contribution of 333rd Tank Force (My uncle Abby’s unit) in the Ardennes Forrest (Battle of the Bulge) or the Red Ball Express (Normandy, France and cont.). These men and women (WACS,WAVES and other war industry workers) went unsung for the most part and their service a footnote in the history of the war. Yet when they returned home they led the way in the struggle for equal treatment for all Americans regardless of creed or color.

Note: On July 26, 1948 President Harry Truman issued Executive Order 9981 officially ending segregation by race in all Armed Forces of the United States and setting a precedent for future legislation aimed at ending racial inequality in the U.S.

Honored for bravery. Italy 1943

Moss Point Marine on Okinawa

South Pacific 1945

Members of the “Red Ball Express”France, 1944

Two Tankers of the 333rd Tank RegimentAttached to Patton’s 3rd Army. Belgium, 1944

Members of a Graves Registration UnitThese soldiers and other manual laborers made up the bulk of service by minority troops. These men built the ALCAN Highway in Alaska, unloaded the ships on Okinawa , strung the Anti-Aircraft Balloons on Omaha Beach on D-Day while the Merchant Marines delivered the goods all over the world from Liverpool in England to Murmansk in the former Soviet Union.

A Navy nurse tends to a wounded soldier in

Germany1945. Black women made up a significant portion of the U.S. officer corps in the Armed Services during WWII.

Serving in every branch including the Marine Corps as

Nurses and other professionals.

1st Lt. Vernon J. Baker is the only living Black recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor from WWII. Lt. Baker was honored with others by Pres. Clinton in 1997. Also

shown are the Bronze star and WWII Service Medal.

Now Playing “If I Didn’t Care” The Ink Spots - 1944

Lois Davis BallardHoward University

Insurance Executive1925 - 2004

Ellsworth Davis Jr. (Sonny)Spingarn R.O.T.C.

U.S Air Force 1946 / 1977 California Bureau of Veteran Affairs (Ret.)

1927

Phillip A. Davis Sr.U.S. Army / 82ndAirbourne

Division1950 - 1954

Free lance Artist / Designer1932 - 1994

Muriel Davis JohnsonHoward University

Administrator (Ret.)Baltimore Co. Public Schools

1929

Ronald A. Davis Sr. Howard University

U.S. Army 1952 / 1956Clerk of the Court (Ret.)

D.C. Superior Court1933

Carolyn Davis Self ( My Mom) Marymount College

The University of the District of Columbia

R.N. NP Pediatric Radiology 1936-2008

Kenneth L. Davis Sr. U.S. Navy 1960 / 1964U.S. Post Office (Ret.)Host of “Dance Party”

Live from Breeze’s Metro Club1938

My Grandparents had seven children, my Mom being #6. These young black men and women endured the Great Depression and WWII to emerge as the foot soldiers of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950’s and ’60’s.

The opportunities afforded them by the War and it’s subsequent relaxing of ingrained racial policies allowed them the fortitude necessary to realize “the dream”. From the “Soul Music” of the ‘60s to the “Black Power” movement of the ‘70s they have shaped their own and succeeding generations like none before them. I sat on my Uncle Phil’s shoulder during the March on Washington in 1963 and met MLK at my Grandma’s church . Since then I have often thought about how little we understand something as we are living through it.

Now Playing “The Magic Touch” The Platters - 1944

Nannies with their charges - 1901

Paul & Muriel Johnson 1978

Phil Davis with Mom & Dad 1975

My Mom in 1964My Mom & Dad

1984

George & Lois Ballard at my cousin Lois’ wedding - 1979

Me (arrow) & my cousins1958

My Great Grandfather

William Marshall & me

1959 ( 89 yrs.)

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King

Malcolm Little aka Malcolm X aka Malik –al-

Shabazz

By the 1960’s minorities all over the U.S. werestanding up for their right to equal treatment under the law. The Voting Rights Act of 1965ensured that this dream long held and fought for became a reality. As young men and women were dying in Vietnam they were also dying for the right to live in a desegregated America .

Now Playing “ Inner City Blues” Marvin Gaye - 1968

MUSIC

“I found a new baby” The Chicago rhythm kings

“ballin’ the jack” eubie Blake

“Pack up your troubles” George Asaf

“azure” Duke Ellington

“the magic touch” The platters

“if I didn’t care”

The ink spots

“inner city blues” Marvin Gaye

WEBSITES AND REFERENCES

THE HERITAGE OF THE GREAT WAR

WWI THROUGH WWII

ARCHIVES OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN’S SOCIETY

GOOGLE

ASK.COM

THE PHOTO COLLECTIONS OF THE DAVIS FAMILY

MUSIC

“I found a new baby” The Chicago rhythm kings

“ballin’ the jack” eubie Blake

“Pack up your troubles” George Asaf

“azure” Duke Ellington

“the magic touch” The platters

“if I didn’t care”

The ink spots

“inner city blues” Marvin Gaye

WEBSITES AND REFERENCES

THE HERITAGE OF THE GREAT WAR

WWI THROUGH WWII

ARCHIVES OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN’S SOCIETY

GOOGLE

ASK.COM

THE PHOTO COLLECTIONS OF THE DAVIS FAMILY

I would like to take a moment to acknowledge my family without whom none of the material in this presentation would be possible.My Grandparents who helped raised me while my Dad was overseas.My Mom and Dad who neverlet me forget where I came from.My Great Grandfather who regaled me with the stories of his youthand the experience of a century.My Aunts and Uncles who looked out for me, tutored me and gave me the benefit of their collectiveknowledge.Their accomplishments are great and their belief that future generations would build on their successes is a mandate for all to strive to be worthy of the sacrificesof their generation G. Mark Davis Sr. 2008

Portrait of my Maternal Grandmother

By Phillip Davis Sr. / 1978

Grandfather in uniformCirca 1946

My family members have won several decorations during their military service, they include…The Bronze Star, The Silver Star The Purple Heart, The Croix de Guerre, WWI & the WWII Service Medal.

James Reese Europe Black Army Band Director –

369th Infantry – 1918

Jacques Bullard only Black CombatPilot of WWI. Bullard flew for the Famous Lafayette EscadrilleOf the French Army. He joined the French Foreign Legion in 1898. He enlisted with American Forces in 1918 but was never allowed to fly. Returned to the U.S. to become 1st Black Airmail Pilot in 1919 .

Augustus Wiley (left) one of the many “Buffalo Soldiers” who were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. To the right are men of the U.S. 10th Calvary (Colored) 1890