Honoring the Unsung Legacy of Black Soldiers on Veterans Day
On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918, the thunder of artillery fell silent. World War I concluded, ending four grueling years of global conflict. As nations began to heal, memorial services proliferated to honor the countless soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice. This collective remembrance of the war’s end and the celebration of fallen heroes became known as “Armistice Day.”
From Armistice Day to a National Holiday
America formally recognized this day of remembrance in 1926 through a Congressional resolution dedicated to World War I veterans. Twelve years later, it blossomed into a national holiday, with the first official celebration held in Birmingham, Alabama, under the name we know today: Veterans Day.
Yet, for all the patriotic fanfare, a crucial narrative has often been relegated to the footnotes of history. Black soldiers have courageously served in the U.S. military since the Revolutionary War, yet their immense contributions and sacrifices have been systematically overlooked. They fought for a nation that, paradoxically, denied them the very freedoms they defended. While serving abroad for democracy, they returned to a homeland steeped in racial injustice. This Veterans Day, we shine a light on this profound and complex legacy.
A Legacy Forged in Dualities
The story of the Black veteran is one of stark contradiction. These men and women risked their lives for “freedom and democracy” overseas, only to come home and confront the entrenched evil of racial discrimination. Consider the Harlem Hellfighters, an African American infantry unit celebrated and decorated in France for their valor in World War I. Despite their heroism, they were conspicuously absent from their own nation’s victory parade. It took a full century for the U.S. to grant them a posthumous Congressional Gold Medal.
This pattern of neglect extended to the benefits promised to those who served. While their white comrades were lauded publicly and granted life-changing opportunities through legislation like the G.I. Bill, Black soldiers were routinely denied these advantages. The promise of the “American Dream” was, for them, a hollow one.
A Voice for the Overlooked
In a poignant interview with The New Yorker, renowned public interest lawyer and author Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, articulated this historical injustice.
“We do so much in this country to celebrate and honor those who risk their lives on the battlefield,” Stevenson stated. “But we don’t remember that Black veterans were more likely to be attacked for their service than honored for it.”
Pioneers and a Path Toward Progress
Despite these overwhelming obstacles, the immense sacrifices of Black servicemen and women have paved the way for significant, hard-won progress. African Americans have ascended to the highest ranks across all branches of the U.S. military. A landmark achievement came when Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III was appointed as the first Black U.S. Secretary of Defense. Similarly, in 2011, Major Gen. Marcia M. Anderson shattered a ceiling by becoming the Army’s first Black female reserve officer to achieve the rank of major general.
Today, we pay tribute to the legendary bravery of the Tuskegee Airmen, the resilience of the Montford Point Marines, and the trailblazing spirits of individuals like Cathay Williams, Benjamin O. Davis Sr., and Lt. Henry Ossian Flipper. We honor the legacy of Brig. Gen. Hazel Jones Brown and former Secretary of State Colin Powell, among countless others whose names may be lost to history but whose courage endures.
Black Americans have served with distinction and honor, even as the nation struggled to live up to the ideals enshrined in its founding document. They held America accountable to the promise that “all men are created equal” and are endowed with the unalienable rights of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Their service is a testament to a faith in a country that has not always kept faith with them.
On this Veterans Day, we at EBONY honor and remember their enduring legacy.