African-Americans in the U.S. military timeline

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. – February is African-American History Month and in an attempt to inform and educate the masses, we provide the following timeline, “Remembering the Legacy, African-Americans in the Military,” compiled by the Department of Defense, and more.

March 5, 1770: Crispus Attucks is shot and killed while confronting British troops during the Boston Massacre. 

June 17, 1775: Peter Salem fights valiantly alongside other American colonists against British forces at the Battle of Bunker Hill outside Boston.

It’s estimated that 5,000 African-Americans fought on the patriot side against the British during the American Revolutionary War, fought 1775-1783.

About 180,000 African-Americans wore Union blue and earned praise for their military skill during the American Civil War, fought 1861-1865. Twenty-five African-Americans received the Medal of Honor for bravery during the war.

 July 17, 1863:  Union soldiers of the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Regiment achieved military respect by routing a Confederate force after two hours of hard fighting at Honey Springs in present-day Oklahoma. 

Sept. 29, 1864:  African-American troops fighting for the Union distinguished themselves again at the Battle of Chaffin’s Farm, Va. Fourteen African Americans received the Medal of Honor for their heroism at that engagement.

July 28, 1866: The U.S. Congress passes legislation creating the 9th and 10th U.S. Cavalry Regiments for service on the American frontier. The units were comprised of African-American enlisted soldiers and noncommissioned officers under the command of mostly white commissioned officers. The African-American cavalrymen gained the respect of the Indians they fought on the plains and in the southwest. The Indians called the African-American cavalrymen “Buffalo Soldiers” for their toughness and bravery.

During the course of the Indian Wars fought from 1866 to the early 1890s, thirteen enlisted men and six officers from the 9th and 10th U.S. Cavalry Regiments and two African-American infantry units earned the Medal of Honor. 

July 1, 1898:  During the Spanish American War, African-American soldiers with the 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments and the 24th and 25th Infantry Regiments fought alongside Lt. Col. Teddy Roosevelt and his volunteer unit of “Rough Riders,” and defeated Spanish troops at the Battles of Kettle Hill and San Juan Heights, Cuba.

Five African-American soldiers earned Medals of Honor for their heroism during the Spanish American War of 1898.

African-American troops eagerly volunteered for military service and served with distinction following America’s entry into World War I in April 1917. By the war’s end in November 11, 1918, more than 350,000 African-Americans has served with the American Expeditionary Force on the western front in Europe. 

Sept. 28, 1918:  African-American soldier Cpl. Freddie Stowers continued to lead his men during an attack on German trenches despite several wounds. The enemy positions were ultimately taken by the Americans, but Stowers died from his injuries. A paperwork snafu delayed his receipt of the Medal of Honor, which he obtained posthumously 73 years after the war. Stowers became the only African American to receive the MOH for military service during World War I. 

Aug. 1, 1941:  Benjamin O. Davis Sr. is promoted to brigadier general, becoming the first African-American general officer in the regular Army and the U.S. armed forces.

Dec. 7, 1941:  Navy Ship’s Cook 3rd Class Dorie Miller shoots down four Japanese planes during the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and earns the Navy Cross. 

March 7, 1942:  The first group of African-Americans to graduate from military flight school at the Tuskegee Institute, Tuskegee, Ala., was inducted into the Army Air Corps.

Aug.-Nov. 1944:  Thousands of African-American truck drivers for the “Red Ball Express” risk life and limb to deliver desperately needed fuel, food and ammunition to Gen. George S. Patton’s 3rd Army as it pushed German forces eastward out of France during World War II.

More than 1 million African-Americans served in the U.S. armed forces during America’s participation in World War II from 1941-1945.

Oct. 29, 1947: President Harry S. Truman’s Committee on Civil Rights’ landmark report, titled, “To Secure These Rights,” was issued. It condemned racial segregation wherever it existed and specifically criticized the practice of segregation in the U.S. armed forces. The report recommended legislation and administrative action “to end immediately all discrimination and segregation based on race, color, creed or national origin” in all branches of the U.S. military. 

July 26, 1948:  President Harry S. Truman signs Executive Order 9981. It states: “It is hereby declared to be the policy of the president that there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion, or national origin.” The order also established a presidential committee on equality of treatment and opportunity in the armed services.

More than 600,000 African-Americans served in the armed forces during the Korean War (1950-53). Two African-American Army sergeants, Cornelius H. Charlton and William Thompson, earned the Medal of Honor during the conflict.

By the end of 1954, the last all-African American U.S. military unit had been disbanded, while African-American enlistment in the U.S. military grew. 

1954: Brig. Gen. Benjamin O. Davis Jr. becomes the first African-American general in the U.S. Air Force.

During the Vietnam War (1962-1975) African-Americans continued to join the armed forces in large numbers. Many volunteered to join the prestigious and high-risk airborne and air mobile helicopter combat units. There were 20 African-American Medal of Honor recipients during the Vietnam War. 

July 1, 1973:  The United States ends military conscription and adopts an all-volunteer military. African-Americans made up made up about 17 percent of the military’s enlisted force in 1973. By the early 1980s, African-Americans made up nearly 24 percent of the enlisted force.

Sept. 1, 1975:  Air Force Gen. Daniel “Chappie” James becomes the first four-star African-American general in the U.S. armed forces. 

Oct. 1, 1989:  Army Gen. Colin L. Powell becomes chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the most-senior African-American military officer in U.S. history. During his tenure as chairman Powell managed military participation in the Gulf War (1990-91). He served as JCS chairman until Sept. 30, 1993. Powell later served as Secretary of State in President George W. Bush’s administration.

On a USTRANSCOM note:

September 1989:  Army Maj. Gen. John Stanford became the first African-American  general  at USTRANSCOM where he was the director, Strategy, Policy Programs and Logistics until March 1991.  He was also acting deputy commander from March to June 1991.  The Stanford Conference Room in Building 1961 was dedicated in his honor in 2000.

Stanford retired in June 1991 and spent his retirement years doing something engrained in him--transformation and mentoring.  His four years as county manager of Fulton County, Georgia, won him national prominence.  Business Week profiled him for his efforts to provide the county with a long-term vision and resource plan while freezing taxes and halting expenditures. 

In 1995 Stanford accepted the position as Superintendent of Schools for Seattle, Washington.  Charged with revamping Seattle’s trouble school system, Stanford did just that.  Under his leadership, test scores improved, drop-out rates decreased, and confidence in the public school system reached an all-time high.  Even after diagnosed with leukemia in March 1998, he continued to press ahead.  During his hospitalization he asked people to donate money for books instead of sending him flowers.  At the time of his death in November 1998, well-wishers had donated enough money to provide books for every child in the Seattle public school system. 

Others have honored his memory.  In 1998, the U.S. Department of Education created the John Stanford Education Heroes Award to honor those who display extraordinary commitment to improving schools and increasing learning opportunities for students.  Stanford was inducted into the Army Transportation Corps Hall of Fame in 1999.  And in 2003, General Stanford Elementary School, located on Fort Eustis, Virginia, started classes.

Peg Nigra, staff historian, USTRANSCOM Research Center, contributed to this article.

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