Immortal valor : the Black Medal of Honor winners of World War II

First Title Value for Searching:

Personal Author:

Child, Robert, 1963-

Physical Description:

288 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm.

Summary:

"In 1945, the US Congress recommended awarding the Medal of Honor to 432 American servicemen for acts of gallantry above and beyond the call of duty during World War II. Despite the fact that more than one million African Americans served, not a single black soldier received the Medal of Honor. This glaring omission remained on the record for over four decades. But recent historical investigations have brought to light some of the extraordinary acts of valor performed by black soldiers during the war. Men like Lieutenant Vernon Baker, who single-handedly eliminated three enemy machine guns, an observation post, and a German dugout. And Sergeant Ruben Rivers, who spearheaded his tank unit's advance against fierce German resistance for three days despite being grievously wounded. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Charles Thomas led his platoon to allow capture of a strategically vital village on the Siegfried Line in 1944 despite losing half his men and suffering a number of wounds himself. It was not until 1993 that a US Army-commissioned study determined that seven men, including Baker, Rivers, and Thomas, had been denied the Army's highest award due to racial discrimination. In 1997, more than 50 years after the war, President Clinton finally awarded the Medal of Honor to these seven heroes - sadly, all but one of them posthumously. These are their stories." --book jacket.

Contents:

Charles L Thomas -- Vernon J. Baker -- Willy James, Jr. -- Edward Allen Carter, Jr. -- George Watson -- Ruben Rivers -- John Fox.

Subject Term:

World War, 1939-1945 -- Participation, African American.

African American soldiers -- History -- 20th century.

Medal of Honor -- Biography.

African Americans -- Biography

Publication Info:

Oxford : Osprey Publishing, 2022.

Subject:

World War, 1939-1945 -- Participation, African American.

African American soldiers -- History -- 20th century.

Medal of Honor -- Biography.

African Americans -- Biography

European War, 1939-1945

Second World War, 1939-1945

World War 2, 1939-1945

World War II, 1939-1945

World War Two, 1939-1945

WW II (World War, 1939-1945)

WWII (World War, 1939-1945)

African American military personnel

Afro-American soldiers

Negro soldiers

Negroes as soldiers

Soldiers, African American

United States. Army -- African Americans

Congressional Medal of Honor

SAILS ISBN:

9781472852854

Available:

Library	Shelf Number	Shelf Location	Status
Searching... New Bedford Free Public Library	920 CHI 2022	NONFICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Richards Memorial Library	940.5403 C437	NONFICTION	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

The remarkable story of the seven African American soldiers ultimately awarded the World War II Medal of Honor, and the 50-year campaign to deny them their recognition.

In 1945, when Congress began reviewing the record of the most conspicuous acts of courage by American soldiers during World War II, they recommended awarding the Medal of Honor to 432 recipients. Despite the fact that more than one million African-Americans served, not a single black soldier received the Medal of Honor. The omission remained on the record for over four decades.

But recent historical investigations have brought to light some of the extraordinary acts of valor performed by black soldiers during the war. Men like Vernon Baker, who single-handedly eliminated three enemy machineguns, an observation post, and a German dugout. Or Sergeant Reuben Rivers, who spearhead his tank unit's advance against fierce German resistance for three days despite being grievously wounded. Meanwhile Lieutenant Charles Thomas led his platoon to capture a strategically vital village on the Siegfried Line in 1944 despite losing half his men and suffering a number of wounds himself.

Ultimately, in 1993 a US Army commission determined that seven men, including Baker, Rivers and Thomas, had been denied the Army's highest award simply due to racial discrimination. In 1997, more than 50 years after the war, President Clinton finally awarded the Medal of Honor to these seven heroes, sadly all but one of them posthumously.

These are their stories.

Reviews (1)

Library Journal Review

Of nearly five hundred recipients of the U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor for military service in the Second World War, only seven were Black. Those seven only received their medals in 1997 when President Clinton elevated their Distinguished Service Crosses (and in one case, a Silver Star) to the nation's highest combat award, and only because of activist campaigns on their behalf. Military historian Child (The Lost Eleven: The Forgotten Story of Black American Soldiers Brutally Massacred in World War II) presents each of the seven cases as a separate chapter, in which he recounts the service member's early years, entry into the military, training, and combat record, as well as relevant personal stories; citations for the awards are included at the end of each chapter. Child argues that too often, Black officers' heroic actions earned them less-prestigious awards, while some white officers received higher awards for lesser accomplishments. Much of the pertinent information on these seven service members can be found online, but the stories told in Child's book are all neatly gathered and contain details not easily found in more widely available sources. The book is complete with illustrations and notes for further reading. VERDICT This unique account should pique the interests of readers of military history and the experience of Black American service members during and after the Second World War.--Matthew Wayman, Pennsylvania State Univ. Lib., Schuylkill Haven

Author's Note	p. 7
List of Illustrations	p. 8
Introduction	p. 11
Part 1 Charles L. Thomas	p. 17
Chapter 1 Graduation Day	p. 18
Chapter 2 Last Stop USA	p. 28
Chapter 3 A Hell of Fire	p. 36
Part 2 Vernon J. Baker	p. 47
Chapter 4 The Boy from Cheyenne	p. 48
Chapter 5 The Italian Front	p. 57
Chapter 6 Storming the Castle	p. 72
Part 3 Willy James Jr.	p. 87
Chapter 7 A Fifth Platoon	p. 88
Chapter 8 Crossing the Rhine	p. 97
Chapter 9 Into the Lion's Mouth	p. 104
Part 4 Edward Allen Carter Jr.	p. 109
Chapter 10 Baptism by Fire	p. 110
Chapter 11 A Mercenary Man	p. 122
Chapter 12 March to the Rhine	p. 133
Part 5 George Watson	p. 143
Chapter 13 Picnic at a Hanging	p. 144
Chapter 14 Off to War	p. 157
Chapter 15 Operation Lilliput	p. 161
Part 6 Ruben Rivers	p. 167
Chapter 16 Black Gold	p. 168
Chapter 17 A New Esprit de Corps	p. 184
Chapter 18 Patton's Panthers	p. 193
Part 7 John Fox	p. 212
Chapter 19 Transfer Student	p. 213
Chapter 20 Shipping Out	p. 223
Chapter 21 Give 'em Hell	p. 231
Epilogue: The Rest of the Story	p. 245
Afterword: The Long Road to Recognition	p. 254
Acknowledgments	p. 260
Appendix: Full Roster of 3rd Platoon, Company C, 614th Tank Destroyer Battalion	p. 263
Notes	p. 265
Bibliography	p. 274
Index	p. 279

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Bound With These Titles

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Summary

Summary

Reviews (1)

Library Journal Review

Table of Contents