Black History Month - All Entries Welcomed

[Mo-Better]

Awhile back Brother QueEx gave his approval on putting together a thread addressing Black History. I thank him for giving this thread a home, since this forum is for political discussions.

The accomplishments of Black leaders, soldiers entertainers, inventors, athletes should not be ignored or forgotten. I welcome all to participate in this thread. The potential is enormous since this would consolidate all these heroes and their accomplishments in one location.

BTW Please Include the links for your entries.

Thanks,

Mo

My first installment will address D-Day WWII. For years we've seen movies addressing the bravery of white Americans and the allies as they invaded France to remove and defeat German forces that had entered many of the European countries with the intent of world domination.

Hollywood has produced numerous movies addressing these heroes. Movies like "The Longest Day and Saving Private Ryan" are two of the biggest I remember. But if you noticed in neither movie did you see one black person. Were we there? Indeed we were.

320th ANTI-AIRCRAFT BALLOON BATTALION (VLA)​

American Heroes of Normandy Beach - World War II

All documents and photos submitted by

Bill A. Davison
Waynesburg, Pennsylvania

Balloon Umbrella Raised on D-Day Has Sheltered the Beachheads Since

By Allan Morrison
(Stars and Stripes Staff Writer)

A U. S. BEACHHEAD, July 5, 1944 -- During and since D-Day barrage balloons flown by a Negro barrage balloon battalion have provided a screen of rubber several miles long on the two main beachheads, assisting in the protection of troop landings and the unloading of supplies.

There are two significant aspects of this outfit's work. First, the VLA (very low altitude) balloon confounded skeptics on their part in keeping enemy raiders above effective strafing altitude.

Second, the unit has the distinction of being the only Negro combat group included in the first assault forces to hit the coasts.

The balloons were flown across the channel from hundreds of landing craft, three men to a balloon, and taken ashore under savage fire from enemy batteries. Some of the men died alongside the infantrymen they came in to protect, and their balloons drifted off. But the majority struggled to shore with their balloons and light winches and set up for operation in foxholes on the beach.

The balloons still fly as protective umbrellas, some from the sites taken under 88 fire, others snugly established in former German hill fortifications. Many of the crews live in German pillboxes built into the cliffs and man their balloons around the clock.

The balloons are armed with a lethal device attached to the cable. Should an enemy pilot try to fly through the barrage and strike a cable, the device releases a "flying mine" which explodes against the plane.

The unit's first kill came recently when a JU88 ran afoul of the cable supporting the balloon commanded by Cpl. George Alston, of Norfolk, Virginia.

Pride of the battalion is a group of medics who covered themselves with glory on D-Day by landing in the face of heavy fire to set up a first aid station on that beach.

The men praised by the unit's CO, Lt. Col. Leon Reed, of Middlesboro, Kentucky, are: Capt. Robert E Devitt, Chicago, Illinois; S/Sgt. Alfred Bell, Memphis, Tennessee; Cpl. Waverly B. Woodson Jr., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Cpl. Eugene Worthy, Memphis, Tennessee, and Pfc Warren W. Capers, Kenbridge, Virginia. All have been recommended for decorations.

http://www.bjmjr.net/ww2/320aabb_index.htm

 

[QueEx]

Thanks brother "Mo" for remembering and offering this tribute, memorial and the
lessons to follow. Hopefully, the contributions will shower us with enlightenment.

QueEx

"54th Regiment!" recruitment poster, 1863. Although
African Americans were offering to help preserve the
Union, many had been turned away. The 54th Regi-
ment enabled them to enlist in the war and support
their families.

Excerpted from Rare Images of Black History: A Timeline

 

[thoughtone]

Wonderful post! Please consolidate this in the Unsung Heroes thread.

 

[Mo-Better]

Frederick Jones (1893-1961) By Mary Bellis

Fred McKinley Jones, Frederick McKinley Jones was one of the most prolific Black inventors ever. Frederick Jones patented more than sixty inventions, however, he is best known for inventing an automatic refrigeration system for long-haul trucks in 1935 (a roof-mounted cooling device). Jones was the first person to invent a practical, mechanical refrigeration system for trucks and railroad cars, which eliminated the risk of food spoilage during long-distance shipping trips. The system was, in turn, adapted to a variety of other common carriers, including ships. Frederick Jones was issued the patent on July 12, 1940 (#2,303,857).

Frederick Jones also invented a self-starting gas engine and a series of devices for movie projectors: adapting silent movie projectors for talking films, and developing box office equipment that delivered tickets and gave change.

Frederick Jones was born in in Covington, Kentucky near Cincinnati, Ohio on on May 17, 1893. He was a trained mechanic, a skill he learned doing military service in France during World War. His mastery of electronic devices was largely self-taught, through work experience and the inventing process.

Frederick McKinley Jones was granted more than 40 patents in the field of refrigeration. Frederick Jones' inspiration for the refrigeration unit was a conversation with a truck driver who had lost a shipment of chickens because the trip took too long and the truck's storage compartment overheated. Frederick Jones also developed an air-conditioning unit for military field hospitals and a refrigerator for military field kitchens. Frederick Jones received over 60 patents during his lifetime.

 

[Mo-Better]

Wonderful post! Please consolidate this in the Unsung Heroes thread.

Thanks, what I will do is add to the Unsung Heroes thread as we go along. I think having more threads of this nature will be a plus.

I occasionally I'm with brothers who need exposure to this type information. They lack sense of pride, unawares of who they are and no love of self or kind. IMO the more threads the better we have to reach these younger brothers.

 

[thoughtone]

Thanks, what I will do is add to the Unsung Heroes thread as we go along. I think having more threads of this nature will be a plus.

I occasionally I'm with brothers who need exposure to this type information. They lack sense of pride, unawares of who they are and no love of self or kind. IMO the more threads the better we have to reach these younger brothers.

Thanks for the post. I learn something with every new entry. Having multiple posts on similar topics means, months down the line, where this valuable information is posted will become forgotten. A common unified thread is best.

 

[Mo-Better]

The Tuskegee Airmen recently gained recognition for their contributions during WWII in the recent movie Red Tails. But long before the Tuskegee Airmen was The Lafayette Escadrille formed in April 20, 1916 who flew a fighter planes during WWI.

No they didn't fly for the US. This country was still far too racist in its way of thinking to allow that. The Lafayette Escadrille like many other blacks fought for the French. Yes Black men fought durning WWI a fact that pretty much was unknown prior to the internet. Within 2 1/2 years The Lafayette Escadrille is credited with 900+ kills and 72 aces.


In 1954 Eugene Jacques Bullard, along with two other French veterans, was invited by French President Charles de Gaulle to light the flame of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc of Triumph in Paris. I believe he was also decorated by de Gaulle during this time.

A largely unsung and unknown hero of the Lafayette Flying Corps was the fascinating Eugene Jacques Bullard. He was an African-American from Columbus, Georgia who would become the first African-American pilot. The son of a freed slave, he left Columbus by himself to move to Atlanta while still in his teenage years. He had been told that the way to escape racial prejudice was to head to Europe, particularly France. A long time back, his father had pointed out to him that Bullard was a French name and that at least one ancestor had hailed from there. So from Atlanta, he moved to London and then soon after to Paris. There he became a boxer and did relatively well. France had been good to Bullard, and he had quickly fallen in love with the country. So when World War I broke out, Bullard signed up for the French Foreign Legion. He was assigned to the French army's 170th Infantry Regiment whose nicknames were the "Swallows of Death". He was wounded twice at Verdun and then sent to a Parisian hospital where he spent the next six months recuperating. His valor was recognized with a chest full of French military decorations including a Croix de Guerre.

While convalescing in Paris, his friend and fellow Southerner Jeff Davis Dickson bet Bullard $2,000 that he could not get into the French Air Force. Bullard asserted that he could, accepted the bet and on October 5, 1916 arrived at the French aerial gunnery school at Cazaux on the Atlantic. It was at Cazaux that he met Edmond Genet. He told Bullard about the Lafayette Escadrille which inspired him to realize that he wanted to be a pilot and not a back-seat gunner. In mid-November with Genet's help he transferred to the flight school at Tours for pilot training. The training took a few more months, but it was inevitable given Bullard's persistence that it would pay off. Bullard earned his pilot's license and the Dickson faithfully paid the $2,000. It was a considerable sum at that time, especially for a gentleman's bet. Dickson admitted that hated to lose the money, but was delighted that at least Bullard was from Dixie. But the result of the bet was to launch Eugene Bullard into history as the first ever African-American aviator.

He wanted to join the Lafayette Escadrille as one of its pilots, but was kept out of it because of the prejudice of Doctor Edmund L. Gros, the unit's most important organizer in France. The day he was officially rejected was August 23, 1917.

He reached the front lines on August 27th flying 20 patrols in a Spad VII for French Escadrille Spa.93. He then flew numerous patrols in a Spad with Escadrille Spa.85 from September 13th to November 11, 1917. His Spad had an insignia lettered "All Blood Runs Red" and his nickname became the Black Swallow of Death. By some accounts, Bullard shot down a Pfalz and a Dr.I. Other sources, like Craig Lloyd in his biography "Eugene Bullard: Black Expatriate in Jazz-Age Paris" state that none were ever confirmed. Later, possibly because of Dr. Gros' influence, he was bumped out of the French Air Force and then transferred back to the 170th Infantry Regiment of the French Army.

After the war, Bullard settled down, and in 1923 married a French woman from a wealthy family named Marcelle Straumann. They settled down and had two daughters Jacqueline and Lolita.

Post-war Bullard bought a bar named "Le Grand Duc" on the north side of Paris. In the late 30s, prior to the outbreak of World War II, he was recruited by French intelligence to spy on the Germans who would come by his bar.

When World War II broke out in 1939, Bullard was still living in Paris running his bar. He remained very devoted to France and tried to join the French army but was considered too old. In 1940, he managed to find a way out of German occupied France, biked all the way down to Portugal and returned to the United States via a Red Cross ship. He settled in New York. He was able to extricate his daughters soon, but Marcelle remained in France and eventually they divorced.

In 1954 he, along with two other French veterans, was invited by French President Charles de Gaulle to light the flame of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc of Triumph in Paris.

He died at the age of 66 on October 12, 1961, with his achievements all but forgotten.

While Eugene Bullard is not as famous as the Tuskegee Airmen or Benjamin O. Davis Jr., as an African-American aviator, he was before all of them. The Chicago Tribune heralded him "as probably the most unsung hero in the history of U.S. wartime aviation" and others noted that his single-handed accomplishment was the equivalent of what the Tuskegee Airmen had accomplished in World War II.

Much of the above are excerpts from my book "American Eagles". Please support this website and our efforts to recognize our first combat aviators by buying it.

http://www.usaww1.com/Eugene-Bullard.php4

 

[Mo-Better]

This is pretty much a continuation of The Lafayette Escadrille entry but specifically Eugene Jacques Bullard.

In August of 1917 Eugene Jacques Bullard, an American volunteer in the French army, became the first black military pilot in history and the only black pilot in World War I. Born in Columbus, Ga., on Oct. 9, 1894, Bullard left home at the age of 11 to travel the world, and by 1913 he had settled in France as a prizefighter. When WWI started in 1914, he enlisted in the French Foreign Legion and rose to the rank of corporal. For his bravery as an infantryman in combat, Bullard received the Croix de Guerre and other decorations.

During the Battle of Verdun in 1916, France suffered 460,000 casualties and Bullard was seriously wounded. While recuperating, he accepted an offer to join the French air force as a gunner/observer, but when he reported to gunnery school, he obtained permission to become a pilot. After completing flight training, Bullard joined the 200 other Americans in the Lafayette Flying Corps, and he flew combat missions from Aug. 27 to Nov. 11, 1917. He distinguished himself in aerial combat, as he had on the ground, and was officially credited with shooting down one German aircraft. Unfortunately, Bullard -- an enlisted pilot -- got into a disagreement with a French officer, which led to his removal from the French air force. He returned to his infantry regiment, and he performed non-combatant duties for the remainder of the war.

After the war, Bullard remained in France as an expatriate. When the Germans invaded France in May 1940, the 46-year-old Bullard rejoined the French army. Again seriously wounded by an exploding shell, he escaped the Germans and made his way to the United States. For the rest of World War II, despite his lingering injuries, he worked as a longshoreman in New York and supported the war effort by participating in war bond drives.

Bullard stayed in New York after the war and lived in relative obscurity, but in France he remained a hero. In 1954 he was one of the veterans chosen to light the "Everlasting Flame" at the French Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe, and in 1959 the French honored him with the Knight of the Legion of Honor.

On Oct. 13, 1961, Eugene Bullard died and was buried with full military honors in his legionnaire's uniform in the cemetery of the Federation of French War Veterans in Flushing, New York. On Sept. 14, 1994, the secretary of the Air Force posthumously appointed him a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force.

http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=705

 

[Mo-Better]

Garrett Augustus Morgan Sr. Garrett Augustus Morgan, Sr. was an American inventor whose curiosity and innovation led him to develop several commercial products, the successors of which are still in use today. A practical man of humble beginnings, Morgan devoted his life to creating items that made the lives of common people safer and more convenient.

Among his creations was the three-position traffic signal, a traffic management device that greatly improved safety along America's streets and roadways. Morgan's technology was the basis for the modern-day traffic signal and was a significant contribution to development of what we now know as Intelligent Transportation Systems.

The Inventor's Early Life

Garrett Augustus Morgan, Sr. was born in Paris, Kentucky on March 4, 1877. His parents were former slaves. Morgan spent his early childhood attending school and working with his brothers and sisters on the family farm. He left Kentucky while still a teenager, moving north to Cincinnati, Ohio in search of employment.

An industrious youth, Morgan spent most of his adolescence working as a handyman for a wealthy Cincinnati landowner. Similar to many African Americans of his generation, whose circumstances compelled them to begin working at an early age, Morgan's formal education ended after elementary school. Eager to expand his knowledge, however, the precocious teenager hired a tutor and continued his studies in English grammar while living in Cincinnati.

In 1895, Morgan moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where he worked as a sewing machine repair man for a clothing manufacturer. Experimenting with gadgets and materials to discover better ways of performing his trade became Morgan's passion. News of his proficiency for fixing things traveled fast and led to numerous job opportunities with various manufacturing firms throughout the Cleveland area.

Morgan opened his own sewing equipment and repair shop in 1907. It was the first of several businesses he would start. In 1909, he expanded the enterprise to include a tailoring shop which retained 32 employees. The new company made coats, suits and dresses, all sewn with equipment the budding inventor had made himself.

In 1920 Morgan started the Cleveland Call newspaper. As the years progressed, he became a prosperous and widely respected businessman. His prosperity enabled him to purchase a home and an automobile. Morgan's experiences driving through the streets of Cleveland are what led him to invent the nation's first patented three-position traffic signal.

The Three-Position Traffic Signal Stoplight

The first American-made automobiles were introduced to U.S. consumers shortly before the turn of the century. Ford Motor Company was founded in 1903 and with it American consumers began to discover the adventures of the open road.

At that time, it was not uncommon for bicycles, animal-powered carts and motor vehicles to share the same thoroughfares with pedestrians. Accidents frequently occurred between the vehicles. After witnessing a collision between an automobile and a horse-drawn carriage, Morgan was convinced that something should be done to improve traffic safety.

While other inventors are reported to have experimented with and even marketed their own three-position traffic signals, Garrett A. Morgan was the first to apply for and acquire a U.S. patent for such a device. The patent was granted on November 20, 1923. Morgan later had the technology patented in Great Britain and Canada as well.

Prior to Morgan's invention, most of the traffic signals in use featured only two positions: Stop and Go. Manually operated, these two-position traffic signals were an improvement over no signal at all, but because they allowed no interval between the Stop and Go commands, collisions at busy intersections were common during the transition moving from one street to the other.

Another problem with the two-position traffic signals was the susceptibility to human error. Operator fatigue invariably resulted in erratic timing of the Stop and Go command changes, which confused both drivers and pedestrians. At night, when traffic officers were off duty, motorists frequently ignored the signals altogether.

The Morgan traffic signal was a T-shaped pole unit that featured three positions: Stop, Go and an all-directional stop position. The third position halted traffic in all directions before it allowed travel to resume on either of the intersection's perpendicular roads. This feature not only made it safer for motorists to pass through intersections, but also allowed pedestrians to cross more safely.

At night, or at other times when traffic was minimal, the Morgan signal could be positioned in a half-mast posture, alerting approaching motorists to proceed through the intersection with caution. The half-mast position had the same signaling effect as the flashing red and yellow lights of today's traffic signals.

Morgan's traffic management technology was used throughout North America until it was replaced by the red, yellow and green-light traffic signals currently used around the world. The inventor eventually sold the rights to his traffic signal to the General Electric Corporation for $40,000. Shortly before his death, in 1963, Morgan was awarded a citation for the traffic signal by the U.S. Government.

Another Significant Contribution to Public Safety Gas Mask

In 1912, Morgan received a patent on a Safety Hood and Smoke Protector. Two years later, a refined model of this early gas mask won a gold medal at the International Exposition of Sanitation and Safety, and another gold medal from the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

On July 25, 1916, Morgan made national news for using his gas mask to rescue several men trapped during an explosion in an underground tunnel beneath Lake Erie. Following the rescue, Morgan's company was bombarded with requests from fire departments around the country that wished to purchase the new life-saving masks. The Morgan gas mask was later refined for use by U.S. soldiers during World War I.

As word spread across North America and England about Morgan's life-saving inventions, such as the gas mask and the traffic signal, demand for these products grew far beyond his home town. He was frequently invited to conventions and public exhibitions around the country to show how his inventions worked.

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/education/gamorgan.htm

 

[QueEx]

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[QueEx]

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[shootdagift]

Happy Black History Month

 

[QueEx]

Re: Happy Black History Month

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<A HREF="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/Black_History_Month/">link</A>

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