Charles Blatcher, III.  Minority Military History. MJoTA 2012 v5n1 p0526

I am going to speak about Minority Military History, with special emphases on the Black experience. I plan to say a little about the politics of the experience and what’s happening at this moment in time, regarding our efforts to preserve the history. I am coupling the history with an introduction of my own poetic interpretation of the historical event that began our military participation in the Colonial Days. I plan to take full advantage of your presence today.

Black and other Minority Military History is a subject that is grossly under recognized in the annuals of American History. The subject is not taught as a part of American History in public education institutions. In spite of the fact it is the “cornerstone” of our claim for equal rights and opportunities.                        

Many members of the public still question why Minority Americans, especially Blacks have shown and continue to show an unwavering degree of patriotism toward this nation. Especially when you consider the many trials, tribulations and setbacks Black Americans have experienced in demonstrating worthiness of citizenship and equal entitlements. The struggles are on-going. Today, we are challenged with retaining access to the ballot box. There are serious efforts underway in some States to undermine the 1965 Voting Rights Act. A Right gained by-way of our participation in the Vietnam Conflict. I hope you have been keeping up with that issue. However, that’s a conversation for another time.

Among the 1st To Fall

In the winter of 1770

The colonial days of old;

An incident took place in Boston,

So the history is told.                                                          

The King of England ordered a tax,

Payable on products arriving by sea;

The proclamation outraged the Colonist,

So, they filled the harbor with his tea.                                                                  

On March 5th, a cold winter’s day;

The Colonist gathered in the town square;

To formally voice their protest,

That the taxes were unfair.

They were met by the British Redcoats;

And, Fire – was the order called;

As the shots heard around the world rang out,

Crispus Attucks was among the first to fall.

Freedom and Justice became the cry that day;

Liberty was the call;

After that infamous incident,

They knew the Crown must fall.

The Revolution began that winter’s day;

Yes, the Crown did fall;

But, the question that lingers in many minds,

Is, Why did Attucks answer the call?

For he was born into slavery;

But, in his quest to be free;

He escaped the chains of bondage,

And, took to life at sea.

Slavery, was the norm those days,

In the South the law of the land;

And although chattel in the South,

In the North he was a free man.                                                   

He worked the harbor of Boston,

Unloading cargo arriving by sea;

The proclamation the King had issued;

Imposed on his Liberty.

So, when the word was passed,

About the meeting in town square;

It was only natural,

For Crispus Attucks to be there.

He took his stand for Freedom,

Justice for us all;

And, in the name of Liberty,

He was Among the 1st To Fall.

He had reason to be there. It is the very same reasons that we have continued our participation; the pursuit of Liberty, Justice and Freedom.

Fewer are aware of the Native American and Hispanic American contributions to the Revolutionary War efforts. Both groups joined with the Colonist to repel the British Army. As a matter of fact, the Native American community contributed to the survival of the colonist when they arrived on the continent in the 1600’s. Had it not been for their friendship and help, the early settlers would not have survived the first winter. Tribal participation in the military affairs of the nation extends into the Civil War. In 1861, the Cherokee Nation joined forces with the Confederate Army and the Seminole and Creek Nations joined with the Union Forces. There is a story that has been passed down about what happened when a Cherokee unit led by Stand Watie met up with a Seminole and Creek unit fighting for the North. The way the story is told, the two sides refused to fight each other and parted ways.    

The legacy of people of Hispanic heritage extends from those early periods in time through the establishment of the thirteen British Colonies. When the Colonist rebelled against the British in 1770, the people of Hispanic heritage who had become a part of the colonial establishment supported their claim for freedom. When the Revolution began; George Farragut, a patriot of Spanish heritage, joined the Continental Navy. George Farragut rose to the rank of Admiral and went on to distinguish himself in the War of 1812. The name Farragut holds a prominent place in United States Naval History. The Admiral’s son, David Glasgow Farragut rose to the rank of Admiral in the Union Navy. He distinguished himself by leading the fleet to victory in the Battle of Mobile Bay. At no time in this nation’s history has Hispanic participation been restricted in the armed forces.  

Following the Revolution, some of the slaves that served were given their freedom. Some free Blacks received land grants for their service. However, their contributions were not given much recognition after the war.

From the close of the Revolutionary War to the War of 1812, Black participation in the Armed Force was virtually eliminated.

We reappeared in uniform in the War of 1812. The War was primarily fought on the open seas and the Great Lakes. Ten to twenty percent of the ship’s crew members were Black. The merits of their service were highly acclaimed by Admiral Oliver Perry, who initially objected to their service. Following the naval battle that freed the Great Lakes from the British control, he spoke of his Black crewmembers as “absolutely insensible to danger.”

Black soldiers also served as a part of the limited ground action that occurred during the war. The Louisiana Legislature authorized the enlistment of free Black Land-owners into the State’s Militia. The battalion was called the Free Men of Color. They helped to save the City of New Orleans from the threat of British forces in 1815. Following the War, the Black contribution was quickly forgotten. Black soldiers and sailors were not allowed to march in the parade celebrating the victory.

The Revolution and the War of 1812 provided the societal disruption that permitted many Black slaves to escape. Many joined the Seminole Indians in Florida. The area was under the claim of England and Spain. Neither country would agree to return the slaves to their irate white owners. Many Blacks intermarried into the tribe and became farmers, counselors and tribal leaders. In 1812, the British rebuilt an abandoned Spanish fort in Florida approximately 65 miles from the territory border of the United States. The fort became known as the Negro Fort. It served as the base for raids that were being conducted into Georgia. American troops attacked and destroyed the fort in 1816 beginning what became the first of two Seminole Wars. They recaptured many of the runaway slaves and returned them to their white owners.      

The second Seminole War was fought from 1835 to 1842. There was no Black military participation. Blacks were barred from serving in the military between 1820 and 1861.

In 1861 at the onset of the Civil War, Black enlistment in the military was still barred.

Before I go any further in talking about the Civil War, let me make one point clear: The Civil War was not fought for the purpose of ending slavery. It was fought to bring the South back into the Union. The Confederacy was utilizing slaves as laborers, cooks and teamsters. Some were used to work on the farms to free the white landowners for military service. The Emancipation Proclamation was issued as a means to destabilize the South’s labor force and weaken their economy. It was thought, the action would serve to shorten the war. It also provided the North with the opportunity to supplement its shortage of manpower in the Union Army and Navy by granting Blacks the opportunity to serve.

General Benjamin Butler circumvented the Union policy prohibiting the use of Blacks in the war in 1861. However, it was not until August 1862 that the Secretary of War approved the enlistment of Black Soldiers in the Union defense. The decision did not sit well with some members of the white public. Some feared allowing Blacks to be armed. Others objected because they felt it would embolden the demands of the Black public for equal rights.

President Lincoln described his decision to allow Black enlistment saying the following: “This is not a question of sentiment or taste, but one of physical force which may be measured and estimated as horsepower and steam power are measured and estimated. Keep it and you can save the Union. Throw it away - and the Union goes with it.”

Calling on Men of Color to enlist in the Union Army, Fredrick Douglass re-defined the Civil War to the Black public as an opportunity to demonstrate our worthiness of equal rights.

Quoting Douglass, “Once let the Black man get upon his person the brass letters U.S. let him get an eagle on his button and a musket on his shoulder and bullets in his pocket, and there is no power on earth which can deny that he has earned the right to citizenship in the United States of America.”

In January 1863, an all-Black regiment that had been raised in South Carolina and a volunteer regiment in Kansas were mustered into Federal Service. Massachusetts established the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. Some of you may be familiar with them from the movie titled; “Glory.” The regiment famed itself at the charge of Fort Wagner in South Carolina. Many members of the regiment died in that battle.

The contributions of Black soldiers and sailors during the Civil War Era were numerous. By the War’s end in 1865, it is estimated that 180,000 Blacks served in the Union Army and 30,000) served in the Union Navy. Over 37,000 were killed. The high casualty rates were due to bad medical care, poor equipment, inadequate training and the “no quarter” policy of the Confederate forces against Blacks facing them in combat. Another 200,000 served in service capacities as laborers, dockworkers and teamsters. Twelve Black soldiers were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Immediately following the war, the number of Blacks allowed to remain on active duty was reduced to 15,000.

The average enlistment of Blacks in the Civil War was for 3 years. However, since most Blacks were barred from enlisting until 1863, most still had a year to serve after the war ended in 1865. The Federal Government believing it was necessary to maintain a military presence in the South, stationed large numbers of Black Soldiers in that region.

New state militias were established in the Southern States. Blacks made up a large portion of the militias. In South Carolina and Louisiana, 9 Blacks were appointed to the positions of General Officers. Among the 9 was Robert Small, the harbor pilot who along with 7 slaves seized the Confederate ship “Planter” in 1862 in the harbor of Charleston. They navigated the ship through the Confederate defense, and surrendered it to the Union.

Moving through the period of Reconstruction, we enter what I personally call another sad day in American History: The Indian Campaigns.

 In 1866 the United States Senate passed a bill establishing the regular Army at 67 Regiments. Six were designated to be composed of Black Troops. The number was later reduced to 4, the 9th and 10th Cavalries and the 24th   and 25th Infantry Regiments. The regiments were divided into companies or battalion size units and scattered across the West. They were assigned the mission of protecting the settlers moving West, guarding the mail, protecting the railroad and suppressing hostile Indian tribes.

The Native American population resented the encroachment on their land. Black soldiers clashed with Indian warriors in over 100 battles. As the story is told, in respect of the soldiers’ bravery and the texture of their hair, our Native American Brothers and sisters dubbed the men, Buffalo Soldiers.

I must mention during that period of American History the Native American population were targeted for extinction. Prior to the Western expansion, it is estimated that the Native American population had numbered in the millions. By the end of the war in 1890, it had been reduced to 250,000. Eighteen Buffalo Soldiers were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

During the period of the Indian Campaigns, enrollment was opened for Blacks in the Army Military Academy, West Point. In 1870, James Webster of South Carolina became the first Black cadet to attend the academy. In 1874, the academy determined that he was deficient in his studies and terminated his appointment.

Henry O. Flipper became the first Black graduate of the academy in 1877. Following his graduation, he was assigned to the all-Black 10th Cavalry. I would like to remind you that during this period in American History, Black Officers could not serve in command of White troops. They did not have the same opportunities as their white counter-parts for advancement in rank because of the limitations of assignments. In 1881, Lt. Flipper was charged with embezzling public funds, and was discharged from the Army for conduct unbecoming an officer. He spent the remainder of his life trying to clear his name.

In 1976, at the behest of Commander Wesley A. Brown, the first Black graduate of the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, the Army conducted a review of the charges that led to Lt. Flipper’s dishonorable discharge. Lt. Flipper was pardoned and the United States Army issued a honorable discharge in his name.                                                                                

We, the National Veterans Coalition are currently working on overturning a similar injustice committed against Colonel Charles Young, the third Black graduate of West Point in 1889. In a military career that spanned 32 years, Colonel Young became the highest rank Black Officer in the United States Armed Forces. At the outbreak of World War I, he was in line to become the first Black General in the regular United States Armed Forces. During his military tenure, he served as a soldier/diplomat to the countries of Liberia, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and the Philippine Islands. He was the first Black American to serve as a superintendent in the National Park Service.

After achieving all this, he was declared medically unfit to serve and was discharged from the United States Army at the onset of World War I. To prove his fitness, Colonel Young rode on horseback and walked 500 miles from Ohio to Washington, DC to appeal his discharge. He ultimately was returned to active duty just days before the Armistice was signed ending the War. Colonel Young died in 1922 on a mission in Nigeria.

Colonel Charles Young holds a very special place in our history. I will acquaint you to him through his eulogy written by WEB Du Bois, historian and Founder of NAACP.

 “The life of Charles Young was a triumph of tragedy. No one ever knew the truth about the Hell he went through at West Point. He seldom even mentioned it. The pain was too great. Few knew what faced him always in his army life. It was not enough for him to do well-he must always do better; and so much and so conspicuously better, as to disarm the scoundrels that ever trailed him. He lived in the army surrounded by insult and intrigue and yet he set his teeth and kept his soul serene and triumphed.

He was one of the few men I know who literally turned the other cheek with Jesus Christ. He was laughed at for it and his own people chided him bitterly, yet he persisted. When a white Southern pygmy at West Point protested at taking food from a dish passed first to Young, Young passed it to him first and afterward to himself. When officers of inferior rank refused to salute a “colored officer” he saluted them. Seldom did he lose his temper, seldom complain.

With his own people he was always the genial, hearty, half-boyish friend. He kissed the girls, slapped the boys on the back, threw his arms about his friends, scattered his money in charity; only now and then behind the Veil did his nearest comrades see the Hurt and pain graven on his heart; and when it appeared he promptly drowned it in his music-his beloved music, which always poured from his quick, nervous fingers, to caress and bathe his soul.

Steadily, unswervingly he did his duty. And Duty to him, as too few modern men, was spelled in capitals. It was his lode-star, his soul; and neither force nor reason swerved him from it.

His second going to Africa, after a terrible attack of black water fever, was suicide. He knew it. His wife knew it. His friends knew it. He had been sent to Africa because the Army considered his blood pressure too high to let him go to Europe! They sent him there to die. They sent him there because he was one of the very best officers in the service and if he had gone to Europe he could not have been denied the stars of a General. They could not stand a black American General. Therefore, they sent him to the fever coast of Africa. They ordered him to make roads back in the haunted jungle. He knew what they wanted and intended. He could have escaped it by accepting his retirement from active service, refusing his call to active duty and then he could have lounged and lived at leisure on his retirement pay. But Africa needed him. He did not yell and collect money and advertise great schemes and parade in crimson-he just went quietly, ignoring appeal and protest.

He is dead. But the heart of the Great Black Race, the Ancient of Days-the undying and Eternal-rises and salutes his shining memory: Well done! Charles Young, Soldier and Man and unswerving Friend.”

Colonel Young was buried overseas. It took the persistent efforts of his wife and the NAACP to have his body exhumed and returned to the United States. He was re-buried in Arlington National Cemetery on June 1, 1923.

Every Black Flag Officer past and present in the United States Armed Forces owe the Colonel a debt of gratitude. He paved the way for their opportunities. We have called on President Obama, the United States Congress and the Department of the Army to grant Colonel Young in death the honor he earned in life – a promotion to the rank of Brigadier General. We are spearheading an effort to have a monument of his likeness erected in the Nation’s Capital.

In 1939 the United States Military appointed Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. as the nation’s first Black General in the regular Armed Forces. His son, Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., the fourth Black Graduate of West Point became the first Black General in the United States Air Forces in 1954.  

It took some very special individuals to endure what Colonel Young and both General Davis’ had to face in an effort to serve this nation.

You have probably heard of Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders. They mounted the famous charge up San Juan Hill in Cuba during the Spanish American War. The notoriety of that charge helped Teddy Roosevelt become the 26th President of the United States. However, few people are aware that the All-Black 24th Infantry Regiment was with him for that great assault. They provided him and the Rough Riders with the ground support necessary to make the charge successful. Six Black Soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor for Valor in the Spanish American War.

Many people are not aware that the 369th Infantry Regiment was the first Black Troops to see combat in World War I. The United States Army questioned the mental aptitude of the Black Soldiers to face combat against the highly trained and more educated Germans. The regiment was placed on loan to the French 4th Army. The regiment was sent to the front line where they served a record 191 days in the trenches. Two of its members Needham Roberts and Henry Johnson became the first Americans awarded the French Croix de Guerra Medal for Gallantry in combat. By the end of the war, the entire regiment had received the prestigious award. They were the highest decorated Black Soldiers in World War I.

In 1986, the United States Army reviewed the historical records of the War, and determined that one Black Soldier, Corporal Freddie Stower was entitled to the Congressional Medal of Honor. He was honored for Valor in an action that occurred in 1918 while serving in France. It took 68 years for Corporal Stower to receive his earned recognition posthumously. We still find it hard to believe that out of 400,000 Blacks who served in World War I, only one was found worthy of the Medal of Honor. They need to check the files of the French Government.

 May 15, 2012

By: Charles Blatcher, III

Chairman, National Veterans Coalition

The Politics of Black History                                             

The National Veterans Coalition has called on the Congressional Black Caucus to intercede in assisting to obtain information from the Smithsonian Institute pertaining to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Our coalition of Black Veterans Organizations is supportive of a national museum allowing Black Americans the opportunity to lend our own interpretation to our history. However, we have some concerns and reservations regarding if that is the intentions of the existing project.

In February the ground breaking ceremony was held on the Capitol Mall where the museum is to be built. (public property) A few curious things were revealed at the ceremony. First and foremost, keep in mind we are talking about a public institution.

The Smithsonian Institute belongs to us all. Part of the construction is underwritten with (public money, tax dollars). However, the event was closed to the public. The President of the United States and the First Lady were in attendance. However, they were not included in the symbolic act of turning the first soil to acknowledge the beginning of construction.

What greater honor could have been bestowed upon the project, the Black Community and nation than to have had the first Black President of the United States and First Lady turn the soil to begin construction on the first national museum dedicated to African American History and Culture?”

Perhaps the Smithsonian sensed the coming criticism following the ceremony. They issued a statement on-line explaining why the President and First Lady were not included in that part of the program. According to them, they reserved that honor for the members of the Smithsonian Family.

What is that supposed to mean? Are they implying the Smithsonian Board and Advisors are more important or prestigious than the President of the United States?

The exclusion raises serious questions to the intention of the project. Is it a vehicle for Black Americans to lend interpretation to our experiences as a major part of American society? Or, was the project initiated as a means of maintaining control over how Black History is officially presented? We hope that is not the case. We deserve the right to tell our own story.

We questioned why the Smithsonian has virtually excluded bringing this ambitious cultural undertaking to the Black Community for development input and funding support. Museums are about education. The education process begins with the development, planning and implementation of the project. Every aspect of this national undertaking should offer an opportunity to educate the public about the importance of the history and foster public discourse around the subject. There does need to be a discussion around the subject of race in this country.

We have been made aware that they have limit the display space for Black Military History to 3,000 square feet. We are talking about 242 years of history covering the period from the American Revolutionary War to the end of the War in Iraq in 2012. We are talking about five branches of the Armed Forces; the Army, Navy, Air Forces, Marine Corps and the Coast Guard formerly known as the Revenue Cutter Service. The space allotment is inadequate. It represents less than one percent of the proposed 320,000 square feet designated for the building.

We have made suggestion to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institute that they use the designated space as a temporary gallery to display segments of our military history until a permanent facility can be established to properly present the subject in a more detailed manner. We have also asked some basic questions about the coming National Museum of African American History and Culture. Are all the galleries the same size (3,000 square feet)? If not, what is the largest and smallest of spaces? If they differ in size, what were the determining factors as to how the spaces are allocated? Size and location is important in gallery presentations. Both emphasize the significance of the subject matter.

We would like to see what if any subjects were deemed more important than the contributions we have made in the defense of this nation. Again, our military history is the “cornerstone” of our claim for civil rights, equal opportunities and equal protection under the law.

We have asked who the scholars are providing the interpretations of our experiences. Who selected them? It would be nice for the Black community to hear what is being created in our name and by whom. It would also be a gesture of respect toward the National Black Community.

There appears to be just as much politics in history today as it was during the Civil War. The Congressional Black Caucus has yet to respond.    

Black Veterans returning to the United States at the end of World War I found that little had changed. Jim Crow Laws were still in effect, and several Black Veterans in uniform had been assaulted by white mobs at railroad stations. There were increases in the number of Blacks lynched - and a resurgence of Ku Klux Klan activities. The unrest was blamed on the returning Black veterans. Whites accused them of being infested with “foreign ideas” and influenced by foreign women. Members of the War Department argued for the removal of all-Blacks from the peacetime Army. Only 3,600 Blacks remained in the Army by 1939 when mobilizing manpower began in preparation for World War II. The Draft was instituted in 1940 and Blacks were allowed to register.

Over 2.5 million Blacks registered for the Draft. By the end of World War II, approximately 1.2 million had served. The reason we are here today is to formally recognize this “Day of Honor” recognizing Black and World War II Minority Veterans in Philadelphia.                                               

There are many first that could be acknowledged pertaining to World War II. Everybody has heard of the Tuskegee Airmen. It’s reported that they never lost a bomber while flying escort. (Without a doubt that was a major accomplishment.) How many of you are aware of the 761st “Black Panther” Tank Battalion? As a part of the Third Army, under the command of General George Patton, they were the first Allied Force to cross the Rhine River into Germany. They served a record 183 consecutive days in combat. The battalion spearheaded over 30 major assaults, and liberated a concentration camp. They suffered a casualty rate of fifty percent. Between 1945 and 1976 they were nominated 6 times for the Presidential Unit Citation.

The award was finally bestowed upon them in 1978, by Clifford Alexander, the first Black Secretary of the Army.

Black Women played a major part in the War. While most Black WAC s served in the United States, some served overseas. Black women from the Army and Army Service Forces were brought together to form the 6888th Central Postal Battalion. In 1945, they were sent to England and France to establish a central directory for the mail sent to troops in the European Theater. They cleared up a back-log of 3,000,000 pieces of undelivered mail that accumulated before they arrived.

Black Women also served in the Nurse Corps in all branches of the services. In 1943 there were only 160 Black nurses commissioned in the Army. They were only assigned to the 4 Army hospitals designated to treat Black Soldiers.    

The Navy commissioned it first 13 Black Officers. They became known as the Golden Thirteen. The Navy commissioned 2 ships staffed with all-Black crews, the Destroyer Escort “USS Mason” and the submarine chaser “PC1264.” A Navy mess man by the name of Dorie Miller shot down 4 enemy aircraft at Pearl Harbor. Personally, I believe he should be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for Valor.

Think about this for a moment - In the heat of battle, a mess men/cook jumps behind an anti-aircraft gun and shoots down 4 enemy aircraft. Dorie Miller was not trained to fire that gun. If he would have ran in the opposite direction, nobody could have faulted his actions. What he did was an act Valor that should have been (and) should be acknowledged with the Congressional Medal of Honor.

The Marine Corps opened enlistment to Blacks for the first time in their history. They formed 2 segregated combat units to accommodate Black enlistment; the 51st and 52nd Defense Battalions.

Of the 17,000 who served, 75% serving overseas were placed in service units, depot companies and ammunition companies. Those that did see combat, served in the Pacific Theater.

In 1941 at the outbreak of World War II, the Army once again employed the service of the Native American community. They were integrated and segregated in the armed forces. The Signal Corps chose the Navajo Language as the means of communication. The language was chosen because it was impossible for the enemy to understand. At the start of the war there were 30 Navajo Code Talkers in the Army, that figure increased to 420 by the end of the war.

Have you ever heard of the 100th and the 442nd “Go for Broke” Infantry Battalions. The two battalions were made –up of Japanese American men from Hawaii and internment camps on the main land. They were the most decorated battalions for its size and strength in the history of the United States Armed Forces. The medal count for the 17,000 men who served as a part of the battalions include the following: 22 Medal of Honor, 4,000 Bronze Stars and 9,486 Purple Hearts. The 100th Infantry Battalion gained the reputation as the “Purple Heart Battalion.” Within their first 2 months in combat, the Battalion suffered over 500 casualties.

Black and other Minority Military History is extensive. There are photographs and other documents in the National Archives and the Imperial War Museum in London, England that have not been seen by the American public. It is an interesting story about how a substantial amount of Black Military History found a home in the Imperial War Museum. The way the story was told to me, the US Government left the files at the conclusion of World War II. They told the British Government they were not bringing those files back to the United States. The British Government took possession of the file and archived the materials in their national museum.

There are a few obvious facts - about how our military history has been handled. Foremost, the facts have been suppressed- when told distorted to undermine its significance. Without a doubt the historical motivations have been political. The files in the Imperial War Museum need to be brought home to America. The segregated files on the Black Military experience currently held in the National Archives, should be placed on public display in an institution dedicated to the preservation of the history.    

For those who question the necessity of why this should be done, I offer this simple explanation: We owe it to those who came before us who were not properly recognized for the merits of their sacrifices and contributions. We owe it to our children and future generations to make the truth, public knowledge. I once read a quotation that went as follows: “We are not superior to our fathers and mothers. In fact, we are inferior if we do not move beyond the point where they have left us.” I believe that wholeheartedly. They have left the Black Community and nation with the responsibility to make sure the history find a proper home. It is the Black Community’s responsibility to make sure the stories told are not diluted of the “what and why” factors explaining the motivations, conditions and benefits of our service.  

Which bring me to mention the Smithsonian Institute and the building of the National Museum Of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC. The project was signed into law by the former President George W. Bush in 2003. The legislation was authored by Congressman John Lewis of Georgia.

The National Museum is slated to cost 500,000,000 dollars and serve as an annex of the Smithsonian Institute. We are supportive of the project. However, we have some concerns and reservations regarding intent. Did anybody see the groundbreaking ceremony in February? A few curious things were revealed at the ceremony. First and foremost, keep in mind we are talking about a public institution.

The Smithsonian Institute belongs to us all. The ground breaking ceremony was held on the Capitol Mall where the museum is to be built. (public property) Part of the planning and future construction is underwritten with (public money, tax dollars). However, the event was closed to the public. (Figure that out.) The President of the United States and the First Lady was in attendance. However, they were not included in the symbolic act of turning the first soil to acknowledge the beginning of construction.

I ask you; “what greater honor could have been bestowed upon the project, the Black Community and nation than to have had the first Black President of the United States and First Lady turn the soil to begin construction on the first national museum dedicated to African American History and Culture?” Perhaps the Smithsonian sensed the coming criticism following the ceremony. They issued a statement on-line explaining why the President and First Lady were not included in that part of the program.

According to them, they reserved that honor for the members of the Smithsonian Family. What is that supposed to mean? Are they implying the Smithsonian Board and Advisors are more important or prestigious than the President of the United States? The exclusion raises serious questions to the intention of the project. Is it a vehicle for Black Americans to lend interpretation to our experiences as a major part of American society? Or, was the project initiated as a means of maintaining control over how Black History is officially presented?

We hope that is not the case. We deserve the right to tell our own uncensored story.

The National Veterans Coalition would like to think the intentions of the Smithsonian Institute is honorable. And their exclusion of input   from the Black Community in this ambitious cultural undertaking is an oversight that they intend to correct since it has been called to their attention. Museums are about education. The education process begins with the development, planning and implementation of the project. Every aspect of this undertaking offers an opportunity to educate the public about the importance of the history and foster public discourse around the subject. There does need to be a discussion around the subject of race in this country.

Many of the facts that I have shared with you today regarding Black Military History will not find a home in the National Museum of African American History and Culture. We have been made aware that they have limited the display space for Black Military History to 3,000 square feet.

We are talking about 242 years of history covering the period from the American Revolutionary War to the end of the War in Iraq in 2012. We are talking about 5 branches of the Armed Forces; the Army, Navy, Air Forces, Marine Corps and the Coast Guard formerly known as the Revenue Cutter Service. The space allotment is inadequate. It represents less than 1% of the proposed 320,000 square feet designated for the building.

We have made suggestion to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institute that they use the designated space as a temporary gallery to display segments of our military history until a permanent facility can be established to properly present the subject in a more complete manner. We have also asked some basic questions about the coming National Museum of African American History and Culture. Are all the galleries the same size (3000 square feet)? If not, what is the largest and smallest of spaces? If they differ in size, what was the determining factors as to how the spaces were allotted? Size and location is important in gallery presentations. Both emphasize the significance of the subject matter.

We would like to see what if any subjects were deemed more important than the contributions we have made in the defense of this nation. Again, our military history is the “cornerstone” of our claim for civil rights, equal opportunities and equal protection under the law. We have asked who the scholars are providing the interpretations of our experiences? Who selected them? It would be nice for the Black community to hear what is being created in our name and by whom. It would also be a gesture of respect toward the National Black Community.  

We have been unable to secure answers to any of our questions.

We have called on Congressman John Lewis and the Congressional Black Caucus to become involved. There appears to be just as much politics in history today as it was during the Civil War. Congressman Lewis and the Congressional Black Caucus has yet to respond.    

We are asking you to lend (your voice to our) on this subject. We encourage you to contact your Congressional Representative and voice your support for our call for the promotion of Colonel Charles Young and the creation of a National Museum of Black Military History. In addition, demand that the information we have requested be made public and that the Black Community is given a greater voice in how we are represented in the National Museum of African American History and Culture.   After all, some of our tax dollars are paying for it.