By: Charles Blatcher, III, Chairman, National Coalition of Black Veteran Organizations
(Permission is granted for the reprinting of this article. Please send a copy of the reprinted article to cnmmmf@aol.com ).
In the next 100 days, history will change and the wrongs of prior generations may go unnoticed – so the urgency to be on the right side of history is in our hands. It is time to give our African American military heroes – like Buffalo Soldier Colonel Charles Young — their full recognition in an act that should be central to the fabric of our nation. How can you acknowledge Buffalo Soldiers without giving due recognition for their leader – Colonel Charles Young, who has not been given the honorary promotion that we have requested from this Administration. When will the White House recognize that we must make right the wrongs of Colonel Young who rests in Arlington National Cemetery? The National Coalition has been trying for thirty- eight years to get Young, the third African American to graduate from West Point, his promotion. Colonel Young was the highest ranking African American military officer at the time of his death in 1922. He deserved a promotion yet it was denied because of his skin color.
The Coalition had reason to have more than a glimmer of hope when Barack Obama became the nation’s first African American president. The Coalition approached the White House shortly after he became president. It was in 2009 that the White House promised to call the Coalition. The call came with a promise to get back with us. The call back never came. The coalition has remained respectful and given this Commander- in- Chief and his White House staffers more than ample time to do the right and honorable thing by Col. Young.
Does Colonel Young’s service and ultimate justice matter to this nation?
Col. Young is buried in Arlington Cemetery – yet his soul will never be at peace unless we give him the honor of the promotion he deserves. White House staff should move past their finding that they could not validate his worthiness for the honor because his records were destroyed in a 1973 fire. This is not acceptable when other evidence exists to validate the quality of his service. Young’s contributions are well noted and all over the historical landscape. Enough information existed for his home in Wilberforce, Ohio to be declared a National Monument in 2013. Last June, the President bestowed the Medal of Honor on Sgt. Henry Johnson for action in 1918 during World War I. Sgt. Johnson was a member of the all Black 369th Infantry Battalion aka (The Harlem Hellfighters).On the merits of his service he was worthy of the recognition many years past. Serving under the command of the France Army, he and Needham Roberts were the first two American recipients of the France Croix de Guerre Medal for gallantry. We are surprised they had the records to make the finding of his entitlement for the Congressional Medal of Honor. He served during the same era as Colonel Young. It appears his records escaped the fire. They should also check to see if Dorie Miller the Black third class Navy Mess Attendant (Steward) files exists. They just may discover they owe him a Congressional Medal of Honor for his action at Pearl Harbor. He was one of sixteen Medal Recipients for action taken during the attack. The fifteen white medal recipients received the Congressional Medal. Miller, who died on active duty in 1943, was the only one given the Navy Cross, the second highest award. He manned an anti-aircraft gun and shot down an enemy aircraft.
The Military should want to clear the records of the last visible signs of inequities in how Blacks were not equally treated and recognized for the merits of their service during the period of the segregated Armed Forces. In this time of poor race relations it could be the Armed Forces who can once again take the lead in addressing race relations by correcting past oversights of discrimination on the historical record. An honorary promotion for the legendary Colonel Young would be an excellent starting point in clearing the slate. And that is all we have asked of President Obama.
In a recent editorial opinion written by Arelya Mitchell, editor of the Mid-South Tribune and Black information Highway mentioned a new work, “Dream A World Anew” published by Smithsonian Books in celebration of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. She stated, even though Colonel Young is not specifically mentioned in this book’s limited military pages, there is a photograph of a veterans’ commemorative flag and on this flag are the words: “Veterans Reunion, 9th Batt. O.V.I., Maj. Chas. Young, Commanding.” That Major Charles Young went on to become Colonel Young. We are looking forward to seeing how the Colonel is featured in the soon to be opened national facility. After all he has been the center of the advocacy for the twenty-four coalition partners which includes the majority of the Black Veteran Organizations in the nation. Ms Mitchell stated, within the limited military pages there was no mention of Young beyond his name on the flag. However, we are confident the Colonel’s story should appear within the Military History Gallery. His accomplishments are too numerous to exclude him of mention within the context of a factual presentation on the subject. The most influential general of the time, Army Chief of Staff John ‘Black Jack’ Pershing pushed for Colonel Young’s promotion to general.
Mainstream news media has shown no interest in talking about Colonel Young or Black Military History. Most are not aware that he is the Soldier who paved the way for Colin Powell to become a general and the first Black Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and President Obama to serve as the nation’s first Black Commander-In-Chief. Every Black and other Minority servicemen and servicewomen who served in the General and Flag Ranks of the Armed Forces owes a debt of gratitude to the late Colonel. We will continue focusing our attention on the subject through all available means that include the social media and the Black Press. Among our strongest supporters in the House of Representatives have been Congresswoman Barbara Lee and Congressman Charles Rangel. In 2013, they were joined by thirty-three of their colleagues in signing a letter to the White House calling for the honorary promotion of Colonel Young. The White House ignored their appeal, without explanation.
To view the letter, click here.
Can the current Administration get on the right side of military history with recognizing Colonel Charles Young as the standard bearer for the four hundred thousand Black Soldiers that served during the era of World War I? We will know within the next 100 days. Let’s remember that in his time and even today, we, as African American Veterans, are sometimes hidden in plain sight — so let’s shine the light on righting the painful wrongs of history. If we don’t make this right, we are letting the world know that to us, our history really doesn’t matter. We invite you to sign our petition to President Obama located at http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/an-honorary-presidential
The Coalition can be contacted at e-mail address: cnmmmf@aol.com ###
