FYI

January 28, 2019

· At the time the War of 1812 began, the U.S. had less than 10,000 soldiers and 16 ships in a Navy. Many of those serving were African-Americans.

· * Some 179,000 soldiers and 16,000 sailors were African-American during the Civil War.

* * Robert Smalls, stole the CSS Planter, from the Confederate Navy, and delivered it to the Union forces. He reached the rank of Captain, and later served in the U.S. Congress. He died in 1915.

· * Sixteen (16) African=Americans were awarded the Medal of Honor for service during the Civil War.

· * Henry Flipper(born in 1856) was the 1^st African-American to graduate from West Point. He was later drummed out of the military on what is now believed to be fake charges. In 1976 his release from the military was changed to reflect honorable service. In 1999 President Clinton, calling him an extraordinary American, granted him a full pardon.

· * During WWII more than 1,000,000 African-Americans served in the U.S. military.

· * In 1948 President Truman ordered that African-American service people should be treated equally with others. Segregated military units continued until 1954.

· * Sgt. Cornelius Charlton was posthumously awarded the Medal o f Honor for service during the Korean War.

· * Army Captain Riley Pitts, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for giving his life during the Vietnam war.

· * Brigadier General Lorna Mahlock was the first African-American woman to become a general officer in the Marine Corps in 2018, and is still on active duty.

NOTE: The above information has been obtained from:

Christina Wood. “Rising Through the Ranks,” Military Officer, February 2019, Pages 48-51 and page 60.