Immortal Valor

The Black Medal of Honor Winners of World War II

Immortal Valor cover

Immortal Valor

The Black Medal of Honor Winners of World War II

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Description

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. Of those nearly 500 candidates and a total of more than one million African-Americans who 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 7 men had been denied the Army's highest award simply due to racial discrimination and 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.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1. Legacy of Valor Short stories of Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War through WWI.

Chapter 2. Reuben Rivers Introduces his early life.

Chapter 3. Reuben Rivers Early Military Experience.

Chapter 4. Reuben Rivers Medal of Honor Incident.

Chapter 5. Vernon Baker Introduces his early life.

Chapter 6. Vernon Baker Early Military Experience.

Chapter 7. Vernon Baker Medal of Honor Incident.

Chapter 8. John R. Fox Introduces his early life.

Chapter 9. John R. Fox Early Military Experience.

Chapter 10. John R. Fox Medal of Honor Incident.

Chapter 11. Wily F. James Jr. Introduces his early life.

Chapter 12. Wily F. James Jr. Early Military Experience.

Chapter 13. Wily F. James Jr. Medal of Honor Incident.

Chapter 14. Charles L. Thomas Introduces his early life.

Chapter 15. Charles L. Thomas Early Military Experience.

Chapter 16. Charles L. Thomas Medal of Honor Incident.

Chapter 17. George Watson Introduces his early life.

Chapter 18. George Watson Early Military Experience.

Chapter 19. George Watson Medal of Honor Incident.

Chapter 20. Edward A. Carter Jr. - Baptism by Fire Introduces his early life.

Chapter 21. Edward A. Carter Jr. Early Military Experience.

Chapter 22. Edward A. Carter Jr. Medal of Honor Incident.

Chapter 23. A Campaign of Racism The 50-year campaign to exclude WWII African American soldiers from receiving the Medal of Honor.
Chapter 24. The Road Forward - Valor Medal Board - Upcoming African American candidates from WWII who are being evaluated for the Medal of Honor.

Product details

Published 29 Mar 2022
Format Hardback
Edition 1st
Extent 288
ISBN 9781472852854
Imprint Osprey Publishing
Illustrations 16pp mono plate section
Dimensions 234 x 153 mm
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Robert Child

Robert Child is a military history writer, directo…

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