Crispus Attucks – In 1770, Crispus Attucks, a black man, became the first casualty of the American Revolution when he was shot and killed in what became known as the Boston Massacre.
Before 1940, African-Americans were barred from flying for the U.S. military. Civil rights organizations and the black press exerted pressure that resulted in the formation of an all African-American pursuit squadron based in Tuskegee, Alabama, in 1941. They became known as the Tuskegee Airmen.
Charles L. Thomas – Thomas enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942. Within a year, he was Second Lieutenant and was fighting overseas in World War II.
Ruben Rivers – Along with Charles L. Thomas, Rivers was also awarded a Medal of Honor in 1997 more than 50 years after his service in the U.S. Army.
Roscoe Robinson – Robinson Jr., of the U.S. Military Academy Class of 1951, was the first African-American officer to rise to the rank of Army four-star general.
Montford Point Marines – The Montford Point Marine Association (MPMA) is a non-profit military veteran’s organization, founded to memorialize the legacy of the first African Americans to serve in the United States Marine Corps.
Doris Miller – During what is now the infamous attack on Pearl Harbor, Miller was assigned to grab wounded sailors and bring them to safety.
Clifford Chester Sims – On February 21, 1968, after tripping a hidden booby-trap, Sims saved his squad by throwing his body on top of the bomb and absorbing the shock.
Charles Young – Young was among the first black West Point graduates in the academy’s history. He went on to become the first African-American military attaché, which is an expert in diplomatic missions.
Tuskegee Airmen – Civil rights organizations and the black press exerted pressure that resulted in the formation of an all African-American pursuit squadron based in Tuskegee, Alabama, in 1941.
Colin Powell – Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th U.S. Secretary of State, the first African-American to serve in that position.
Greg Gadson – Gadson is a double amputee who lost his legs to a roadside bomb in Iraq back in 2007. Today he is on the big screen starring as Mike Canales, a legless, wounded Army veteran in Universal’s film ‘Battleship’.
Memorial Day has come to be known as a day off of school or work and a day of fun in the sun for many Americans. Many forget that this day was started by President Lyndon B. Johnson in May of 1966 in order to remember those who have fought and died in service of our nation. Today, we should remember and celebrate those soldiers who have died, those who are currently serving and are military veterans who survived combat in any capacity. This Memorial Day, theGrio has compiled a list of African-American war heroes who have left their mark on this great nation.
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