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The Buffalo Soldiers
African-Americans have fought in military conflicts since colonial days. However, the Buffalo Soldiers comprised of former slaves, freemen and Black Civil War soldiers, were the first to serve during peacetime.
Once the Westward movement had begun, prominent among those blazing treacherous trails of the Wild West were the Buffalo Soldiers of the U.S. Army. These African-Americans were charged with and responsible for escorting settlers, cattle herds, and railroad crews. The 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments also conducted campaigns against American Indian tribes on a western frontier that extended from Montana in the Northwest to Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona in the Southwest. Throughout the era of the Indian Wars, approximately twenty percent of the U.S. Cavalry troopers were Black, and they fought over 177 engagements. The combat prowess, bravery, tenaciousness, and looks on the battlefield, inspired the Indians to call them "Buffalo Soldiers." Many Indians believe the name symbolized the Native American's respect for the Buffalo Soldiers' bravery and valor. Buffalo Soldiers, down through the years, have worn the name with pride.
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The 369th Infantry
The 369th Infantry is known for being the first African-American regiment to serve with the American Expeditionary Force during World War I.
During World War I, United States Armed Forces remained segregated by race. In 1913, New York established the 15th New York (Colored) Infantry Regiment, a unit of the National Guard. The U.S. Army mustered the unit into Federal service in 1917, and the 369th (Colored) Infantry Regiment went to France that December, among the first 100,000 troops of the American Expeditionary Forces.
Exhibiting extraordinary valor, the 369th, an integral part of the Fourth French Army, fought on the front until the Armistice. During the Meuse-Argonne Offensive the 369th showed exceptional bravery, especially on September 29, 1918, during the liberation of Sechault, when a third of the regiment suffered casualties.
Cited for their heroism, 171 members of the regiment were decorated with the Croix de Guerre (Cross of War), and one officer received the Medal of Honor. Upon their return to the United States, the 369th Infantry nicknamed the Harlem Hellfighters were honored by the City with a victory parade up Fifth Avenue.
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The Tuskegee Airmen
During World War II, the United States Military, like so much of the nation, was segregated. Jim Crow Laws kept blacks from entering public places such as libraries, restaurants, and movie theaters. Although African Americans served in the armed forces, they were restricted in the types of jobs and positions they could hold. On April 3, 1939, Public Law 18 was passed which provided for an expansion of the Army Air Corps. One section of the law offered hope for those African Americans who wanted to advance their military careers beyond the kitchen or the motor pool. It called for the creation of training programs to be located at black colleges which would prepare blacks for service in a variety of areas in the Air Corps support services.
The program for training an all black flying unit took place at the Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama. The Institute, founded by Booker T. Washington in 1881, had a strong Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP) under the direction of Charles Alfred Anderson, the nation's first African American to earn a pilot's license. The Army chose Tuskegee as the training grounds for the new segregated 99th Pursuit Squadron in January 1941 and the "Tuskegee Airmen" took flight.
From 1941 to 1946 over 2000 African Americans completed training at Tuskegee and nearly three quarters of them qualified as pilots while the remainders were trained as navigators or support personnel. The 99th Pursuit Squadron was activated and became the 99th Fighter Squadron in May 1942. The Tuskegee Airmen saw combat in over 1500 missions in Europe and North Africa. Not one of the bombers that the Tuskegee Airmen escorted was lost to enemy fire; the 99th Fighter Squadron is the only U.S. squadron to hold that distinction during the Second World War.
Although the Tuskegee Airmen played an integral part in the outcome of World War II, their most important victory was the one at home. Due to the bravery, tenacity, and success of the Tuskegee Airmen, President Harry S. Truman desegregated the United States Military in 1948.
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Buffalo Soldiers - 369th Infantry - Tuskegee Airmen
Discover and learn about the proud black military groups called the "Buffalo Soldiers, "369th Infantry" and "Tuskegee Airmen."
The History of the Buffalo Soldiers
Buffalo Soldiers Monument
The 369th Infantry Comes Home from World War I
Quick History of the 369th Infantry
History of the "Tuskegee Airmen"
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