In Honor of Veterans Day 2021: The Last Spanish-American War Survivors, Jones Morgan,

From the Spanish-American War  Centennial Website.

The last surviving veteran of the war was a black man named Jones Morgan who passed away in Richmond, Virginia,  on August 29, 1993, at the incredible age of 110.  His records, however, were lost in a fire.

He was born on October 23, 1882, in Newberry County, South Carolina, and ran away from home at age 15 to join the Army which he did in 1897, signing up with the  9th U.S. Cavalry, known as the "Buffalo Soldiers, an all-black unit.

He served for two years before his family located him  and had him discharged.  Since he had runaway and was underage, it is likely that he used an alias when he originally enlisted, making his records nearly impossible to find.

He served as a cook and as a horse wrangler and was in Cuba and at the assault on San Juan Hill although he apparently did not take part in it.  He also indicated that he helped  wrangle horses for the Rough Riders.

He was buried in Section 16 of Forest Lawn Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia, Section 16.

Blacks in the Military-- Part 5: World War I

Many Blacks joined the U.S. military after the entry of the United States in World War  in 1917.  Of the 200,000 Blacks who served in the regular army, most did so in support roles within segregated units.  Some 170,000 never even left the country.

There were notable exceptions, though.  The 369th  Infantry Regiment, The Harlem Hellfighters, fought alongside the French Army for six months, during which 171 of its members earned the French Legion of Merit honor.

One member of the 369th also received a Medal of Honor, one of only two recipients of that honor among black troops during that war.

--Old Secesh

Blacks Serving In U.S. Military Over the Years: The American Revolution

From the Feb. 23, 2021, U.S. Army "African American service and racial integration in the U.S. military" by Dr. Paul-Thomas Ferguson.

Formal black service in the U.S. military dates from the American Revolution.  Many freemen and some slaves already served in Northern colonial militias to protect their homes against Indian attack.  Their numbers rose in 1770 after Crispus Attucks, a black man believed to be the first casualty at the Boston Massacre, was killed.

Commanding general of the Continental Army, George Washington, was initially against recruiting black soldiers, but military necessity later made him relent.

 The most prominent group of black soldiers served in the 1st Rhode Island Regiment.   Enough black and Indian soldiers were recruited to eventually make up half of its 225 men.  This regiment achieved its greatest fame protecting  the Continental army's withdrawal from Aquidneck island during the Battle of Rhode Island in 1778.

Black History: General Benjamin Oliver Davis, Sr. (1877-1970)

He was the first black general in the U.S. Army.  While a student at Howard University the Spanish-American War started and he entered the military service on July 13, 1898, as a temporary first lieutenant of the 8th United States Volunteer Infantry.

His military decorations include the bronze Star and he Distinguished Service Medal.

His son, Benjamin Oliver Davis, Jr. became the first black general officer in the U.S. Air Force.

I would put the Davis family in for one of the renamed U.S. Army bases.

Negro Leagues Become Major League Baseball League and 'Hammerin' ' Hank's Death

One thing I am glad to see is that the old Negro Leagues have finally been given their due as Major League Baseball, something long overdue.  These players were as good as the white players, but were not allowed to compete with them because of the color of their skin.

Also, I was sad to see the recent death of Hank Aaron on January 22 of this year.  He was excitement.  But, I never knew the amount of hate mail and death threats he received as he neared the home run record of Babe Ruth.

Maybe we are not all the way we should be when it comes to race relations, but things are much better for Blacks than they were in the first half of the 20th century.

Black History: Jack Roosevelt Robinson... You Might Know Him Better As...

But you probably know him better as Jackie Robinsson.

JACK ROOSEVELT "JACKIE" ROBINSON (1919-1972)

The first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era when he made his 1947 debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers and ended some sixty years of baseball segregation.

Robinson went on to have an extraordinary baseball career and in 1962 was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

He not only battled racism in sports, but also he was an officer in the highly segregated U.S. Army during World War II.  I'll write about his WW II career in my Tattooed on Your Soul:  World War II blog.

Black History, Into Space: Guion 'Guy' Bluford, Jr., Ronald Erwin McNair and Frederick Gregory

GUION "GUY" BLUFORD, JR. (1942-present)

A retired United States Air Force colonel.  he was the first black astronaut into space as a member of the Challenger Space Shuttle crew in 1983.

He took part in four space shuttle flights between 1983 and 1992.

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RONALD ERWIN McNAIR  (1950-1986)

Ronald Erwin McNair was the second black person into space and sadly, was on the ill-fated  Space Shuttle Challenger and met his death January 28, 1986.

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FREDERICK D. GREGORY (1941-present)

A veteran of 3 space shuttle missions.

Black History: Harold Baron 'Hal' Jackson, Disc Jockey and Radio Personality

HAROLD BARON "HAL" JACKSON (1915-2012)

American disc jockey and radio personality who broke a number of color barriers in radio broadcasting.

He began his radio career as the first black radio sports announcing, broadcasting Howard University home baseball games and local Negro League baseball games.

In 1939, he became the first black host at WINX Washington with the bronze Review, a nightly interview program.  He moved to New York in 1954 and became the first radio personality to broadcast three daily radio shows on three different New York stations.

Four million listeners tuned in nightly to hear Jackson's mix of music and conversations with jazz artists and celebrities.

Black History: William Grant Still, Classical Composer

WILLIAM GRANT STILL  (1895-1978)

He was a black classical composer who wrote more than 150 compositions, including operas, ballets, symphonies, chamber works and folk arrangements.

He was the first black to conduct a major American symphony orchestra, the first to have a symphony of his own performed by a leading orchestra, the first to have an opera  performed by a major opera company and the first to have an opera performed on national television.

He is often referred to as "The Dean" of black composers.

Black History: Elizabeth 'Bessie' Coleman, Aviator

ELIZABETH "BESSIE" COLEMAN (1892-1926)

Popularly known as "Queen Bess," was the first black woman to become an airplane pilot.

She had to travel to Europe for flight training because no American flight school would accept her because of her race.

Upon returning, she intended to start a flying school for black pilots.  She toured the country, giving lectures at black schools, churches and recreational facilities in an effort to encourage Blacks to enter the field of aviation.

Preparing for an airshow in Jacksonville, Florida, she was killed when she was thrown from a crashing aircraft while riding as a passenger.

Black History: Mary Eliza Mahoney, Nurse

From the Feb. 7, 2021, Chicago Tribune "Leading the way."  Stories of Blacks who overcame to succeed.

MARY ELIZA MAHONEY (1845-1926)

Was the first Black to study and work as a professionally trained nurse in the United States.  She graduated from the New England Hospital for Women and Children Training School for Nurses in 1879.

She was one of only three people in her class to complete the sixteen-month program.

In 1908, she co-founded the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses, which in 1951 merged with the American Nurses Association.

--Cooter