{"id":2306,"date":"2025-11-11T10:00:52","date_gmt":"2025-11-11T15:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/goodgenesgenealogy.com\/?p=2306"},"modified":"2025-11-11T10:00:52","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T15:00:52","slug":"and-they-thought-we-couldnt-fight-remembering-the-nine-soldiers-in-a-world-war-i-photograph","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goodgenesgenealogy.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/11\/and-they-thought-we-couldnt-fight-remembering-the-nine-soldiers-in-a-world-war-i-photograph\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cAnd They Thought We Couldn\u2019t Fight:\u201d* Remembering the Nine Soldiers in World War I"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

 <\/p>\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n

\n
\"Sgt<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n

\n
\"HD<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n

\n
\"Cpl<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n

\n
\"alfred<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n

\n
\"ralph<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n

\n
\"leon<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n

\n
\"Joe<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n

\n
\"ed<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n

\n
\"herbert<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n

Today\u2019s Blog is written by Barbara Lewis Burger,\u00a0<\/em>a retired National Archives Still Picture Senior Archivist<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n

\"369th<\/a>\n
New York\u2019s Colored Regiment Returns Home on Stockholm.<\/a> Some of the colored men on 369th (15th N.Y.) who won the Croix de Guerre for gallantry in action. Front row, left to right: Private Eagle Eye, Ed Williams; Lamp Light, Herbert Tayl; 12 Feb, 1919 (NAID\u00a026431282<\/a>)\u00a0<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n

On this U.S. observance of Veterans Day, I salute my daughter, Jocelyn Cheryl Kimbrough, and more than one hundred members<\/strong> of my expansive family that includes Indigenous\/Native Americans, African Diaspora, Free Blacks and Caucasians. I am paying special homage to the mostly unknown and infrequently publicized soldiers.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

They are the Black men \u2014 and in many cases Black women \u2014 who served in every war and military conflict in United States history<\/strong>, from the colonial era to the present. Their roles evolved over time due to laws, segregation, discrimination, and later integration and leadership advancements.<\/p>\n

Here’s a compilation of their service that was completed with the help of Ai:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
War \/ Conflict<\/th>\nBlack Participation<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Colonial Wars (1600s\u20131775)<\/strong><\/td>\nEnslaved & free Africans fought in local militias and against Native nations under European colonial powers.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
American Revolutionary War (1775\u20131783)<\/strong><\/td>\nYes \u2014 Continental Army & Navy<\/strong>, Rhode Island \u201cBlack Regiment,\u201d others; both free and enslaved men fought.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
War of 1812<\/strong><\/td>\nYes \u2014 Black seamen, soldiers, militias; Battle of New Orleans saw large Black units.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Seminole Wars (1817\u20131858)<\/strong><\/td>\nYes \u2014 Black soldiers & Black Seminoles, some former enslaved people.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mexican\u2013American War (1846\u20131848)<\/strong><\/td>\nYes \u2014 Black regular army soldiers & volunteers (limited roles).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Civil War (1861\u20131865)<\/strong><\/td>\nUnion:<\/strong> ~180,000 served in the U.S. Colored Troops (USCT); ~18,000 in Navy.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Confederacy:<\/strong> Mostly forced labor; very few armed at the war\u2019s end.<\/td>\n\u00a0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Indian Wars (1866\u20131891)<\/strong><\/td>\nYes \u2014 Buffalo Soldiers<\/strong> (9th & 10th Cavalry, 24th & 25th Infantry).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Spanish\u2013American War (1898)<\/strong><\/td>\nYes \u2014 Buffalo Soldiers played critical roles (San Juan Hill).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Philippine\u2013American War (1899\u20131902)<\/strong><\/td>\nYes \u2014 Black regiments fought; some questioned U.S. racial policy.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
World War I (1917\u20131918)<\/strong><\/td>\nYes \u2014 ~380,000 served; Harlem Hellfighters (369th Infantry).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
World War II (1941\u20131945)<\/strong><\/td>\nYes \u2014 Over 1 million served; Tuskegee Airmen, 6888th Postal Battalion (women), Montford Point Marines.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Korean War (1950\u20131953)<\/strong><\/td>\nYes \u2014 First major war with integrated units<\/strong> after 1948 desegregation order.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vietnam War (1955\u20131975)<\/strong><\/td>\nYes \u2014 High rates of service; significant casualties; integrated units.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Gulf War (1990\u20131991)<\/strong><\/td>\nYes \u2014 Black men & women in all branches, including officers.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Iraq War (2003\u20132011)<\/strong><\/td>\nYes.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
War in Afghanistan (2001\u20132021)<\/strong><\/td>\nYes.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Modern Global Operations (2021\u2013present)<\/strong><\/td>\nYes \u2014 Black servicemembers serve in all roles including generals, pilots, special forces, intelligence, medical, and command positions.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Famous Photograph of the Nine African American Soldiers<\/h3>\n

The famous photograph of nine African American soldiers from the 369th Infantry Regiment<\/strong>\u2014taken aboard the USS Stockholm<\/em> on February 12, 1919\u2014is one of the most widely reproduced images documenting Black military service in World War I.<\/a> The original image is from the American Unofficial Collection of World War I Photographs, 1917\u20131918<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

These men served in the regiment later known as the Harlem Hellfighters<\/strong><\/a>, redesignated in 1918 after originally enlisting under the 15th New York National Guard (Colored)<\/strong><\/a>. Due to segregation and discriminatory military policy, the regiment fought under French command. Nevertheless, they earned one of the most outstanding combat records in American history. Their accomplishments were:<\/p>\n