Three sailors look toward the USS Mason at the Boston Navy Yard on March 20, 1944, the day the ship was commissioned. The Mason served during World War II with a predominantly Black crew. (U.S. Navy photo via the National Archives)
(AURN News) — On Veterans Day, we honor the generations of Black Americans who served a country that too often denied them the freedoms they fought to defend.
Soldiers of Company E, 4th U.S. Colored Infantry, stand in formation at Fort Lincoln in Washington in 1863. The regiment was part of the United States Colored Troops that fought for the Union during the Civil War. (William Morris Smith/Library of Congress)
From the Revolutionary War to the Civil War, Black Americans helped shape this nation, fighting for independence as Black patriots and helping the Union defeat the Confederacy and end slavery as members of the United States Colored Troops.
Nine soldiers of the 369th Infantry Regiment, known as the Harlem Hellfighters, pose aboard the Stockholm on Feb. 12, 1919, as they wait to disembark in New York after serving in World War I. (National Archives)
The Buffalo Soldiers served on the western frontier, while the Harlem Hellfighters fought during World War I. In World War II, the USS Mason was one of only two U.S. warships to sail with a predominantly Black crew, challenging segregation in the Navy.
Soldiers of the 369th Infantry Regiment, known as the Harlem Hellfighters, wave from a ship as they return to New York in 1919 after serving in France during World War I. (National Archives)
Black service members also fought in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and beyond, often returning home to discrimination despite their sacrifices. For many Black families, Veterans Day is a chance to honor a parent, grandparent, sibling or other relative who served.
Members of the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division line up to board a C-141 Starlifter at an allied air base in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, on March 7, 1991. The soldiers were returning to Fort Stewart, Ga., after serving in the Gulf War. (AP Photo/Bob Jordan)
This Veterans Day, we salute Black veterans, past and present, whose bravery, resilience and patriotism deserve more than remembrance. They deserve our gratitude.
Clay Cane is an award-winning journalist, writer, radio host, and political commentator. A graduate of Rutgers University with a degree in African-American Studies, his work on race, culture, and politics have appeared in national publications, including the Washington Post, CNN, and The Grio. Clay is a regular political commentator on MSNBC.
