Black U.S. Sailors In WWI (WWII, war, general, Spanish)

[Brucifer]

Friend of mine is looking for information about the lives of black sailors in the U.S. Navy during World War One.

There is a fair amount of info about the infantry (Harlem Hellfighters), but she was hoping for first person accounts or letters from sailors.

Thanks.

[Taiko]

Well unlike the other services were blacks were almost totally segregated in the Navy being on a single ship meant that blacks were segregated by job, being the mess stewards and servants for the officers. It wasn't until WWII that the Navy had Colored(black) units to supplement the officers mess stewards.

It took a mess steward like Doris Miller manning a machinegun during the attack on Pearl Harbor to get the attention of a racial historian.

[BugsyPal]

Originally Posted by Taiko

Well unlike the other services were blacks were almost totally segregated in the Navy being on a single ship meant that blacks were segregated by job, being the mess stewards and servants for the officers. It wasn't until WWII that the Navy had Colored(black) units to supplement the officers mess stewards.

It took a mess steward like Doris Miller manning a machinegun during the attack on Pearl Harbor to get the attention of a racial historian.

Originally called "unnamed Negro" by US military at the time, it wasn't until 1942 the Dorrie Miller got any sort of recognition from the Pentagon. Even then they had to be dragged kicking and screaming....


https://allthatsinteresting.com/doris-miller


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doris_Miller

[Taiko]

So quick Google Fu says there was a black gunner's mate who was a veteran of the Spanish American War allowed to retire as a Chief Petty Officer in 1919 when the Navy stopped enlisting any blacks until 1932. And at least one mess steward who was awarded for gallantry after his cruiser was torpedoed.

But since most mess stewards would have been serving Captains and Admirals on larger ships not in the main battle against the U-boats as those on the smaller destroyers the black sailor of that era would be mostly ignored.

[BugsyPal]

Originally Posted by Taiko

So quick Google Fu says there was a black gunner's mate who was a veteran of the Spanish American War allowed to retire as a Chief Petty Officer in 1919 when the Navy stopped enlisting any blacks until 1932. And at least one mess steward who was awarded for gallantry after his cruiser was torpedoed.

But since most mess stewards would have been serving Captains and Admirals on larger ships not in the main battle against the U-boats as those on the smaller destroyers the black sailor of that era would be mostly ignored.

Bottom but sad line is for WWI and really a good number of WWII AA men and women there wasn't always a love feast from general public for their service, never mind awards or whatever.


All over the south for instance local populace egged on and or including KKK strung up AA service men *in uniform* just to drive home their point.


In Europe for both world wars whenever anything went down reaction was same as USA; if there was a AA military man in area (or even if he wasn't) that is who things were pinned on. Black soldiers were prosecuted in higher number for rape than white. https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/21/b...ii-france.html


https://slate.com/human-interest/201...rld-war-i.html

[Taiko]

As far as letters from WWI US Navy mess stewards, when Alex Haley enlisted into the Coast Guard as a mess steward in 1939 he had two years of college and wrote letters for his shipmates. I would wonder at the literacy rates of the black sailors 20 years before he was allowed in?

I would imagine that when the Navy lifted their racial restrictions they only took the best, those that after Pearl Harbor were selected for the black combat units

[scatman]

Eugene Bullard is a fascinating story. Born in the US, but flew for France in WWI. French gave him the full honors! A pic of him, you would think it was Wesley Snipes!