By Tashi McQueen
AFRO Staff Writer
tmcqueen@afro.com
The service of Black soldiers in wars such as World War II significantly influenced the Civil Rights Movement, inspiring demands for equality within the military and throughout the United States.
Many Black soldiers, after returning from the military, went on to get involved in the fight for civil and human rights. These brave soldiers confronted the challenging reality of racism and discrimination at home, despite fighting for their country. Their work became the early catalyst of change for Black people across the nation.
As National Veterans and Military Family Appreciation Month gets underway, the AFRO is shining a light on several men and women service members who made their mark in more ways than one in American history.
Male veterans
Amzie Moore
Amzie Moore was a World War II veteran. Upon his return to American society, he became a civil rights activist. Moore was working in a post office in Cleveland, Miss., when he was drafted into the military in 1942. In Mississippi, where Moore lived, he rarely interacted with White people, so joining the U.S. Army forced him to face the harsh realities of segregation for the first time. He was also reminded that, even after serving in the war, Black soldiers would still face the same racism and discrimination they had grown accustomed to at home.
Inspired by these experiences, Moore, even before he returned home, joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). After his time in service, Moore went on to become the first president of the NAACP chapter in Cleveland, Miss, helping it grow into the second-largest branch in the state. As president, Moore coordinated voter registration campaigns and created networks throughout Mississippi during the 1940s and 1950s.
He also went on to serve as vice-president of the State Conference of the NAACP and founded the Regional Council of Negro Leadership, where they hosted public meetings with notable speakers such as Thurgood Marshall. His house, in Cleveland, Miss., is now a local landmark.
Golden Asro Frinks
Hailing from Wampee, S.C., Golden Asro Frinks became known for his work during the Civil Rights Movement with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and other organizations. In 1936, at the young age of 16, Frinks joined the U.S. Navy and moved to Norfolk, Va. There he balanced completing tenth grade and working a job on the naval base. During this time he decided to join the local Black Democratic Club and worked with the NAACP.
In 1942, Frinks rejoined the military, this time voluntarily enlisting in the U.S. Army to fight in World War II. While there he served as a staff sergeant at Fort McClellan, Ala., where he witnessed the inequalities between Black and White soldiers. Upon his return home in North Carolina, Frinks found that discrimination against Black Americans persisted, and he set on a path to help change that.
Frinks became a well-known organizer during the Civil Rights Movement in North Carolina, where he spearheaded the “Edenton Movement,” a series of protests in the early 1960s to desegregate schools, libraries and more in the region. For his work, he received many awards including the Edenton Movement Award, the Hyde County NAACP President’s Award and the Rosa Parks Award.
The Triple Nickles
The 555th Parachute Infantry Company (Triple Nickles) were the first all-Black parachute infantry unit in the U.S. Army. Triple Nickels was established in 1943 by then-President Franklin Roosevelt in response to pressures to provide Black soldiers with access to front-line assignments and top-tier units in the military.
The unit was trained intensively at airborne school, where they earned their jump wings alongside their White counterparts in what was depicted as one of the few spaces where Black soldiers found solace in the U.S. Air Force. The troop took on several key jobs including “Operation Firefly” in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, where they parachuted into forest fires and handled flammable balloon bombs sent from Japan, becoming explosive ordnance disposal experts over time. In total, the Triple Nickles made around 1,200 jumps to help manage 36 fires and get rid of several bombs.
After World War II ended, Maj. Gen. James Gavin, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, advocated for the integration of the 555th into the 82nd Airborne in resistance to ongoing racial prejudices despite their remarkable work during the war. Despite consistent pushback, Gavin succeeded, and the Triple Nickles marched in the Jan. 12, 1946, World War II victory parade in New York City. On Dec. 15, 1947, they were deactivated and its personnel officially joined the 3rd Battalion of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division.
United States Colored Troops
By the end of the Civil War, around 186,000 Black military personnel served in the Union Army and around 38,000 were killed in battle. Over 94,000 of them were formerly enslaved. At the beginning of the war, African Americans were not officially allowed to enlist, but many volunteered anyway. In 1863, Black people were officially allowed to participate in the war with the Union Army after laws like the Emancipation Proclamation were passed.
The United States Colored Troops (USCT) was the official name of the units of Black soldiers who volunteered to be a part of the Union Army during the Civil War. By the end of the Civil War, Black soldiers made up 10 percent of the Union Army. The creation and service of the USCT marked a turning point in American history, representing one of the first major steps toward equal rights for all.
Sixteen Medals of Honor were awarded to Black soldiers in the Civil War, including Sgt. William Carney, who fought courageously to keep the American flag from hitting the ground at Fort Wagner. There are several memorials and statues in honor of the USCT throughout the U.S., including in Lexington Park, Md., and Wilmington, N.C.
Women veterans
Sarah Louise Keys
Sarah Louise Keys didn’t gain as much attention as Rosa Parks, but her 1952 protest helped pave the way for Parks’ successful bus demonstration. After completing high school in 1948, Keys joined the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) in 1951, which had been fully racially integrated by then.
While in the Army, on July 31, 1952, while returning home from her post at Fort Dix in Burlington County, N.J., she got on a segregated Carolina Trailways bus in Washington, D.C. She took a seat in the “White” section. In Roanoke Rapids, N.C., a new driver boarded the bus demanding she move to the “colored” section. She refused, was arrested, charged with disorderly conduct, fined $25, and held in jail overnight.
She decided to file as plaintiff in the landmark case Keys v. Carolina Coach Company, which was filed in 1953, challenging segregation in interstate bus travel. The Interstate Commerce Commission ended up ruling in her favor in November 1955, finding that segregation on interstate buses violated the non‑discrimination provisions of the Interstate Commerce Act.
Oleta Crain
Oleta Crain was pursuing her Master’s degree in religious education at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colo., began to pursue enlistment in the military to help fight in World War II. She made history as the first Black woman in Denver to join the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC).
While there, she faced a barrage of racial discrimination. Due to segregation, Crain was made to wake up earlier than her White counterparts to shower and was made to sleep in a separate room. Crain endured with positivity, but also used her voice to challenge segregation, racism and sexism while serving in the military. When her unit was barred from certain facilities such as the “White” pool, she spoke up and put an end to that discrimination. Crain retired from active duty in 1963 as a major.
After her time in the military, Crain went on to become a regional administrator for the Women’s Bureau in Denver in 1984. While there, Crain worked to enhance working conditions, career opportunities and wages for women. Crain was inducted in the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame in the mid-1990s.
Mildred C. Kelly
Mildred C. Kelly was teaching high school in Tennessee when she suddenly chose to change careers, enlisting for the U.S. Army at age 22. She served in the U.S. Army for 26 years, making history in senior positions while at the Pentagon and later at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Aberdeen, Md.
While she was serving at the Pentagon in 1972, she became the first Black female sergeant major in the Army. In 1974, she became the command sergeant major at Aberdeen Proving Ground, the first woman to reach the top enlisted rank at a major Army base mostly made up of men. In 1976, she retired from the Army, but continued her work in supporting service members, particularly veterans.
She worked to ensure women’s service in the military were memorialized. She worked alongside the Women in Military Service for America Memorial Foundation to create a museum recognizing women’s contributions to the military. Kelly also served on the Maryland Veterans Commission, the Veteran’s Advisory Board and the National Association of Black Military Women. She also served as president of Chapter 16 of the WAC Veterans Association.
Marcelite Harris
Marcelite Harris, of Houston, Texas, originally aspired to be an actress, but when she couldn’t find a job, she decided to sign up for the U.S. Air Force. In 1965, she completed Officer Training School on Lackland Air Force Base in Texas.
Throughout her military career, she achieved many firsts, such as becoming the first female aircraft maintenance officer, the Air Force’s first female Director of Maintenance, and one of the first two female air officers to command at the United States Air Force Academy.
She also served as a White House social aide during the Jimmy Carter administration. She earned an array of service awards, including the Bronze Star, the Presidential Unit Citation and the Vietnam Service Medal. Harris retired as a major general in 1997, making her the highest-ranking female officer in the Air Force and the highest-ranking African-American woman in the Department of Defense.