Reply #19: Ever hear of buffalo soldiers? [View All]

[BrotherBuzz]

Go ask General John (Black Jack) Pershing about them, and the great escapades he and his Negro soldiers had down in Mexico, and how he had to turn his back on them during WWI because southern soldiers were ready to commit mutiny if the had to associate with them. Black Jack found a unique solution to the problem.

Black soldiers from the US Army fought under French command during WWI

The all-black 93rd division, a rag-tag outfit that was initially issued Civil War uniforms, were assigned to French command by General John Pershing during WWI. The French desperately needed fresh troops and Pershing was able to satisfy France's needs by getting rid of his own problem - black soldiers. The 93d Division turned in their American equipment and were issued French rifles, bayonets, helmets, packs, and other equipment of the French soldier. They were then organized, trained, and commanded as a French unit, the first unit in US history to serve under foreign command.

The 93rd division fought as part of the French army, where, ironically, it found acceptance, respect, and glory, eventually winning the Croix de Guerre, only to return to America and find Jim Crow laws alive and well.