A Veteran’s Day Tribute
Veteran’s Day is observed on Saturday, November 11, 2023. However, it is never too late to pay tribute to those who served in the Armed Forces of our country.
My late husband, Romeo Doyle Muhammad, served in the United States Army during the Korean War. He served our country with honor and dignity. His Honorable Discharge papers stated the following: This certificate is awarded on the 25th day of May, 1954 as a testimonial of honest and faithful service.
He was a combat soldier, meaning that he saw fighting on the battlefield. During one of those battles, he lost 18 of his fellow soldiers when a bomb was dropped into the foxhole near him. They died all at once. He merely missed it by a matter of minutes. As a result of the constant bombing, night and day, he lost all hearing in one ear. He had trouble hearing for the rest of his life. The sight of soldiers dying on the battlefield stayed in his memory. I discovered later that my husband received awards for exemplary service, good conduct, and mastery of weapons.
He would often talked about his experiences in North Korea. One of the things that surprised him was the thousands of Chinese who fought on the side of the North Koreans. He said that they came over the mountains by droves and many fought hand to hand combat. Two of his brothers went into the war the same time that he did. They were Jesse Doyle and Stephen Doyle. He recalled that they all came home due to the prayers of his mother – Mother Essie Doyle.
Mother Essie Doyle made her transition at the age of 99. She was a strong, religious woman who was a member of Bethel Tabernacle Church of America for over 60 years. Brother Romeo Doyle Muhammad is now among the hundreds of soldiers honored with a brick in the African American Veterans Memorial Monument near the military park in Buffalo.
very Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day, it is important to pay tribute to all of the men and women who made a sacrifice for the United States. They deserve our thanks and remembrance for their service. My Veteran’s Day tribute also goes to the following members of my family who have served in the Armed Forces. They include my Uncle Yancy James who served in World War I. Uncle Robert Clinton Felts served in World War II. My stepbrother Freddie Townsend served in the Navy during World War II. Freddie Townsend was also an award - winning boxer during his time in the Navy. My brother Benjamin Townsend served in the Air Force during the Viet Nam War in the strategic air command unit. My grandson Jesse Doyle, II, served in the National Guard. My grandson, Jesse, is now in the Army Reserves. My first cousin Christopher Felts served in Desert Storm.
During my family research I discovered the original draft registration card of my grandfather, James David Felts, dated 1918. The card had his original signature on it. My grandfather was born in 1886 and died in 1956.
A special “thank you” to all of our Veterans for their sacrifice and service to our nation.