Black Women in the Military
November 11 th is the time of month to pay tribute to all of our Veterans who have served our country in the military. These are the men and women have fought bravely in protecting our nation. They include my Late husband Brother Romeo Doyle Muhammad who served in the Korean War along with thousands of others. We owe all of them a special thank you for the time they have spent in so many areas of the military.
We salute them for their sacrifices and time. They deserve honor and tributes. We must never forget them. As we pay tribute to Veteran’s Day, this Columnist would also like to recognize some of the African American women who played a great part in our history. Often their names are hidden away in the history books. However, they deserve recognition for outstanding contributions in various branches of the military.
The following are just a few names of Black women who have served in the Military. Cathy Williams served as a Buffalo Soldier. She had to disguise herself as a man and she changed her name to William Cathy. During the Revolutionary War there were women who served as spies. Phyllis Wheatley was a well-known poet who wrote poems of freedom and Phoebe the Spy saved the life of General George Washington.
On Nov. 15, 1866, the 17-year-old, born to an enslaved mother and a free father in Independence, Missouri in 1844, enlisted for a three-year engagement, passing herself off as a man (Blackpressusa.com)
Harriet Tubman served during the Civil War as a spy, nurse, and she also led a raid against the Confederate Army and saved the lives of over 750 slaves. She received a pension from the U.S. Army, although she had to fight for it. She was known as General Tubman. The current movie “Harriet” describes the role that she played in the Civil War. She was a courageous leader in the struggle for freedom. Charity Edna Early was the first Black women to join the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps in 1942 known as the WACs. She had a degree in Mathematics and Physics from Wilborforce University.
Harriet Tubman (Wikipedia Image)
Doris Allen nicknamed “Lucki” joined the Army in 1950 as a Senior Intelligence Analyst. She was only one of 23 Warrant officers in the Army. She decided to end her career when she discovered her name on enemy documents naming her as a human target to be eliminated. She was the first African American woman inducted into the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame.
Doris I. Allen in an undated photograph. She joined the Women’s Army Corps in 1950 and was the first woman to attend its prisoner of war interrogation course before she served in Vietnam in 1967.Credit...via Christina Brown Fisher (The New York Times)
Hazel Johnson began serving in the Army in 1955. She served for 20 years and in 1979 she became the first African American female General in the United States. She earned a Master’s degree and a Doctorate Degree from Catholic University of America. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Evelyne M. Brown, Edwina Martin, and Fannie Jean Cotton were the first women commissioned as officers in the Air Force in 1951. They all graduated from the Air Force Candidate School at Lackland, Air Force Base, Texas.
Hazel Johnson (Wikipedia Image)
Black women also served in World War 1. I wrote about the horrible and racist treatment that they faced in my series on Black Women in The Military in the Criterion Newspaper several months ago. There were Black women who also served in the Marine Corps in separate units. On Veteran’s Day there will be marches and special programs to pay tribute to all of the men and women who stood up for our country. Let’s give them our highest Honor!!