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Military Assignments
During the late 1800s and early 1900s, the Buffalo Soldiers were assigned to the
harshest and most desolate posts. Specific duties included subduing Mexican
revolutionaries, outlaws, comercheros, rustlers and hostile Native Americans.
Additional administrative duties included exploring and mapping the Southwest,
and establishing frontier outposts for future towns.
The Buffalo Soldiers fought in the Indians Wars of the American West, Spanish
American War of 1898, WWI and WWII.
Military History
- 1775-1783 - Revolutionary War -
Approximately 5,000 Blacks fought in the War of Independence. By mid-1778,
each brigade in General George Washington's army averaged 43 Black soldiers.
- 1812-1815 - War of 1812 - Though
blacks were barred from service for the first two years, at the war's latter
stages they comprised 10% of naval crews.
- 1846-1848 - Mexican War - No Blacks
fought in this war. It was fought by regulars and volunteers primarily from
the rural South
and Midwest.
- 1861-1865 - Civil War - Blacks made
up 12% (178,895 men) of the Union Army and 25% (30,000) of the Union Navy.
Thousands more served in service units as laborers and the like. Some 2,751
blacks were killed in battle; another 65,427 died primarily from disease.
- 1866-1891 - Indian Wars - The 5,000
blacks who served in the all-black 9th and 10th Cavalry and 24th and 25th
Infantry Regiments constituted about 10% of the total troops who guarded the
Western Frontier for a quarter century.
- 1898 - Spanish-American War - The
four regular regiments fought in Cuba, making up about 12% of the forces on
the Island. Another 2,000- 7.6% of all sailors-served in the Navy.
- 1899-1902 - Philippines War - In
addition to the four Black regular regiments, two volunteer regiments
composed of Blacks help wage this colonial campaign.
- 1916 - Mexican Punitive Expedition
- The all-black 10th Cavalry comprised 12% of the forces sent in pursuit of
Pancho Villa. The regiment suffered over half (10men killed) of the
casualties sustained.
- 1917-1918 - World War I - Over
200,000 Black soldiers made it to France, equaling 9.2% of the American
Expeditionary Force. Most were in support units. But the all-black 92nd and
93rd Infantry Divisions lost 773 killed in action (1.4% of U.S. total) and
4,408 wounded in action.
- 1941-1945 - World War II - Some
500,000 Blacks were stationed overseas, amounting to 4% of the 11 million
Americans who served on foreign shores. About 10% of blacks were in combat
units. The all-black 92nd Infantry was in Italy, and had 616 killed in
action and 2,187 wounded. The 93rd Division was stationed in the South
Pacific, losing 17 KIA and 121 WIA. There was also the black 366th Infantry
(Separates).
During the Battle of the Bulge, 2,500 blacks were formed into all black
Infantry platoons and attached to larger units. The famed 761st Tank
Battalion spent 183 continuous days in combat in the European Theater,
earning a Presidential Unit Citation. The 333rd Field Artillery bravely
supported ground operations in France.
Three all-black air units flew overseas: 332nd Fighter Group, 477th
Bombardment Group and the 99th Fighter Squadron. Sixty-six Black pilots were
killed in action. A total of 140,000 blacks served in the Army Air Forces.
Nearly 150,000 Blacks served in the Navy. Of the 12,000 Black Marines, 9
were killed in action.
- 1950-1953 - Korean War - About
195,000 Blacks were in Korea; comprising 13% of U.S. troops there. Some
3,223, or 9% of the total, were killed in action. Korea saw the end of
segregated units in all armed forces.
- 1961-1973 - Vietnam War - Black
Americans who served in Vietnam numbered 275,000 (10.6% of all forces).
Hostile deaths were 5,711 (12.1% of the total) and non-hostile deaths came
to 1,530.
- 1958-1989 - Expeditionary Campaigns
- Blacks have served in all the armed forces deployments, under hostile
conditions, for the past three decades. This includes the Dominican Republic
(1965-1966), the Korea DMZ, Lebanon (1982-1984), Grenada (1983) and Panama
(1989).
1991 - Persian Gulf War - Approximately 104,000 (24.5%) of the total troops
deployed who served in Saudi Arabia were Black. Some 27 died during
Operation Desert Storm, equaling 15% of the total U.S. deaths
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