Veterans Day is observed annually on November 11 to honor military veterans – living and deceased – who served in the United States Armed Forces. The federal holiday, once called Armistice Day, features patriotic parades, programs, and other celebratory military-themed events on local, state, and national levels, all paying tribute to the brave men and women who fought adversarial forces to defend the people, allies, and interests of the United States of America.
While Veterans Day was created to honor the nation’s military veterans, it has not always paid proper tribute to millions of Black Americans who have served in the nation’s wars and military conflicts on U.S. and foreign soil.
However, over this Veterans Day weekend, an epic program was held at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Midtown Detroit’s Cultural Center to remember and honor the heroics of the Harlem Hellfighters, the famed all-Black combat unit that fought courageously during World War I (1914 – 1918) across Europe’s western and eastern fronts.
Organized and presented by producer, director, screenwriter, educator, author, and native Detroiter Heather Buchanan, the Veterans Day weekend program paid homage to the Harlem Hellfighters through original songs and music by Buchanan in partnership with composer Tracy Kash. According to Buchanan, the seven songs performed by singers Dr. Angela Celeste May and Smada Adams for the Veterans Day program will also be featured in Buchanan’s upcoming musical production chronicling the history of the Harlem Hellfighters.
In addition to the songs and music, Buchanan introduced her new book, “Victors, a Novel of Love, War & Jazz,” to the audience. Excerpts from the historical publication were read by the narrator Grover McCants.
“Many people don’t know about the Harlem Hellfighters, but they were a special unit of all-Black soldiers who fought relentlessly in World War I,” said Buchanan. “They wanted to show the world the excellence of Black soldiers, and they did a great job by arguably winning the war because their unit was so special and good.”
While more than 350,000 African Americans served overseas during World War I, their roles, for the most part, were not on the frontlines of fighting but were menial positions of labor, including digging trenches, building roads, cooking, cleaning latrines, and providing supplies for frontline troops. The exception was the 369th Infantry Regiment, the all-Black combat unit formerly attached to the New York National Guard. The thousands of troops from New York, after basic training, reportedly arrived in Brest, France, in early January of 1918. Like many other African Americans who volunteered for military service in World War I, the 369th, after basic training, were assigned to menial jobs, especially when many White American soldiers refused to fight alongside Black American servicemen.
After proving their worth as capable and fearless soldiers ready to battle the enemies of war, the French Army welcomed the 369th African American combat unit to fight with them on the frontlines, respectfully calling their war partners “Men of Bronze.”
The enemy forces, led by German soldiers, had another name for the “Men of Bronze.” Based on the 369th Infantry Regiment’s “ferocious, punishing, relentless, and deadly” style of fighting on the ground and in trenches, the German soldiers of war called the African American combat unit “Hellfighters.”
World War I historians have documented that the Harlem Hellfighters (369th Infantry Regiment) spent 191 days on the battle frontlines of Europe. While the Black unit sustained many casualties, war historians reported that the Hellfighters never allowed one of their soldiers to be captured or lose ground or occupied trenches to enemy forces.
While the Harlem Hellfighters were considered a fighting machine, many of the men were accomplished jazz musicians with Harlem roots. They found time to play for other soldiers and people in friendly townships in France. James Reese Europe, a master musician, composer, and bandleader drawn to the foreign war, fought as a second lieutenant with the Harlem Hellfighters. Under the directorship of Europe, the 369th Regimental Army Band was credited with bringing and spreading jazz from Harlem – and other sectors of America – to France.
“When they weren’t fighting, they played jazz to entertain the troops and general populations of citizens in towns and cities in France,” said Buchanan, who wrote in the dedication section of her new book: The Harlem Hellfighters and Maestro James Reese Europe – “You saved the world.”
On February 17, 1919, approximately 3,000 Harlem Hellfighters returned to America, where they were given a massive 5th Avenue parade in New York City. The honoring of the fighting Black unit’s heroism, however, was short-lived as the soldiers were again subjected to racial discrimination, bigotry, and systemic racism in every sector of life.
However, France was indebted to the “Men of Bronze.” After World War I ended, the French government awarded the entire 369th Infantry Regiment the Croix de Guerre (Cross of War) for the combat unit’s bravery under constant fire. The award is one of France’s highest and most prestigious military honors to be bestowed on soldiers of war. The French also awarded several Hellfighters with individual Croix de Guerre Medals for valor in the face of imminent danger.
In 2015, President Barack Obama “posthumously” awarded the Medal of Honor, America’s highest military award, to the late Sergeant Henry Johnson in recognition of the 369th soldier’s courageous actions.
While the World War I stories of the Harlem Hellfighters are powerfully impressive, African Americans have been a part of every war involving the United States at home and on foreign soil. According to available data, approximately 8,000 Black soldiers served in the American Revolutionary War (1775 – 1783) and 186,000 African Americans fought in the Union Army during the Civil War (1861 – 1865), the latter of which produced the fabled Black 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment.
Other decorated combat units of war over the years have included the famed Tuskegee Airmen (World War II) and the legendary 10th Cavalry Regiment, better known as the Buffalo Soldiers, who played significant roles in numerous wars, including the Indian and Spanish-American Wars).
Today, 105 years after the Harlem Hellfighters returned to America from Europe, many people know little to nothing about the storied combat unit’s heroics during World War I. Buchanan is on a mission to increase awareness of the famed Black combat unit.
“I was fresh out of college several decades ago when I read an article about the Harlem Hellfighters,” Buchanan told the Michigan Chronicle. “There was something very extraordinary and intriguing about what this group of Black fighters did during World War I that stayed with me for so many years. The epic story of these Black soldiers will be fully told in my new book, ‘Victors, A Novel of Love, War & Jazz,’ along with my upcoming musical.”
About Post Author
