02/11/2021
Respect!!
This is the story of Charles Young, the first Black officer to serve in the US Military. His father had served in the Union Army until the war was over. Charles applied to West Point scored the highest among all applicants. While at West Point he suffered horribly, and was forced to deal with a lot of abuse being the only black person there. After graduation, he was assigned to 10th Cav, and then later sent to 9th Cav. While with 9th Cav he met a young man named Benjamin Davis, whom you may remember we talked about a few days ago.
In 1916, there was trouble along the US-Mexican border. He was given command of 10th Cav and a promotion to Major, where he helped Gen John Pershing with finding Pancho Villa. He served heroically, personally leading a Cavalry charge that smashed Villa's forces and was given a promotion to LTC.
When WWI started White officers were worried that he'd be promoted to BG and they'd have to serve under him. So President Wilson intervened personally and made it clear, that no black soldier would ever wear a General's star and command White Troops while he was president.
The Army made up a medical condition, so he couldn't deploy to France and take command of troops. They sent him to go back to teaching in OH, but gave him the promotion to Col. So as a middle finger to the Army, he rode horseback for 500 miles, from DC to OH. Along the way he stopped in one town that had a Whites only hotel. The townsfolk got curious as to who he was, he told them his story, and afterwards they vowed to help him, he refused and said, "Nothing to help me, but if other Negro soldiers stop here, I wish you'd give them lodging for the night."
After WWI he went to Liberia has a military attache, where he then fell ill, and died in Nigeria in 1922. He's buried in Arlington Cemetery
