Who is the most famous Black soldier?
- Morgan Freeman. Service: Air Force. ...
- Tracy Marrow, aka Ice-T. Service: Army. ...
- Berry Gordy Jr. Service: Army. ...
- David Robinson. Service: Navy. ...
- James Earl Jones. Service: Army. ...
- Laurence Tureaud, aka Mr. T. ...
- Elgin Baylor. Service: Army Reserve. ...
- Harry Belafonte. Service: Navy.
Alexander Augusta: Pioneering War Doctor
With discrimination blocking his dreams of becoming a doctor in the United States, Alexander Augusta moved to Canada to earn his medical degree before returning to serve as the Union Army's highest-ranking Black officer during the Civil War.
The 369th Infantry, whose members called themselves Harlem's Rattlers, was the most famous all-Black regiment to fight during World War I. By the end of the war, France awarded the regiment the Croix de Guerre.
1. Henry Johnson. The 369th Infantry Regiment, which became known as the “Harlem Hellfighters,” was an all-African American unit in World War I. Aside from seeing more combat than all other U.S. outfits and having a world-famous ragtime band, the Hellfighters were also home to Pvt.
- Martin Luther King, Jr. One of the most well-known civil rights leaders, Martin Luther King, Jr. ...
- Rosa Parks. ...
- Barack Obama. ...
- Frederick Douglass. ...
- oprah Winfrey. ...
- Harriet Tubman. ...
- Medgar Evers. ...
- Jackie Robinson.
Audie Murphy (1924–1971) was the most decorated soldier in US history, winning 24 medals from the Congressional Medal of Honor down. His exploits were the subject of To Hell and Back (USA, 1956), in which he starred as himself.
- Martin Luther King Jr., Civil Rights Leader.
- Serena Williams, Pro Athlete.
- Malcolm X, Human Rights Activist.
- Katherine Johnson, Mathematician.
- Ruby Bridges, Civil Rights Activist.
- Duke Ellington, American Composer.
- Madam C.J. Walker, Entrepreneur and Philanthropist.
The 92nd Infantry Division known as the Buffalo Soldiers, were the first African American Soldiers sent into combat in 1944.
Vietnam Special Forces soldier William Bryant (1969) was the last African American to be awarded the Medal of Honor, and today there is but one living African American recipient, Vietnam veteran Clarence Sasser.
Who is the most decorated Black soldier?
Henry Johnson | |
---|---|
Allegiance | United States |
Service/branch | United States Army |
Years of service | 1917–1919 |
Rank | Sergeant |
Tuskegee Airmen
On July 19, 1941, the U.S. Army Air Corps began training Black pilots. The 926 members of the famed Tuskegee Airmen — composed initially of the 99th Pursuit Squadron and later the 332nd Fighter Group — were trained for combat in World War II at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.

American Plains Indians who fought against these soldiers referred to the black cavalry troops as "buffalo soldiers" because of their dark, curly hair, which resembled a buffalo's coat and because of their fierce nature of fighting. The nickname soon became synonymous with all African-American regiments formed in 1866.
Sergeant William Carney was the First African American Congressional medal of Honor Recipient in the U.S. Army.
The United States Colored Troops (USCT) were regiments in the United States Army composed primarily of African-American (colored) soldiers, although members of other minority groups also served within the units.
Martin Luther King, Jr. No single African American in history is perhaps as famous as Martin Luther King, Jr. A federal holiday on the third Monday each January celebrates his legacy.
Henry Johnson | |
---|---|
Allegiance | United States |
Service/branch | United States Army |
Years of service | 1917–1919 |
Rank | Sergeant |
These pioneering figures deserve to be celebrated. When it comes to pioneers in African American history, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, and Muhammad Ali are often mentioned—and rightfully so.
“Elijah Muhammad, by far, was the most powerful black man in America.
References
- https://www.vfw.org/media-and-events/latest-releases/archives/2021/2/celebrating-iconic-black-veterans
- https://www.uso.org/stories/2308-bravery-in-african-american-military-history
- https://www.history.com/news/black-heroes-us-civil-war-tubman-douglass-augusta-smalls-galloway
- https://www.battlefields.org/glossary-civil-war-terms
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Johnson_(World_War_I_soldier)
- https://www.historynet.com/confederate-generals/
- https://m.facebook.com/MahoganyBooks/photos/elijah-muhammad-by-far-was-the-most-powerful-black-man-in-america-known-more-for/10156690788127232/
- https://www.army.mil/article/233117/honoring_black_history_world_war_ii_service_to_the_nation
- https://www.britannica.com/question/Who-were-the-most-important-figures-in-the-American-Civil-War
- https://americanhistory.si.edu/price-of-freedom/civil-war/military-leaders
- https://www.ksla.com/2021/02/10/most-influential-african-americans-history/
- https://study.com/academy/lesson/civil-war-slang-terms-their-meanings.html
- https://oxfordaasc.com/page/2529
- https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/g25954127/african-american-historical-figures/
- https://www.army.mil/blackamericans/timeline.html
- https://www.history.com/news/6-generals-who-fought-against-their-home-state-in-the-civil-war
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Colored_Troops
- https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/teaching-tools/articles/lessons/5-black-history-heroes-every-student-should-know.html
- https://bookshop.org/books/the-top-5-greatest-confederate-generals-robert-e-lee-stonewall-jackson-james-longstreet-nathan-bedford-forrest-and-patrick-cleburne/9781985829077
- https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/iconic369thphoto.htm
- https://www.army.mil/blackamericans/profiles/carney.html
- https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/national_cemeteries/death.html
- https://www.nps.gov/chyo/learn/historyculture/buffalo-soldiers.htm
- https://www.biography.com/people/groups/civil-war-figures
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_O._Davis_Sr.
- https://hpkangra.nic.in/war-heroes/
- https://www.nsls.org/blog/african-american-leaders-in-history
- https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/most-decorated-war-hero