[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 5106-5107]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH, 2003

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 4, 2003

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I chose to celebrate African 
American History Month 2003 by acknowledging African Americans who have 
served with distinction in the United States Armed Forces. Each day of 
the month, I distributed brief biographies to my colleagues, which 
honored the accomplishments of generals and privates, paratroopers, 
cooks, and nurses, who have contributed to our rich history.
  I chose this theme because the integration of the Armed Forces was a 
momentous event in our national and military history. Although the 
pressures generated by the civil rights movement compelled the U.S. 
military to reexamine its traditional practices of segregation, in 
fact, African Americans have been integral in the service to this 
nation since its beginnings.
  I hope that my colleagues and their staffs have taken a few moments 
each day this month to read the stories of these inspiring men and 
women. Some distinguished themselves with their impressive 
accomplishments; the first African American General in the Air Force, 
the first African American in space, and the first African American 
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Some, in a moment of gallantry 
and courage, sacrificed their lives in the line of duty or for their 
fellow soldiers. Following are the names of the men and women I chose 
to honor during African American history month.
  General Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., Tuskegee Airman. Graduating from West 
Point in 1936, Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. became one of only two black 
general officers in the U.S. Army at the time--the other was his 
father. With his promotion to Brigadier General, Davis became the first 
African American General in the U.S. Air Force. He retired in 1970, and 
served under President Nixon as Assistant Secretary of Transportation 
for Environment, Safety, and Consumer Affairs.
  Colonel Guion S. Bluford, Jr. Guion S. Bluford, Jr. has the honor of 
being the first African American in space. Bluford has also served as a 
mission specialist on STS 61-A (Challenger) in 1985 and on STS-39 
(Discovery) in 1991.
  Sergeant Major Christian A. Fleetwood. Fleetwood served in the U.S. 
4th Colored Troops and was one of thousands of African Americans who 
fought in the Civil War. At the battle of Chapin's Farm, Virginia, in 
July 1864, Fleetwood valiantly defended the American flag and was 
awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism. In 1948, his daughter 
donated his Medal of Honor to the National History Museum, making him 
the first African American veteran to be honored by the Smithsonian.
  Ensign Jesse LeRoy Brown. Brown was the first African American to 
achieve the status of Naval Aviator. He was awarded the Distinguished 
Flying Cross for his service during the Korean War. In 1973 the USS 
Jesse L. Brown, a 3963 ton Knox class ship, was named in honor of 
Ensign Jesse L. Brown.
  Private William Cathy. In 1866, with little employment opportunities, 
Williams disguised herself as a man, assuming the name William Cathy 
and enlisted with Company A, 38th United States Infantry. Williams was 
determined `fit for duty' following a limited medical test and within 
months she had become a ``Buffalo Soldier'' serving with one of the six 
black units. Williams served for two years.
  Sergeant William H. Carney. During a siege at Fort Wagner, South 
Carolina, on July 18, 1863, Sergeant William Carney displayed the 
courage that won him the Congressional Medal of Honor, making him the 
first African American to receive the prestigious medal. Despite being 
shot twice, Carney planted the colors announcing, ``Boys the old flag 
never touched the ground.''

[[Page 5107]]

  Dorie Miller. On May 27, 1942, Dorie Miller was presented with the 
Navy Cross for extraordinary courage in battle. Miller served on the 
USS West Virginia when the battleship was attacked by the Japanese at 
Pearl Harbor. Miller valiantly aided the mortally wounded Captain of 
the ship, manning a 50 caliber Browning anti-aircraft machine gun, 
which he had not been trained to operate. Miller continued to fire 
until he ran out of ammunition. In addition to the Navy Cross, Miller 
earned the Purple Heart Medal.
  Colonel Charles Young. In 1889, Charles Young became the third 
African American to graduate from the United States Military Academy at 
West Point. He served with the Buffalo Soldiers of the 9th and 10th 
Cavalries, and the 25th Infantry. When the Army created the Military 
Information Division, he was one of the first military attaches, 
serving in Port Au Prince, Haiti. Young was the highest ranking African 
American officer in the Army when World War I started.
  General Daniel James, Jr. Daniel ``Chappie'' James, one of the 
Tuskegee airmen, was commissioned in 1943. An outstanding fighter 
pilot, he flew over 100 combat missions in Korea and over 300 in 
Vietnam. In September 1975, he became the first African American in the 
history of the United States military to attain the rank of 4-star 
General.
  Moses Jones. On May 11, 1898, the Revenue Cutter Hudson joined two 
U.S. Navy gunboats at the Battle of Cardenas Bay in Cuba. When one of 
the Navy gunboats was hit and began drifting towards shore, the Hudson 
and its crew, despite being directly in the line of fire, managed to 
tow the gunboat to safety. The courage of the crew was recognized by a 
joint resolution of Congress and Moses Jones received the silver Medal 
of Honor.
  Sergeant First Class William Maud Bryant. Sergeant Bryant was a 
member of Company A, 5th Special Forces Group, in the Republic of 
Vietnam in 1969. He received the Medal of Honor for conspicuous 
gallantry and intrepidity in action. When his battalion came under 
heavy fire and was surrounded by 3 enemy regiments, SFC Bryant charged 
an enemy automatic weapons position, overrunning it, and single-
handedly destroyed its 3 defenders.
  General Clara L. Adams-Ender. Clara L. Adams-Ender was commissioned 
as a second lieutenant in 1961. In 1967, she became the first woman in 
the Army to qualify and be awarded the Expert Field Medical Badge. In 
1976 Adams-Ender received a Master of Military Arts and Sciences from 
the U.S. Army Command and Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. 
Adams-Ender was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General in 1987, and 
appointed Chief of the Army Nurse Corps.
  General Calvin Waller. Lt. Gen. Calvin Waller served as deputy 
commander of the allied forces during the Persian Gulf War. Waller died 
of a heart attack in 1996, leaving behind an enduring legacy. Waller's 
service during the Gulf War was invaluable. In 1998, the Army honored 
Waller, when a 100,000 square foot personnel center at Fort Lewis, 
Washington was named Waller Hall in his honor.
  Private First Class Milton Lee Olive, III. Pfc. Olive was a member of 
the 3d Platoon of Company B in Vietnam. He and four other soldiers were 
moving through the jungle together when a grenade was thrown into their 
midst. Pfc. Olive saw the grenade, and then saved the lives of his 
fellow soldiers by grabbing the grenade in his hand and falling on it 
to absorb the blast with his body. ``For conspicuous gallantry and 
intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of 
duty'', PFC Olive was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of 
Honor.
  Private First Class Malvin L. Brown. Private First Class Malvin L. 
Brown, was a medic and member of Headquarters Company, 555th Parachute 
Infantry Battalion. The 555th or ``Triple Nickles,'' was the nation's 
first all-black parachute infantry test platoon, company, and 
battalion. In 1945 the Army dispatched the 555th to the Western U.S. to 
combat fires set by Japanese fire bomb balloons and by lightning. In 
attempting to climb out of his harness and lower himself with a rope, 
PFC Brown slipped or lost his grip and crashed into a rock bed 150 feet 
below. He was the first airborne firefighter, or ``smokejumper'', 
killed in the line of duty.
  General Julia Jeter Cleckley. Jeter Cleckley has served with the 
military for 27 years. In September of 2002, she became the first 
African-American woman to be promoted from full colonel to flag officer 
in the Army National Guard. She was also the first minority woman to 
become a branch chief at the National Guard Bureau; the first African-
American woman to be promoted to colonel in the Active Guard and 
Reserve Program, and the first woman to serve on the Army Guard 
director's special staff as the chief of Human Resources.
  Salem Poor. Details of what took place at the Battle of Charleston, 
today known as the Battle at Bunker Hill are scarce, however it is 
clear that Poor's conduct was exceptional. A petition to the 
Continental Congress was signed by fourteen of his officers in an 
attempt to cite him for his heroism. The petition read, ``A Negro 
called Salem Poor of Colonel Frye's regiment, Captain Ames' company, in 
the late battle at Charleston, behaved like an excellent officer, as 
well as an excellent soldier. It would be tedious to go into more 
detail regarding his heroic conduct. We only beg leave to say, in the 
person of this Negro centers a brave and gallant soldier.'' Despite the 
petition, Poor was never officially recognized for his actions. In 
1975, two hundred years after the Battle of Bunker Hill, Salem Poor was 
honored on a stamp by the U.S. Postal Service.
  Sergeant Cornelius H. Charlton. Charlton served during the Korean 
War. When his platoon was heavily attacked, he took control, rallying 
the troops and spearheading an attack up a heavily defended hill. Sgt. 
Charlton took control of two hostile positions and killed six enemy 
troops. Though wounded, he continued the advance and managed to damage 
a gun emplacement. Charlton was then hit by another grenade, this time 
mortally wounded. In recognition of his heroism, Cornelius Charlton was 
posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1952. In 1999 
the U.S. Navy named a Cargo ship the USNS Charlton, in honor of 
Sergeant Charlton.
  General Colin L. Powell. Current Secretary of State Powell was a 
professional soldier for 35 years, during which time he rose to the 
rank of 4-star General. His last assignment, from October 1, 1989 to 
September 30, 1993, was as the 12th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of 
Staff, the highest military position in the Department of Defense. He 
was the first African American to hold this position. During this time, 
he oversaw 28 crises, including Operation Desert Storm in 1991. After 
being unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate, he was sworn in as the 
65th Secretary of State on January 20, 2001.

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