Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1944-04-28
UncOvering
Washington
By Harry S. McAlpin
(White House Correspondent
NNPA)

That story released by the War
Department Bureau of Public Re-
lations last week about the Negro
gunner on a Flying Fortress, who
was killed in action with the rest
of his crew, all white, last April
a year ago-has the War Depart
ment, and particularly the Air
Forces, fouled up a tree.
1t recalls to mind the phoney
case of Pvt. Lonnie George More
head, who came back from the Pa
cific about year ago with heroic
tale of his exploits as the only Ne
gro member of a crew on a B-24
Liberator bomber.
It turned out that Lonnie was
lying. He had not been a member
of such a crew; he was not in
jured, as he claimed, in the service,
but was given a medical discharge
for kidney ailment contracted be-
fore he went into the Army; he
was not a staff sergeant, though
he sported the stripes; and he had
not been awarded the ribbons and
medals he wore on his chest.
There have been, of course, a lot
of Lonnies. Most of them have been
white. They invent stories of hero
ism to impress their families and
friends, and to initiate their own
egos. But what I remember so dis
tinctly about Lonnie's case was the
vehement insistence of the War De-
partment that no Negroes had ever
served in the crew of one of the
big bombers. Some of the officers
seemed to brag about that fact.
They belittled the Negro press for
falling for $50 obviously false" a
story.
Well, the faces of those same of
ficers are a cherry red now! This
release from the Bureau of Public
Relations slipped by the brass-hat-
ted blue-pencil wielders and went
out, officially announcing the post
humous award of the Air Medal to
Technical Sergeant William G.
Mears, a gunner on a Flying For
tress. The medal was presented to
his mother in Greensboro, N. C.
And pictures show her to be dis
tinctly colored. donnie, incidental
ly, was from North Carolina, too
Black Mountain.)
Despite the completion of five
missions as aerial gunner and
shooting down an enemy Messer-
schmitt ITO in the Mediterranean
theatre, the Army Air Forces in
Washington disclaim any knowl-
edge Of Sgt. Mears' status as a
gunner.
1--WE have never sent a Negro
aerial gunner overseas" they told
me last week. eve have no record
of colored boys on a Flying For
tress. 1t may be that the boy was
in the war theatre and was used as
a gunner after showing some talent
for such an assignment. That's the
only solution we can see." (And
listen to thisD "But he must have
been sent over on some lesser as
signment. It would have to have
been an act of the theatre COM
mander, who was probably short Of
men and used whoever had talent
for the job"
So, the shoe is on the other foot
now. The Negro press doesn't ap-
pear to have been so Stupid" after
all. Sgt. Mears probably was in the
air shooting at enemy planes at the
very moment certain officers here
were sneering. And certainly that
theatre commander at the battle
front was far less stupid than a
lot Of people who set and condone
the Army's jimcrow policy from the
safe haven of their desks in the
Pentagon Building at the War De-
partment in Washington. He put
winning the WARMTH available
talent regardless of its color
ahead of white supremacy" and
prejudices.