Evening star., 1946-02-10

In a manner that brought high COM
rnendation on many fronts for unit and
individual acts of heroism, valor and
general devotion to duty.
While the greater part of the 100000
in the Army were in service units of
various types, there were many who
fought in combat groups including ar
tillery, infantry, tank and air units
and from that service won an imposing
number of awards ranging from in
dividual concentrations to the Dis
tinguished Service Cross. Similarly in
the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard
and merchant marine, the service of the
Negro personnel brought praise from
commanding officers for devotion to
duty and heroism under fire.
A 20,O00-word summary of these &C
complishments compiled from records of
the War and Navy Departments was
recently placed in the Congressional
Record by Representative Helen Ga
hagan Douglas. Democrat of California,
reciting the part played by Negroes in
all services in areas from the frozen
Arctic to steaming jungleS.
In 1910, when the Selective Service
Act was passed, there were only 4,45l
Negroes in the Army, including COM
missioned officers and II warrant Of
ficers. Last August there were more
than $4,000 in the Army and of these
about 495,OO0 were overseas. BY last
year the number of Negro commissioned
eH6oere hoJ ir,crcoced fo & SAQ
Given General Navy Duty.
When the United States entered the
war, Navy policy restricted Negroes to
the stewards branch of naval service.
1t was in June, 1912, when the Navy for
the first time accepted Negro inductees
from selective service. At later dates 1t
commissioned Negroes as naval officers,
admitted them to the WAVES, SPARS
and Nurse Corps and began assignment
of Negroes for general duty aboard ships
of all classifcations.
Last August there were more than
165, 900 Negroes enlisted in the Navy and
So officers In the Marine Corps there
were nearly 1900 men, in the Coast
Guard 3,70O men and 4 Negro officers.
It is estimated about $4,000 Negroes
served in the merchant marine, out OF
q total seagoing labor force of 250,000
men. They served in every capacity
from master to ordinary seaman, from
chief engineer to wiper. Four Liberty
ships were named for Negro merchant
seamen lost on active service.
Navy restrictions decreased as . the
numbers in the service increased and by
August, 1914, the Navy began to assign
them. to man., partially, Is large auxil-
iary vessels, most of which were in COM
bat areas in the Pacific as part of the
feet train.
92d Division Hard Hit.
This brief account cannot trace the
ramifcations of the Negroes work and
battles the world over, but in dipping
inn the picture here and there many
items in the Douglas report stand out.
For instance, the 92d Division was in the
italian campaign from start to finish.
Its men won 2 Distinguished Service
Crosses. Distinguished Service Medal,
16 Legion of Merit Awards, Oak Leaf
Clusters to Silver Stars, 95 Silver Stars,
Soldiers Medals, 723 Bronze Stars,
1891 Purple Hearts and 1896 Combat
Infantry Badges, in addition to 205
concentrations
When the Italian campaign had end
ed the 92d Division had lost almost
one-fourth of its men through casual
ties: $50 killed, 2215 wounded and GIG
missing in action.
One of the boys winning the DISC
with his division was I'd 1t. Vernon j.
Baker of Cheyenne, Wyo., a rife platoon
leader, for bravery in two days OF &C
ton near viareggio, Italy. His citation
reads:
Second 1t Baker demonstrated out
standing courage and leadership in
destroying enemy installations, person.
mel and equipment during his company's
attack against strongly entrenched
enemy in mountainous terrain.
"When his company was stopped by
the concentrated fire from several ma
chine-gun emplacements, he crawled to
one position and destroyed it, killing
three Germans. Continuing forward,
he attacked an enemy observation post
and killed it's two occupants.
with the aid of one of his. men, I'd
1t. Baker attacked two more machine
enemy soldiers occupying these posi-
tions. He then covered the evacuation
of the wounded personnel of his COM
pany by occupying an exposed position
and drawing the enemy's fire.
'On the following night I'd 1t. Baker
voluntarily led a battalion advance
through enemy mine fields and heavy
fire toward the division objective. Sec
ond 1t. Bakers fighting spirit and dar-
ing leadership were an inspiration to
his men and exemplify the highest ira
ditions of the armed forces"
Two From Washington Honored.
Two Washington boys won honors
with the 92d. One was Capt Charles
r. Candy, posthumously awarded the
Silver Star, who was ordered to deploy
his company in reinforcement of an
other company in position on difficult
mountainous terrain. The citation re-
calls he succeeded in getting his entire
company across canal despite an
abrupt 12-foot wall, in rain and under
extremely heavy enemy fire." He was
mortally wounded when he went for
ward alone to reconnoiter the route of
the next move.
The other was 1t. Theodore o. Smith,
killed in action In ITALY q month oftar
winning the Silver Star for leading a
small patrol on a mission that netted
two Nazi prisoners and four enemy