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An older African-American man approached me a few days ago and, after confirming that I write for the St. Petersburg Times, asked if I had read the plaque in Williams Park that is dedicated to World War I veterans. Although I have lived in St. Petersburg 10 years, rent a mailbox at the outdoor post office and go there every day, I had not read the plaque.
I went right away and read it. I should not have been surprised, but I was, at what was on the plaque, erected by the World War I-era Chapter of American War Mothers.
According to the monument, 16 soldiers died in the line of duty during the war. The names of the two officers, a first and second lieutenant, are listed at the top, followed by the names of 12 of the enlisted men in alphabetical order, Lewis N. Brantley through Paul Other Webb. The last two names - Carey Herriott and Charles Hargray Jr. - should be between Edward Theodore Hall and James Clyde McCraven.
I realized why the names of these two dead soldiers are at the bottom: The word "Colored" is in parenthesis next to each. "White" is not beside the other men's names. Even in death, legalized racism (Jim Crow) was destiny for the two blacks.
To be fair, I should put the content of the plaque in context. Deep and dangerous inequities have defined the lives of black military personnel from the Revolutionary War until the Vietnam era. Beginning with World War I, blacks enlisted in all branches of the military, but they were kept to a quota of 10 percent in all units.
This practice continued into World War II, when black infantrymen were grudgingly tolerated by their white superiors and peers and were openly mistreated by whites in the Southern states where they were stationed. The book Black Saga states that whites believed that African-Americans were incapable of fighting alongside whites.
In her 2001 book, American Patriots: The Story of Blacks in the Military from the Revolution to Desert Storm, Gail Buckley writes that far into the 20th century, in all branches of the military, blacks were conspicuously slow to win promotions or were not promoted at all. They lived "in separate, vastly inferior quarters. They received separate, often vastly inferior training, and were given vastly inferior weapons and equipment."
Buckley and other researchers say that in many camps, black soldiers were forced to sit behind German and other prisoners of war during movies and other entertainment. Perhaps the deepest insult was the official fear of "racial contamination." Buckley writes that in 1941, the military used "white blood only" for white personnel.
President Harry Truman abolished racial segregation in the armed services in 1948 by executive order. Almost immediately, the military became the most egalitarian sector of American life. But the military could not kill Jim Crow. When blacks returned to civilian life, they faced the same old discrimination. Even today, when blacks put away their uniforms, they return to the real America, where race still matters. I know from personal experience.
Why dredge up old history, you ask? Because race - even in the military - is never old history. It is living history.
Now, we have the Jessica Lynch and Shoshana Johnson controversy. Johnson is the black soldier who was shot in combat in Iraq. Lynch was not shot in combat. Johnson, captured at the same time as Lynch, was held prisoner by the Iraqis two weeks after Lynch was rescued. Lynch's disability pay is far greater than that of Johnson. Lynch is now a wealthy American hero. Johnson is a mere survivor, who has a child to support.
Most blacks seem to suspect racism. Most whites apparently do not. Even if it proves to be perception, this controversy is a matter of race because racism is so deeply ingrained in our culture.
The World War I plaque in Williams Park is instructive. It is who we are as a people. Everyone should go see it. It is an integral part of downtown St. Petersburg.