Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 4, 1993 TAG: 9304060379
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MARK W. WRIGHT COX NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
PENTAGON ASKS IF BLACKS SLIGHTED ON MEDAL OF HONOR
Amid suggestions that racism tainted the process of choosing Medal of Honor recipients, the Pentagon is re-examining whether any black Army veterans of World War II should receive the nation's highest decoration for heroism.Since the medal was established by an 1862 act of Congress, 79 black soldiers have received it, most of them in the 19th century.
But in World War II, when 1.2 million black troops served largely in segregated units assigned to service tasks rather than combat, no black serviceman won the medal. By contrast, it was awarded to 470 white soldiers and two American Indians.
Now, the Army is asking black colleges and other minority institutions to bid on a contract to re-examine whether "recommendations for the Medal of Honor for black soldiers were processed in accordance with public law."
The request for bids appeared in Commerce Business Daily, a federal publication that lists government contracts and other business opportunities.
"If there was a problem, we need to fix it," Shari Lawrence, spokeswoman for the U.S. Total Army Personnel Command in Alexandria, Va., said last week.
"No one told us, `you have to do this,' " Lawrence said. "But we're saying, if no one received it in World War II, let's make sure" that was justified.
The Army has a list of black soldiers whose cases will be re-examined, Lawrence said. She refused to identify any of them or say how many names were on the list.
Originally, there was a 1952 deadline for nominating World War II veterans for the honor, but such deadlines have been waived before.
After a previous Army review, Cpl. Freddie Stowers, a black World War I veteran, was posthumously awarded a Medal of Honor two years ago for his heroism in 1918.
Some have long felt that black soldiers who fought heroically in World War II were denied the recognition they deserved.
"The racism that existed at the time obviously excluded blacks from being considered for the Medal," said Arnold H. Taylor, a Howard University history professor.
"There has been some movement out in the community to assure that blacks in World War II also get a shot at this," Taylor said.
"We have to recognize that World War II came during a period in which blacks were not recognized for many of the things they did," Major Clark, a black combat veteran of that war, told The New York Times last month.
The contract is reserved for historically black colleges, universities and other minority institutions, said Harry W. Shatto, lead contract specialist for the Army.
Much of the research will take place at the National Archives in Suitland, Md., the Center for the study of World War II in Knoxville, Tenn., and the Military History Institute in Carlisle, Pa. The presidential papers of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman will also be reviewed.
"It is a massive project," Lawrence said. "Certainly, it is a project that we think is a worthwhile thing to do, and I say it is going to be worth the investment and time."
\ THE MEDAL OF HONOR\ What it is
The Medal of Honor, established by an act of Congress in July 1862, is awarded to a person who, while a member of the armed forces, distinguishes himself conspicuously at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in combat.\ \ How recipients are chosen
Privates, commanding officers, and even the president can nominate a member of any service branch for the Medal of Honor. The recommendation then moves through the chain of command to the final authority, the secretary of the service. Congress does not act on the recommendation.\ \ How many black U.S. Army veterans have received it\ Civil War 16\ Indian wars 18\ Spanish-American War 5\ World War I 1\ World War II 0\ Korean War 2\ Vietnam War 15\ Total 57
(Black veterans of the other services have received another 22 medals, for a total of 79. In all, more than 2,600 Medals of Honor have been awarded).
Sources: The World Almanac, Pentagon Department of Public Affairs, U.S. Total Army Personnel Command.