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Robert Serge
VVA 17 Member
Blog Master
To all my fellow veterans friends and family my we all remember
Valor 24 Medal of Honor
UNFINISHED BUSINESS - ANOTHER ACT OF UNFAIRNESS
Date: Sun, 16 Mar 2014 22:24:45 -0700
From: loumisgm@yahoo.com
Subject: Valor 24 Awards - Some Background Information
To: loumicsm@yahoo.com
The CinC will present 24 former Soldiers with the Medal of Honor on March 18th. I have attached some background information on this action. It is interesting to note that what triggered the review of these MOH recipients records was the persistence of fellow soldiers and friends.
Due to limitations in the laws, Congress had to enact legislation and direction to the Army to review the DSC awards of several minority groups from WWII, Korea and Vietnam. It was an extensive review taking more than 10 years. What became clear was that there was pretty clear-cut racism involved that limited those who exceeded the standards for the MOH were awarded the DSC. During the review, other non minority Soldiers were also upgraded and were awarded individually.
I feel that the Army and Congress still have some unfinished business in this area. The second attachment cites two examples.
In 1991, The Army reviewed and rewrote the official history of the Black 24th Infantry Regiment in Korea. The 25th Infantry Division became the spearhead of the United Nations ground forces, and the 24th Infantry Regiment was the lead unit in many of the actions. The Army historical study looked at the history found in "South to the Naktong, North to the Yalu" the official Army history of the first six months of the Korean War. They compared units, conducted extensive interviews and oral histories and found a balanced analysis of this regiment's battle performance and found racism and leadership as the root causes of the original combat accounts. The official Army History of this unit can be found at: http://www.history.army.mil/books/korea/24TH.HTM. It explains the problems and solutions clearly.
After 34 years of exposure to Soldiers that served in three wars, It was quick to learn of the trials many minority Soldiers had to endure. It was also an unforgettable experience to see the Army change to become an organization that treated all Soldiers fairly. The reviews led to better regulations. One can see this in the awards process from our current conflicts.
Lou
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