February is #BlackHistoryMonth
February is #BlackHistoryMonth and we are using this month to honor military excellence on the battlefield – recognizing major historical figures and important moments from the colonial era to present day. While it would be impossible for us to recognize all who have served and sacrificed for our freedoms, please continue reading below to read stories of excellence as well as some additional resources to help you, too, recognize #BlackHistory Month. Is there is anyone we missed whom you want to see recognized, let us know by following @homebaseprogram and #BlackHistoryMonth on social media.
Sgt. William Harvey Carney was the first Black recipient of the Medal of Honor. Born into slavery in Norfolk, Virginia, Carney and his family were eventually granted freedom and moved to Massachusetts. He joined the Union Army in March of 1863, and was subsequently attached to the Company C, 54th Massachusetts Colored Infantry Regiment, the first official Black unit recruited for the Union. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on July 18th, 1863 at Fort Wagner, SC. After his unit’s color guard was shot, Carney caught the falling flag and held it high – despite suffering from serious wounds himself. Click 
William Henry Johnson – commonly known as Henry Johnson – was one of two Black recipients of the Medal of Honor for actions during World War I. Born in Winston Salem, North Carolina, Johnson enlisted in the U.S. Army in June 1917. He was assigned to Company C, 15th New York (Colored) Infantry Regiment – an all-Black National Guard unit that would eventually become the 369th U.S. Infantry Regiment. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions on the front lines of the Western Front in France in May of 1918, when he and another soldier received a surprise attack from a German raiding party. Despite being severely outnumbered and receiving significant wounds, Johnson bravely held back the enemy until the German’s retreated. Click 
First Lieutenant Vernon J. Baker was awarded the Medal of Honor more than fifty years after World War II, when President Bill Clinton awarded the Medal to seven Black World War II Veterans. Baker was the only living recipient. Born in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Baker enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1941. He was assigned to the segregated 270th Regiment of the 92nd Infantry Division, which was the first Black unit to go into combat in WWII. He was awarded the Medal for his actions in Italy in April 1945, when he advanced ahead of the rest of his company and destroyed enemy installations, personnel, and equipment. The next evening, he led a battalion through enemy mine fields and heavy fire. Click 
Private First Class William Henry Thompson was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions while serving as a machine gunner with Company M, 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division in Korea. The New York, New York native fearlessly faced the enemy during a surprise attack in August of 1950, allowing his platoon to withdraw to a safer position. Despite being wounded, he refused to evacuate. He stood his ground until he was ultimately killed by a grenade. Click 
Private First Class James Anderson, Jr. became the first African American U.S. Marine recipient of the Medal of Honor after he was posthumously awarded the Medal in 1967. The Los Angeles, California native deployed to Vietnam in December of 1966 with Company F, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, 3rd Marine Division. He was mortally wounded in February 1967 when he covered a grenade with his body to save his teammates. He was immediately killed, but the Marines around him survived. Click 
With respect to Home Base’s ties to New England, it is only fitting to include Salem Poor on this list. Often touted as the “hero of the Battle of Bunker Hill,” this Andover, Massachusetts native was sent to Bunker Hill to build a fort in June 1775. Though details of his early life are sparse, Poor was born a slave and managed to buy his freedom in 1769. He fought for the patriot cause at Bunker Hill, Saratoga, and Monmouth. His gallantry at the Battle of Bunker Hill led 14 officers to cite him for heroism, and he is credited with mortally wounding British Lieutenant Colonel James Abercrombie. You can read more about Salem Poor 
Eugene Jacques Bullard is considered the first African American military pilot to fly in combat. Though he was the only African American pilot in World War I, he – ironically – never flew for the United States. Unhappy at home, Bullard made his way to Scotland in 1912. Eventually making his way to France, Bullard enlisted in the French Foreign Legion after World War I began. He entered the Aéronautique Militaire in 1916. Though he tried to join the U.S. Air Service after the United States entered the war in 1917, he was rejected due to the racism that existed in the military at the time. Click 
The Buffalo Soldiers were African American soldiers who primarily served on the Western frontier after the Civil War. Six all-black cavalry and infantry regiments were formed in 1866 and tasked with helping to control the Native Americans of the Plains, capture cattle rustlers and thieves, and protect settlers. Click 
In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8802, which prohibited racial discrimination in the services. By 1942, the Marine Corps had begun recruiting Black men. Between 1942 and 1949, approximately 20,000 African Americans completed training at Montford Point, North Carolina. They became known as the “
Marine Corps Colonel Lorna M. Mahlock was recently confirmed as the first Black woman Brigadier General in the United States Marine Corps. Brigadier General Lorna Mahlock is the Director, Command, Control, Communications and Computers (C4) and the Deputy Department of the Navy Chief Information Officer of the Marine Corps. Brigadier General Maholock was born in Kingston, Jamaica and later immigrated to Brooklyn, New York. Click