Specialist 4th Class Fred Moore was the first African-American posted to the Tomb Guard. Moore was drafted Aug. 13, 1959, and like many black men during that time, he was displeased with being selected. Most of his training days were spent thinking about how he could get back home. He had been happy with his life before, working a good job and ...

Dorsie Willis was one of the 167 black soldiers of the 25th Infantry discharged from the United States Army "without honor" by order of President Theodore Roosevelt after the shooting in Brownsville, Texas in 1906. Willis was born in Mississippi in 1886 to Corsey and Dochie Willis. Willis joined Company D, 25th Infantry of the United States ...

Clara Adams-Ender is an Army trailblazer who was known for being one of the branches top nurse recruiters. She initiated nursing units as well as advocated for critical care nurses to receive higher pay. Adams-Ender was born in Willow Springs, North Carolina. She was one of ten children who grew up with parents, Caretha Bell Sapp Leach and Otha ...

Legendary blues musician B.B. King has died in Las Vegas, his attorney told The Associated Press. Cause of death was not released. He was 89. Here’s a look at the life of blues legend B.B. King. Personal: Birth date: September 16, 1925 Birthplace: Mississippi Delta cotton plantation between Indianola and what is now Itta Bena, ...

In the first entry, we explored the culture of the Imbangala as well as its origins. Now we look at the history of the tribe within the Angola region.   Imbangala’s Role in Portuguese Angola In the 1620s, part of Angola was under Portuguese rule. Called Portuguese Angola, the colonial government had strained its relationship with the ...

The Imbangala were initially a band of marauders who would later become based out of the Kingdom of Kasanje. While it was a smaller group it would later become one of the major power shifters in Angola. Questionable Origins The group moved into the Angola region sometime during the 16th century. They would establish their kingdom during the ...

Captain Bobby Charles Wilks became the first African-American in the Coast Guard to reach the rank of captain. He was also the first African-American Coast Guard aviator and later became the first African-American to command a Coast Guard air station. Wilks was born on May 12, 1931, in St. Louis, Missouri. He graduated from Harris-Stowe ...

Melvin Morris served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He was a Special Forces Soldier (Green Beret). He should have received the Medal of Honor for his services in 1969, but due to prejudice, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. “I was proud of what I got,” said Mr. Morris, who was honored for his actions while serving as ...

By: Jasmine Cochran In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, an executive order that essentially started the process of ending slavery in America. The 13th Amendment passed in 1865, sealing the deal and making it illegal to own slaves in America. Black people were beginning to make this country their new home, even ...

Colonel James E.P. Randall was born in Roanoke, Virginia. He attended Hampton University before entering into pilot training in the U.S. Air Force. After completing basic training at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, he became a flight instructor at Perrin and Craig Air Force Bases in Texas and Alabama. Randall is recognized for flying 75 ...

Brigadier General Irene Trowell-Harris was born in Aiken, S.C. She graduated from Jersey City State University, where she earned a bachelor's degree with honors in health education. She also a graduate of Columbia Hospital School of Nursing, and earned a master's degree in public health from Yale University and a doctorate in education for ...

Edward Creston Gleed enlisted in the 9th Calvary in 1941. He went from being a "Buffalo Soldier" to a Tuskegee Airmen. He had also been assigned to the military intelligence. Gleed graduated from Kansas University, and studied law at Howard University before entering Aviation Cadets in the U.S. Army. He graduated in 1942 as an officer and ...