The 92nd Infantry Division

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Buffalo Soldier PatchThis is the official site of the 92nd Infantry (Buffalo) Division’s WWII Association as voted upon by the members of the Association. 

The 92nd Infantry Division was featured in Miracle at St. Anna – a 2008 movie Directed by Spike Lee and based on the novel by James McBride.  While Miracle at St. Anna is a fictional account of the 92nd, it’s based on actual interviews with members of the unit.  

The 92nd Infantry Division was a part of the 5th Army that served in the Italian Theater during World War II.  It was also the only infantry unit comprised entirely of African Americans, or, as they were referred to at the time – Colored Troops, to see combat in Europe.  During their time in Italy, from August of 1944 through the end of the war in May 1945, the 92nd advanced more than 3,000 square miles and captured more than 20,000 German prisoners.  They also suffered heavy casualties – with more than a quarter of the unit killed or wounded in action.  For their Deeds the 92nd earned more than 12,000 decorations and citations – including two Medals of Honor.

This site is intended to serve as a resource for those who wish to know more about the organization.  Navigate through the sidebar at the left for links to resources about the Buffalo Soldiers of the 92nd Infantry Division.  Watch the video below for a brief overview about African Americans serving in the military.

 

 

 

Salute to Frederick L. Smith Senior

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Thanks to Derrick Smith for the photo and the Bio….

Frederick L. Smith Senior was a patrol guard with the Quartermasters Corps. He was in Oran, Algeria at the time of the picture.  He went from there to Italy. He was housed in Mussolini’s former palace (Rome), at one time. Even though he wasn’t Catholic, he had an audience with the sitting pope of the Catholic Church, Pope Pius.He was also in Pisa Italy, and Naples.

Our Site is Once Again Active

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For those of you wondering if the site is being monitored, the answer is now, “yes!” It’s been quite some time – apologies for that, sometimes, life gets in the way. I’ll try to do a better job of posting and responding; however, I do need to point out that the 92nd Veterans Association has not been active for almost 10 years – and with good reason, most of the Veterans have passed. There are a few of us, children or grandchildren of the members and a handful of historians, who continue to work to tell the story of the 92nd. We will do what we can with what we have. Thanks for your support!

Frederick Douglas Killingsworth

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What a pleasant surprise when Ronald Killingsworth contacted me and asked if he could share a picture of his father, Frederick Douglas Killingsworth, who served in the 365th Infantry Division of the 92nd.

This from Ronald…

Born in Denmark, South Carolina, Fred came to New York City after my Grandfather moved his family to Harlem there.   Fred was inducted into the army on the 22 April 1943 in NYC and was a private throughout his service.  He departed for the MTO on 1 Oct 44 and served 11 months and 5 days overseas.

Ronald shared with me an interesting twist regarding his father’s service record.  Even though his father’s discharge papers say he was in the 365th, his unit is also listed as the 485th Aviation Squadron. And his MOS was a ANTI-TANK GUN CREWMAN 610. He was trained as a crewman on a 57mm antitank gun, and told Ronald’s older brother a story about almost being killed by artillery while operating a 50 cal. machine gun.

It seems that once the war was over, the army sometimes transferred the men to different units rather quickly in order to expedite their discharge rotation!!!

His battles and campaigns are listed as NORTH APENNINES, PO VALLEY, ROME-ARNO.

In addition to the PURPLE HEART his decorations include: the GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL, EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN SERVICE MEDAL, AMERICAN SERVICE MEDAL, and the WORLD WAR II VICTORY MEDAL.  Also he got his COMBAT INF BADGE GO#6 HQ 365 INF, on 13 Jan 45.

frederick-douglas-killingsworth

TCM Presents Movie about Black Soldiers in WWII

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Turner Classic Movies will air “The Home of the Brave” Wednesday, August 17th at 8PM (ET).  The movie, which was released in 1949 and considered rather daring for that time, tells the story of a black soldier facing racism from his fellow soldiers in World War II.  For more information, click here

VE Day Commemoration 2015

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I had the pleasure, and privilege, to attend the V-E Day Commemoration at the National World War II Memorial on May 8th, 2015.  Sorry to say, I didn’t see any members of the 92nd there.  However, I did get a chance to see this during the National Anthem.  And I managed to get a few seconds on camera.  You’ll have to watch to the end, but I think it’s worth it.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCV0sE5s37A

WWII 70th Anniversary Commemoration May 8th 2015

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The 70th Anniversary of the end of the war in Europe, V-E Day, is fast approaching.  Join us at the WWII Memorial in Washington DC to commemorate the service and sacrifice of the soldiers, sailors, and airmen who served…Click here to see the official page for the day’s events.

92nd Infantry (Buffalo) Division Reunion Display

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With Veteran’s Day upon us, we stop to Honor ALL the Veterans who have served in our armed forces.  We would like to take a moment to offer up a special thank you to our WWII Vets.  According to some estimates, we lose about 1,000 WWII Vets every day!

And while they may no longer be with us in body, they are with us in spirit.  We will carry the memories of their service and sacrifice with us and we will take it upon ourselves to share those memories with future generations.

Spencer C. Moore served as an officer with the 92nd Infantry Division during their time in Italy.  During the unit’s 2004 reunion, he took us on a walking tour of their display of unit memorabilia.  Please click on the picture to watch the video.

 

92nd Photos.95

 

 

Fall 2014 Buffalo Newsletter

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The Fall 2014 Newsletter is hot off the presses – courtesy of Carolyn Johnston.  Plans are underway for this year’s annual reunion October 17th-19th at the Sheraton Silver Spring in Silver Spring, Maryland.  You can get all the details by clicking here … and we hope to see you there!

Interview with Buffalo Soldier Harold G. Smith

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Harold G. Smith was drafted into the U.S. Army, commissioned as a Lieutenant, and  assigned to the Buffalo Soldiers of the 92nd Infantry.  At that time, the army had a protocol; they assigned white officers, mostly from the south, to command the black (colored) troops in segregated units.  Smith is white, but he’s not from the south.  He was born and raised in upstate New York.  That meant he brought a different perspective.  In this interview, Smith shares his recollections of that time. After the war, Smith returned to the states.  He was recalled to duty for the Korean War and eventually retired from the army with the rank of Major.

After watching the interview, make sure to check out the collection of photos of some of the items that Smith has meticulously maintained in his foot locker.  He’s kept almost everything from his time with the 92nd and his memorabilia tells a story of its own!