Tag Archives: world war II

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.

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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

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.

 

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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!

 

 

Pictures from the collection of Harold G. Smith

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Here are some items from the collection of Harold G. Smith.  He entered WWII as a Lieutenant with the Buffalo Soldiers of the 92nd Infantry.  He eventually retired as a Major.  Included in the collection below: pictures of Harold Smith … Continue reading →

General Colin Powell talks about the 92nd

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General Colin Powell (Ret.) former Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and former Secretary of State has been a strong supporter of the 92nd, and the Buffalo Soldiers in general.  Here he talks about some of the challenges faced by African Americans serving in a segregated military; as well as the impact that their service had on the military – and society at large.

 

 

 

Buffalo Soldiers Documentary Now Available Online!

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In recognition of Memorial Day, as well as in appreciation for ALL who served and sacrificed, I’ve uploaded my documentary Deeds Not Words: The Buffalo Soldiers in World War II.  The documentary follows the Buffalo Soldiers of the Army’s 92nd Infantry Division from their time in basic training, through their tour of combat in the Italian Theater from 1944-1945, and then back home after the war.

Making this documentary was truly an honor.  There’s a saying, “war is hell”.  These men experienced hell on many levels. It was both awe-inspiring, and awful, to hear how they had to battle the Germans on one side, and then their own officers.  And then, after fighting for liberty abroad, to come home and see that those same liberties they fought for for others, did not apply to them…

One other element of this project also breaks my heart.  I started work on the documentary in 2004.  Of all the members of the unit you see, as of Memorial Day weekend 2014, only one is left – Joseph Hairston.

They say you don’t appreciate something until it’s gone.  Many of our WWII vets are already gone, and it’s estimated that another thousand pass away every day.  So, whether it’s Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day, or any day that ends in “Y”, please take a moment to pay tribute and offer your appreciation to those who served in the past, and those who are serving today.

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Coming Soon! The Buffalo Soldiers Documentary Along with Web Extras

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It’s been a while since we’ve added any new content to the page, so we’re going to fix that.  First and foremost, we’ll be uploading the documentary Deeds Not Words: The Buffalo Soldiers in World War II to the website.  The documentary originally aired on The Pentagon Channel in February 2011.

After that, we’ll post other periodic updates during the summer.  We’ll have web extras – outtakes from our interviews with the members of the 92nd’s Veteran’s Association.  We’ll also post information about this year’s reunion – scheduled for October 17th-19th.

So, as they say in TV-land…stay tuned!