From the Civil War to the era Black veterans have consistently stood at the front lines of American history, shattering barriers, reimagining patriotism and urging the nation to live up to its promise of equality. These trailblazers didn’t simply serve; they made history. Here’s a salute, to eleven veterans who transformed the face of U.S. Military service and leadership.
These 11 Black veterans figures whose deeds have rewoven the fabric of history stand as testaments to a courage that reaches across centuries and a spectrum of conflicts. Their narratives remind us that patriotism isn’t a devotion; it’s a courageous accountable stance. From the dust of Fort Wagner’s battlefields to the polished corridors of the Pentagon each has propelled the quest for freedom forward both abroad and, on the home front.
Salute to them all
William H. Carney
Sergeant William H. Carney, born in Norfolk, Virginia in 1840, held the United States flag aloft amid a hail of fire during the 1863 assault on Fort Wagner refusing to let it ever kiss the ground. That daring act earned him the Medal of Honor. When the award was finally presented in 1900, Carney became the first African American ever to receive that distinguished decoration.
Charles Young
Born in Mays Lick, Kentucky, Charles Young became the Black graduate of West Point in 1889, later the first Black colonel in the U.S. Army and in 1903, the first Black superintendent of a national park when he was appointed to Sequoia. In the 1900s, Young’s service spanned the United States, the Philippines and Africa; and his command and diplomatic work bucked the norms of a segregated era offering a vivid illustration of Black excellence in leadership long before integration took hold.
Eugene Jacques Bullard
Eugene Bullard, a native of Columbus, Georgia, born in 1895, became the first African‑American to earn military pilot’s wings during the Great War. At a time when the United States barred Black men from ever setting foot in a cockpit, Bullard crossed the Atlantic and joined the French Air Service taking to the skies over France from 1917 to 1918. His daring service ripped through the barriers of his era and in doing so, forged a path for the Black pilots who would follow.
Henry Johnson
When a German raiding party struck in May 1918, Private Henry Johnson, of the celebrated Infantry known as the Harlem Hellfighters, fought back alone refusing to yield despite multiple wounds and managing to save his comrades. His gallantry earned him France’s Croix de Guerre. Decades later the Medal of Honor finally arrived, a long‑overdue tribute to Black heroism in the first World War.
Hazel Johnson-Brown
Hazel Johnson‑Brown, born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, enlisted in the Army Nurse Corps in 1955. By 1979, she had become the first Black woman to rise to the rank of general and to lead the Army Nurse Corps breaking gender and racial barriers in military medicine and command.
Benjamin O. Davis Sr.
Born in Washington, D.C., Brig. Gen. Benjamin O. Davis Sr. shattered a long‑standing racial barrier in 1940, when he became the U.S. Army’s African‑American general officer. His military career stretched from the Spanish‑American War all the way through World II, tearing down a ceiling that had hovered over the service since its establishment.
Phyllis Mae Dailey
Phyllis Mae Dailey, a New York City native born in 1919, made history as the first Black woman ever sworn into the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps during World II. Her groundbreaking enlistment shattered the long‑standing gender barriers that kept the Navy’s medical ranks divided.
Daniel “Chappie” James Jr
Born in Pensacola, Florida in 1920, General Daniel “Chappie” James Jr. fought in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. In 1975, he shattered a barrier by becoming the first Black four‑star general in the U.S. Air Force. From 1943 through 1978, James Jr helmed bases scattered across Asia, Europe and the United States.
Freddie Stowers
Freddie Stowers, a corporal born in 1896 in South Carolina, led a daring charge in World War I. Even as a fatal wound took him down, Stowers’ fierce determination spurred his men to clinch the victory. In 1991, more than seven decades later, Stowers was finally awarded the Medal of Honor, a commendation that had been denied for far too long because of the color of his skin.
Waverly Woodson Jr.
Corporal Waverly Woodson Jr., an Army medic stormed onto Omaha Beach on D‑Day. Even after a shrapnel wound struck him, he kept moving, stitching and coaxing life back into two hundred soldiers. In 2024, for his gallantry, Woodson finally received a posthumous award, a long‑awaited recognition of Black bravery that helped shape that historic landing.
Colin Powell
Born in New York City to immigrants, General Colin Powell served two tours in Vietnam before becoming National Security Advisor. He then made history as the first Black Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and later as the first Black U.S. Secretary of State. From 1958 – 2005, Powell’s career spanned assignments and work in Washington, D.C. His leadership consistently reflected excellence, integrity and a deep sense of service reshaping how Black veterans and American statesmen are perceived.
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