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BLACK MEDAL OF HONOR WINNERS LAUDED -- The country's

87 black Medal of Honor winners were remembered at a

ceremony not only for their bravery on the battlefield

but also for their steadfastness in the face of

discrimination by the military they served.

 

 

NOTE:  The use of the term "winner" by the reporter who wrote this story is incorrect.  Those who receive the Medal of Honor are "recipients," not "winners."

For more about the Medal of Honor, use the VA Watchdog search engine...click here...
http://www.yourvabenefits.org/sessearch.
php?q=medal+of+honor&op=ph

Story here... http://news.bostonherald.
com/localRegional/view.bg?
articleid=1012356

Story below:

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Black Medal of Honor winners lauded

By Jason Millman

The country’s 87 black Medal of Honor winners were remembered at a ceremony not only for their bravery on the battlefield but also for their steadfastness in the face of discrimination by the military they served.

Ralph Cooper, executive director of the Veterans Benefits Clearinghouse, said people are usually shocked to find out that of the 15 million U.S. soldiers who served in World War II - 1 million of whom were black -no blacks were awarded the Medal of Honor until President Bill Clinton honored seven in 1997.

“It shouldn’t be too much of a shock, because it was a segregated Army, and for the most part, African-Americans weren’t even allowed to do anything more than cook or have barber shop duties,” Cooper said.

Brig. Gen. and MBTA police Chief Joseph Carter was the keynote speaker, and Bay State Sen. John Kerry and the White House both sent messages to the University of Massachusetts Boston ceremony honoring the distinguished 87 Wednesday night.

The two living black Medal of Honor recipients were unable to attend because of personal reasons.

James E. Guilford, a 95-year-old World War II vet, called it a “God-given blessing” he’s alive today, after his friend and Medal of Honor winner Pvt. George Watson died to save him and several others when their ship sank in the South Pacific in 1943.

Watson lost his life dragging soldiers from the wreckage to a life raft.

Secretary of Veterans’ Services Thomas Kelly, a Medal of Honor winner himself, said the ceremony enlightened many about a tough period for blacks in the military.

“It was a reminder that over the years, African-Americans received a tremendous amount of discrimination in spite of the fact they were in uniform for our country,” Kelly said.

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Larry Scott  --