The Patriot Files Forums  

Go Back   The Patriot Files Forums > Conflict posts > World War II

Post New Thread  Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 06-05-2009, 11:44 AM
David's Avatar
David David is offline
Administrator
 

Join Date: Aug 2001
Posts: 46,798
Distinctions
Special Projects VOM Staff Contributor 
Default French honor D-Day vet from all-black unit

AP


ROANOKE, Va. – As a soldier in World War II, William Dabney was used to the military's segregated quarters. An African-American, he had no contact with his white counterparts.

Until D-Day.

Black and white soldiers stormed Omaha Beach together on June 6, 1944, Dabney recalled.

"When I landed, quite a few white guys were on the landing barge," he said. "There wasn't any segregation there."

But until now Dabney's all-black unit, the 320th, has received little recognition for its service that day.

Dabney, the 320th's last known survivor, is in France this weekend to receive that nation's highest award: the Legion of Honor. The Roanoke resident will be in Normandy for ceremonies commemorating D-Day's 65th anniversary on Saturday that President Barack Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy will attend.

Dabney's participation in the event was arranged hastily after the executive director of a federal agency that honors war casualties learned last week that the 320th had gone largely unrecognized.

Carmella LaSpada, of the White House Commission on Remembrance, contacted the French Embassy as soon as she found out that one member — Dabney — was still alive.

"They were very accommodating," LaSpada said Friday. "I said 'He has to go.'"

Dabney, who turns 85 later this month, signed up with the Army when he was 17 1/2 after his buddies were drafted.

"After they left I was kind of lonesome," he said.

After the war, Dabney started a flooring business in Roanoke. His son accompanied him to France this week.

Dabney was the leader of a barrage balloon battalion that protected anti-aircraft guns. Barrage balloons were like small blimps filled with helium, he said, and were used to interfere with enemy strafings.

The troops were under fire when they hit the beach, he said.

Dabney said he didn't have much interaction with the white soldiers on D-Day.

"We were going in to battle," he said. "Nobody had much to say."




U.S. actor Tom Hanks, right, shakes hand with U.S. veteran Corp. William Dabney, 82, after Dabney was awarded with the Legion of Honor medal by French Defense Minister Herve Morin, unseen, during a collective ceremony at the Invalides building in Paris, Friday June 5, 2009. Dabney, then aged 17, took part to the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944 in Normandy, with the the 320th Anti-Aircraft Barrage Ballon Battalion.

sendpm.gif Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
  #2  
Old 06-05-2009, 12:22 PM
DMZ-LT DMZ-LT is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Atlanta , Ga
Posts: 5,599
Distinctions
VOM Contributor 
Thumbs up

Bout time . Salute , Sir .
sendpm.gif Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 06-06-2009, 10:27 AM
Arrow's Avatar
Arrow Arrow is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Indian Territory
Posts: 4,240
Distinctions
POM Contributor 
Arrow Thank you and

Salute, Sir!
__________________

Thomas Jefferson, Kentucky Resolutions of 1798: "In questions of power then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution."
sendpm.gif Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 06-06-2009, 09:47 PM
MORTARDUDE's Avatar
MORTARDUDE MORTARDUDE is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Aug 2001
Posts: 6,849
Distinctions
VOM Contributor 
Default

Great story !!! Salute !!!

Larry
__________________
sendpm.gif Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 06-08-2009, 05:12 AM
revwardoc's Avatar
revwardoc revwardoc is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Gardner, MA
Posts: 4,252
Distinctions
Contributor VOM 
Default

What amazes me is that it took the US Armed Forced so long to officially recognize integration. The Continental Army had the 1st Rhode Island Regiment during the Revolution, there were many black US sailors who fought in the battle of Lake Erie and the Louisiana Battalion of Free Men of Color and an all black unit from Santo Domingo fought at New Orleans in 1814, the Louisiana Battalion fought again in the Mexican War, roughly 190,000 black men fought in the Civil War on both sides, the famous Buffalo Soldiers of the US Cavalry fought to keep the American West safe for pioneers, there were several US Army and National Guard units who fought in the Spanish-American War and WWI, and even more units in WWII. All proved to more than capable fighting units and were highly decorated. So why did the US military wait until after WWII to finally integrate? It was a damn poor decision to wait that long.
__________________
I'd rather be historically accurate than politically correct.
sendpm.gif Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 06-08-2009, 04:40 PM
Arrow's Avatar
Arrow Arrow is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Indian Territory
Posts: 4,240
Distinctions
POM Contributor 
Arrow

"So why did the US military wait until after WWII to finally integrate? It was a damn poor decision to wait that long."

A poor decision, against every principal this country was founded on, a shame and a travesty of justice. These men fought, bled and died for freedoms others enjoyed but they had not yet been granted. Jim Crow laws were in place before and forty years after they went to war. Thanks for the great post Revwardoc. Some good history we would all do well to remember. Below is a link that is a good reference for the images and mindset prevalent before and after WWII that were certainly not limited to border and southern states but were part of the south of my experience from the early sixties into the late seventies.

What was Jim Crow:

http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/what.htm

Examples of Jim Crow Laws:

http://academic.udayton.edu/Race/02rights/jcrow02.htm
__________________

Thomas Jefferson, Kentucky Resolutions of 1798: "In questions of power then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution."
sendpm.gif Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 06-08-2009, 04:54 PM
David's Avatar
David David is offline
Administrator
 

Join Date: Aug 2001
Posts: 46,798
Distinctions
Special Projects VOM Staff Contributor 
Default

They waited because public sentiment had not caught up with reality.
sendpm.gif Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 06-09-2009, 02:54 AM
revwardoc's Avatar
revwardoc revwardoc is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Gardner, MA
Posts: 4,252
Distinctions
Contributor VOM 
Default

Early integration of the military would've been a good way to positively influence public sentiment, but there have been very few politicians with enougn balls to try to make that difference.
__________________
I'd rather be historically accurate than politically correct.
sendpm.gif Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
UK survivor of WWI trenches given French honor HARDCORE General Posts 0 03-09-2009 03:47 PM
Students reject honor to 'Baa Baa Black Sheep' hero locksly General Posts 5 02-22-2006 07:16 AM
Another Black Hawk Down reeb General Posts 0 11-29-2004 09:38 AM
black-on-black fighting revwardoc Civil War 3 09-03-2003 04:46 AM
Black Sues Black for Racism -- And Gets $40,000 MORTARDUDE General Posts 3 08-19-2003 04:54 AM

All times are GMT -7. The time now is 12:59 PM.


Powered by vBulletin, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.