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Getbig Main Boards => Gossip & Opinions => Topic started by: Vince G, CSN MFT on May 15, 2015, 03:06:00 PM
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And 97 years later, they finally get the Medal Of Honor. Took long enough to clean up racism
Long overdue: 2 WWI heroes to get Medal of Honor for courage
(http://a57.foxnews.com/global.fncstatic.com/static/managed/img/U.S./876/493/wwiheroespic.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
As night fell, U.S. Army Sgt. Henry Johnson found his observation post near Sainte-Menehould, France under siege by a dozen German soldiers.
He fought them off until he ran out of ammunition, then used his rifle as a club, before taking on the rest hand-to-hand, with his bolo knife, eventually sending the enemy troops fleeing. Help didn't arrive until morning, on May 16, 1918, when Johnson, a member of the all-black "Harlem Hellfighters" 369th Infantry Regiment, was found badly wounded and near death. Just 21 at the time, Johnson would survive another decade before succumbing to alcoholism, broke and estranged from his family, in an Illinois veteran's hospital.
“With the most utter disregard for his own safety, (Shemin) sprang from his position in his platoon trench, dashed out across the open in full sight of the Germans, who opened and maintained a furious burst of machine gun and rifle fire.”
- US Army Capt. Rupert Purdon
On June 2, Johnson will be recognized by President Obama with the Medal of Honor, nation's highest military award. Honored along with Johnson will be Sgt. William Shemin, a Jewish soldier who bolted from his platoon's trench and ran into heavy enemy fire to save a wounded comrade. The White House ceremony is part of an ongoing effort to honor soldiers who may have been passed over due to race or religion.
For years, Johnson's relatives, veterans and Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., have been pressing the case for Johnson, who also prevented badly injured fellow soldier Needham Roberts from being taken prisoner. Although Johnson was initially celebrated for his incredible bravery, receiving the Croix de Guerre with Gold Palm, one of the French military's highest honors, he faced racial discrimination upon his return to the U.S. and struggled with alcoholism, according to an account from the book "Torchbearers of Democracy: African American Soldiers in the World War I Era."
A similar campaign has long been in the works to award the Medal of Honor to Shemin. On Aug. 7, 1918, Shemin raced from the trench near Bazoches, France, and braved heavy fire in the open to rescue wounded comrades. In the ensuing hours and days, the 19-year-old soldier from New York took command of the platoon following the deaths of superior officers. He was shot in the head Aug. 9, but survived.
“With the most utter disregard for his own safety, [Shemin] sprang from his position in his platoon trench, dashed out across the open in full sight of the Germans, who opened and maintained a furious burst of machine gun and rifle fire,” according to one of Shemin’s superiors, Capt. Rupert Purdon, who later wrote in support of a Medal of Honor.
Shemin was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second-highest military honor, but there was never an explanation of why he was denied the Medal of Honor. Shemin later earned a degree from Syracuse and started a greenhouse and nursery business in the Bronx. He died in 1973.
Shemin's daughter, Elsie Shemin-Roth, who was involved in the campaign to honor Shemin's actions, will accept the medal on his behalf. Awarded personally be the presidemt, it was created in 1861 to recognize men who distinguished themselves "conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity" in combat. There have been 3,469 Medals of Honor awarded to date, with the largest percentage given to veterans of the Civil War.
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Some bad ass mofos !!
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A Jew and a Black guy walk into Jerusalem and the black guy says "hey, I was here first"
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Some bad ass mofos !!
Yea, even Teddy Roosevelt said that Henri "Black Death" Johnson was the bravest person he ever met.....that's got to carry some weight there.
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And 97 years later, they finally get the Medal Of Honor. Took long enough to clean up racism
Long overdue: 2 WWI heroes to get Medal of Honor for courage
(http://a57.foxnews.com/global.fncstatic.com/static/managed/img/U.S./876/493/wwiheroespic.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
As night fell, U.S. Army Sgt. Henry Johnson found his observation post near Sainte-Menehould, France under siege by a dozen German soldiers.
He fought them off until he ran out of ammunition, then used his rifle as a club, before taking on the rest hand-to-hand, with his bolo knife, eventually sending the enemy troops fleeing. Help didn't arrive until morning, on May 16, 1918, when Johnson, a member of the all-black "Harlem Hellfighters" 369th Infantry Regiment, was found badly wounded and near death. Just 21 at the time, Johnson would survive another decade before succumbing to alcoholism, broke and estranged from his family, in an Illinois veteran's hospital.
“With the most utter disregard for his own safety, (Shemin) sprang from his position in his platoon trench, dashed out across the open in full sight of the Germans, who opened and maintained a furious burst of machine gun and rifle fire.”
- US Army Capt. Rupert Purdon
On June 2, Johnson will be recognized by President Obama with the Medal of Honor, nation's highest military award. Honored along with Johnson will be Sgt. William Shemin, a Jewish soldier who bolted from his platoon's trench and ran into heavy enemy fire to save a wounded comrade. The White House ceremony is part of an ongoing effort to honor soldiers who may have been passed over due to race or religion.
For years, Johnson's relatives, veterans and Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., have been pressing the case for Johnson, who also prevented badly injured fellow soldier Needham Roberts from being taken prisoner. Although Johnson was initially celebrated for his incredible bravery, receiving the Croix de Guerre with Gold Palm, one of the French military's highest honors, he faced racial discrimination upon his return to the U.S. and struggled with alcoholism, according to an account from the book "Torchbearers of Democracy: African American Soldiers in the World War I Era."
A similar campaign has long been in the works to award the Medal of Honor to Shemin. On Aug. 7, 1918, Shemin raced from the trench near Bazoches, France, and braved heavy fire in the open to rescue wounded comrades. In the ensuing hours and days, the 19-year-old soldier from New York took command of the platoon following the deaths of superior officers. He was shot in the head Aug. 9, but survived.
“With the most utter disregard for his own safety, [Shemin] sprang from his position in his platoon trench, dashed out across the open in full sight of the Germans, who opened and maintained a furious burst of machine gun and rifle fire,” according to one of Shemin’s superiors, Capt. Rupert Purdon, who later wrote in support of a Medal of Honor.
Shemin was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second-highest military honor, but there was never an explanation of why he was denied the Medal of Honor. Shemin later earned a degree from Syracuse and started a greenhouse and nursery business in the Bronx. He died in 1973.
Shemin's daughter, Elsie Shemin-Roth, who was involved in the campaign to honor Shemin's actions, will accept the medal on his behalf. Awarded personally be the presidemt, it was created in 1861 to recognize men who distinguished themselves "conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity" in combat. There have been 3,469 Medals of Honor awarded to date, with the largest percentage given to veterans of the Civil War.
Couldn't agree more. But we're square now, right?
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Nice. Took long enough!
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A Jew and a Black guy walk into Jerusalem and the black guy says "hey, I was here first"
And (if we're to believe our own Genova-Wiggs) the Jew sold the black guy into bondage. ::)
As for the recipients of the CMH? Well done and long overdue. One race - human.
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We will get more of these "heros"
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i only see one hebrew-wiggs
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i only see one hebrew-wiggs
Excuse Melvin. He's a functioning moron.
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Excuse Melvin. He's a functioning moron.
Are the two of you still having that comp?
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As night fell, U.S. Army Sgt. Henry Johnson found his observation post near Sainte-Menehould, France under siege by a dozen German soldiers.
He fought them off until he ran out of ammunition, then used his rifle as a club, before taking on the rest hand-to-hand, with his bolo knife, eventually sending the enemy troops fleeing.
1 vs 12 , yeah right & he club them ::) ::) ::)
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1 vs 12 , yeah right & he club them ::) ::) ::)
I think the first indication of proof would be that pile of bodies that were around.
But this drawing sums it up
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/87/Henry_johnson.jpg/640px-Henry_johnson.jpg)
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I think the first indication of proof would be that pile of bodies that were around.
But this drawing sums it up
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/87/Henry_johnson.jpg/640px-Henry_johnson.jpg)
One bad dude.
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Well that's weird.
On the other hand, Basile can rest easy knowing blue stars are just a matter of time.
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Well that's weird.
On the other hand, Basile can rest easy knowing blue stars are just a matter of time.
His great-great-great-great grandthings will be very proud.
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His great-great-great-great grandthings will be very proud.
Ouch!!! "...grandthings"... ;D ;D Diet pop is everywhere!!!!
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Goes to show what kind of fight a desperate man might have in him.
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I love stories like this. One of the saddest parts of american history was how we would send black americans to war for white america and treat them like second class citizens when they came home. Stories of tuskegee guys in WW2 always make me tear up. Cant believe how awful these guys had it yet were fighting and dieing for the same people who hated them. Was really beyond fucked up. Even the movie Glory has me crying every time i watch it.
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No, fuck this. Quietly give the guy's family a medal if you want but don't make a press thing out of it, using him as some figurehead victim of injustice because modern America has race tensions. That turns honoring the man into using the man. Again. As if the poor bastard didn't get used up enough in life, fighting a bullshit war, coming back to no help, drinking to forget until he finally expired. He did his part already and then some. If he could sit up and speak he'd probably ask to be left to rest in goddamn peace.
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I love stories like this. One of the saddest parts of american history was how we would send black americans to war for white america and treat them like second class citizens when they came home. Stories of tuskegee guys in WW2 always make me tear up. Cant believe how awful these guys had it yet were fighting and dieing for the same people who hated them. Was really beyond fucked up.
+1
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I love stories like this. One of the saddest parts of american history was how we would send black americans to war for white america and treat them like second class citizens when they came home. Stories of tuskegee guys in WW2 always make me tear up. Cant believe how awful these guys had it yet were fighting and dieing for the same people who hated them. Was really beyond fucked up. Even the movie Glory has me crying every time i watch it.
I didn't send anyone to war. I didn't treat anyone differently. As with Americans of Japanese descent, I did them no harm. My own family is of Germanic background and some of them changed their name to be more "American" and to escape the hatred of other Americans for the Gerries/Krauts during WW2 but since they are YTs I suppose they're tale of woe is worthless?
Get over it. I feel no guilt for anything anyone else has ever done to anyone.
Give this man his due in death that was due in life. Honor him but don't dishonor the country further by apologizing for what others did to him. Its over. I have experienced plenty of "racism" from blacks, Asians, Samoans, Mexicans and other so-called minorities. In fact I have begun to think that this isn't "racism" at all. Its just people being assholes and assholes come in many colors.
Again, give this man the honor due him. Its time to celebrate what we have in common with one another and I will wager its far greater than the difference of skin color.
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I didn't send anyone to war. I didn't treat anyone differently. As with Americans of Japanese descent, I did them no harm. My own family is of Germanic background and some of them changed their name to be more "American" and to escape the hatred of other Americans for the Gerries/Krauts during WW2 but since they are YTs I suppose they're tale of woe is worthless?
Get over it. I feel no guilt for anything anyone else has ever done to anyone.
Give this man his due in death that was due in life. Honor him but don't dishonor the country further by apologizing for what others did to him. Its over. I have experienced plenty of "racism" from blacks, Asians, Samoans, Mexicans and other so-called minorities. In fact I have begun to think that this isn't "racism" at all. Its just people being assholes and assholes come in many colors.
Again, give this man the honor due him. Its time to celebrate what we have in common with one another and I will wager its far greater than the difference of skin color.
I don't know where "guilt" came from, fuck that. Still feel pretty horrible, though, for a guy who serves his country in battle, then returns home to restaurants that won't serve him.
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I don't know where "guilt" came from, fuck that. Still feel pretty horrible, though, for a guy who serves his country in battle, then returns home to restaurants that won't serve him.
Missed opportunity, could've gone black rambo with his bolo knife, smh
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I don't know where "guilt" came from, fuck that. Still feel pretty horrible, though, for a guy who serves his country in battle, then returns home to restaurants that won't serve him.
Yeah i dont know what "the scott" is carrying on about with the "guilt" shit that neither of us even said but whatever :)
On a related note, my brother said that red Tails movie was utter shit (about the tuskegee). I was hoping it would be good but it apparently was absolute garbage.
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Yeah i dont know what "the scott" is carrying on about with the "guilt" shit that neither of us even said but whatever :)
On a related note, my brother said that red Tails movie was utter shit (about the tuskegee). I was hoping it would be good but it apparently was absolute garbage.
For those of you that have not a clue about why I mentioned "guilt"? Easy. I refuse to feel guilty about anything done to anyone in the past. It is terrible that some people failed to receive recognition regardless of reason(s) but come now. He was black, yes. There was awful segregation, yes. Did I participate in said segregation? No.
Give him his medal (albeit posthumously) and leave it at that. We get it. If this goes over some folks heads it may well be due to the fact that its buried in the ground like an ostrich in supposed shame and/or fear and self loathing. Or not. People are affected differently by all manner of things and this is no exception.
As I said, award the medal (and justly so) and get on with life. I think that some understood my intent but still succumbed to whatever it is that makes them tick on an emotional level. If not, it matters not. I could care less about why he was supposed to have been denied the honor while alive because at this stage of the play, the curtain has long since dropped and only the crowd of family and friends remains to see the final curtain call in the form of a long overdue honor.
His heroism was doubtless known to many of his family and friends and more than a few comrades. So often that is the case and the true honor is in his deeds on behalf of his comrades and country. That is the cake. The icing is the CMH. It may make it seem sweeter but his bravery speaks for him across time.
Nothing wrong with plain cake. Shared with friends and family over the years of his life. The icing is now more for the sake of those that knew him and whose lives were saved by his deeds.
If some of you still do not understand my words, that's fine with me. Be well.
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And 97 years later, they finally get the Medal Of Honor.
Would give 1000 of those medals for 1 German Iron Cross in Gold (DKiG) ;)
or
500 for 1 Iron Cross 1st Class (EKI) 8)