HOUSTON – KPRC 2 is celebrating Black history and this month, we are highlighting “The Blue Helmets in Action.”
The 93rd Infantry Division was the first African American combat division to be activated during World War II.
KPRC 2 Reporter Re’Chelle Turner went on a tour and explained how the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum in Midtown is educating others about the unit that didn’t get a lot of attention.
Turner spoke to Cale Carter II who serves as the Director of Exhibitions at the Museum.
“The 93rd Division at the time comprised of four black infantry regiments most of them came from National Guard units from New York, Illinois, the Washington D.C. area, and the Northeast but you also had a black draftee regiment that came from South Carolina that was part of them as well,” Carter said.
Re’Chelle - How did they get the name Blue Helmets?
“Even though they were soldiers when they were sent to the French Army, they retained their US uniforms, but they were given French equipment such as French helmets and rifles,” Carter said.
The formation of the 93rd Infantry Division consisted of about 15,000 troops. The group faced many challenges.
“In World War I, you’re talking about mostly soldiers who had limited interactions with Jim Crow but when you talk about the 93rd World War II you are pretty much talking about guys who had to interact with Jim Crow laws and keep in mind to the military at the time was a very southern institution,” he said.
While the 93rd Infantry Division was training at Fort Huachuca, Arizona in 1942, Carter says the soldiers were involved in the Cotton Crisis. The governor wanted them to pick cotton, but the black press pushed back.
“They were like hey. You are trying to get black soldiers who are training for the service overseas to pick cotton when they should be focusing on training overseas,” Carter said.
After traveling to different states, the 93rd was sent to the South Pacific to train and unload ships and in 1944 they made history.
“They were deployed to Bougainville, and they become the first elements of a black combat division to see service or combat action in World War II,” Carter said.
The War eventually came to an end in 1945, but the History of the Blue Helmets continues to live on through their stories, uniforms, insignia, and even letters from Sgt. Daniel Thornton Jr. died from complications from the war.
Carter says he wants others to understand that the unit did exist, and they had many accomplishments.
“Particularly the first black unit to be raised, their accomplishments in the Pacific theater but also be able to reflect on the legacy of not only this unit but other black units who may not be as well known,” he said.
The traveling exhibition will end on June 30. To learn more about the Blue Helmets in Action, click here.