Immortal Valor

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The remarkable story of seven African American soldiers awarded the World War II Medal of Honor highlights a 50-year struggle for recognition. In 1945, Congress reviewed acts of courage by American soldiers and recommended the Medal of Honor for 432 recipients. Despite over one million African Americans serving, not a single Black soldier received this honor, a glaring omission that persisted for over four decades. Recent historical investigations have uncovered extraordinary acts of valor by Black soldiers, including Vernon Baker, who single-handedly took out three enemy machine guns and a German dugout, and Sergeant Reuben Rivers, who led his tank unit against fierce resistance for three days despite severe wounds. Lieutenant Charles Thomas captured a vital village on the Siegfried Line in 1944, enduring significant losses and injuries. In 1993, a US Army commission concluded that these men had been denied the Medal of Honor due to racial discrimination. Finally, in 1997, over 50 years after the war, President Clinton awarded the Medal of Honor to these seven heroes, with all but one receiving it posthumously. Their stories of courage and resilience serve as a powerful testament to their legacy.