WWII African American Medics

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WWII African American Combat Medics

Mr. Richard Benter is doing a research project on a WWII African American combat medic group. He has kindly asked me to post the names of the men who served bravely with this group during WWII. If you have any information related to the following group of men, please email myself or Mr. Benter at: RichardBenter@aol.com

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The above group of African American medics landed on Utah Beach/Normandy on D-Day + 4, as part of a 9 person all Black team of medics, which included 2 officers, and spent most of the rest of the European campaign attached to the 3rd Army while participating in many of its major actions. This team served with the 687th and the 530th Medical Detachments.

(As pictured above left to right)

Capt. Webster Sewell                      Silver Springs, Md
Sgt. Bolling B. Smith                        Catonsville, Md
Cpl. Joseph C. Barnett                    Chicago, Ill
T/5 JOHN HOLLOWAY                     Chicago, Ill
Pfc William G. Long                          Cleveland, Oh
* T/5 Lewis J. Miller                           New Orleans, La
* Pvt. Stanford Lawson                  Yonkers, NY
Capt. Benne S. Herbert                   Englewood, NJ
Pfc. Raymond D. Butler                  Sewickley, Pa
Pfc Charles Adams                          Chicago, Il
T/5 Anthony Keeling                        Cinncinnati, Oh
*Mr. Wilbur Anderson                     Washington DC

                      * = NOT Medics

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Pfc. Raymond D. Butler or as he was called by his comrades "Mighty But",

AFRICAN-AMERICANS in MEDICAL SERVICE

(submitted by Alain Batens)

African American Troops’ Strength during World War II

Distribution of total strength and personnel of technical services and combat arms on December 31, 1944

Arm/Service TOTAL OFF EM

Quartermaster 221,211 682 220,529

Engineers 136,836 401 136,435

Transportation 85,025 169 84,856

Air Corps 69,776 888 68,888

Infantry 54,189 1,123 53,066

Ordnance 29,160 151 29,009

Medical 19,929 342 19,587

Signal 15,051 491 5,006

Field Artillery 11,136 228 10,908

Chemical Warfare 5,092 78 5,014

Additional notes:

The Medical Department employed its limited complement of African-American doctors and nurses in a few all-black Hospitals and in black wards of white Station Hospitals – while the majority of MD blacks went either into ambulance and sanitary companies, or served in the Medical Detachments of segregated combat and support units . Nevertheless, all-black hospital units were deployed overseas during WW2, in Liberia (30 nurses worked at the 25th Station Hospital Unit), the Southwest Pacific (15 nurses with the 268th Station Hospital), and the C.B.I. Theater (with the 383d + 335th Station Hospitals) . One major exception to this rule (segregation) was a group of 63 African-American nurses who after reaching the United Kingdom in July 1944, began working in September at the 168th Station Hospital (1700-bed hospital near Manchester) then caring for wounded German POWS .