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UNIT PROFILE– 761ST TANK BATTALION (COLORED) BLACK HISTORY MONTH Of the three armor battalions composed of Black soldiers in the segregated U.S. Army of World War II, the 761st "Black Panther" Tank Battalion is arguably the best known. Constituted on 15 March 1942 in the Army of the United States and activated on 1 April 1942 at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, it was initially equipped with the M5 Stuart tank but transitioned to the M4 Sherman when the Army began fielding that system to the non-divisional armor units. After the battalion completed training in the United States - which included serving as the "aggressor" force against the student units of the tank destroyer school and participation in a phase of the Louisiana Maneuvers, the 761st was deemed "combat ready" and shipped overseas to the European Theater of Operations. Following a short stay in England, the battalion arrived in France on 10 October 1944, and was assigned to the Third Army commanded by the legendary proponent of armored warfare, Lieutenant General George S. Patton Jr. As a separate tank battalion, the 761st was attached to Infantry divisions - which had no organic armor units - for combat operations. As such, the "Black Panthers" entered combat for the first time on 7 November 1944. In 183 days of combat operations while attached to the all-white 26th, 71st, 79th, 87th, 95th and 103d Infantry Divisions, the 761st participated in the Allied drive through France, Patton’s relief of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, and the breaching of the Siegfried Line. By the end of the war the Black Panthers had made it all the way to Austria (where they liberated the Gunskirchen concentration camp); the 761st was inactivated on 1 June 1946 in Germany. During WWII, the Black Panthers earned a Medal of Honor, a Presidential Unit Citation, 11 Silver Stars, 69 Bronze Stars, 296 Purple Hearts, and four campaign streamers (Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe). #Armyhistory #USArmy #TRADOC #WWII #WW2 #WW2History #Patton #Bastogne #BlackPanther #ShermanTank #BlackHistoryMonth #ArmyHeritage U.S. Army U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command. #repostedfrom @armyhistory (at Columbia, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/CohszLPuF7Z/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Louis Lucky Cloud was drafted in 1943 and served as an 82nd Airborne Division, U.S. Army #paratrooper. On June 6, 1944, Cloud was among the paratroopers who jumped into #Normandy and seized St. Mere Eglise. Among his many medals is the Bronze Star. Cloud was a warrior in the tradition of his grandfather, Pax-an-'pín, whose Yakama name he has taken for his own. #NationalNativeAmericanIndianHeritageMonth #SoldierforLife #ServewithHonor #repostedfrom @usarmy https://www.instagram.com/p/CkfwUeGuGMc/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

From Harlem streets and other New York City neighborhoods they came, members of the only U.S. unit to get "over there" with their old State name -- the 15th New York. These black Soldiers soon found themselves with a new name, the 369th Infantry Regiment. Many months after their arrival in the war zone the 369th Infantry, as part of the French Army’s 161st Division, marched toward a date with destiny in the Meuse-Argonne offensive. On a fateful day, September 29, a regimental historian would later remember, "the day dawned clear and cool. There was expectancy in the air." A fierce artillery barrage preceded the attack by the 369th, nicknamed "Hell Fighters" by the enemy. After a brutal struggle during which heavy casualties were sustained Sechault was taken and the 369th soldiers dug in to consolidate their advance position. The action depicted earned the Croix de Guerre for the entire regiment. But the Meuse-Argonne claimed nearly one-third of these black fighting men as battle casualties. This distinguished National Guard Regiment left its proud mark on the AEF as "the regiment that never lost a man captured, a trench or a foot of ground..." Today’s 369th Transportation Battalion1, New York Army National Guard, carries on the traditions of the gallant "Hell Fighters" of yesterday. - #WWI #Armyhistory #USArmy #TRADOC #onthisdayinhistory #thisdayinarmyhistory #thisdayinblackhistory #thisdayinwwi #repostedfrom @armyhistory https://www.instagram.com/p/CUZ2NZig5CN/?utm_medium=tumblr

On March 22, 1983, the Pentagon awards a production contract worth more than $1 billion to AM General Corporation to develop 55,000 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV). Nicknamed the Humvee and designed to transport troops and cargo, the wide, rugged vehicles entered the spotlight when they were used by the American military during the 1989 invasion of Panama and the Persian Gulf War in the early 1990s. In 1992, a civilian version of the Humvee, known as the Hummer, went on sale. The hulking, attention-grabbing road warrior tipped the scales at some 10,000 pounds and got less than 10 miles per gallon. It was an early hit with Hollywood celebrities such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, who went on to own a fleet of Hummers. In December 1999, when the economy was strong and gas prices were relatively low, General Motors purchased the rights from AM General to market and distribute the Hummer. In 2002, the Hummer H2, a smaller (some 8,600 pounds), less expensive version of the original model, debuted. The Hummer became a symbol of America’s super-sized lifestyle; however, the gas-guzzling vehicle was also a target of heavy criticism from environmentalists. According to a 2008 report on Salon.com, in August 2003, “Hummer-hating eco-vandals [struck] four car dealerships in Southern California’s San Gabriel Valley, destroying, defacing and burning dozens of Hummers and other SUVs, while scrawling love notes like ‘Fat, Lazy Americans’ about the premises.” In 2005, the Hummer H3, an even smaller (5,800 pounds), more fuel-efficient (16 to 20 miles per gallon) vehicle, was released. The following year, GM ended production of the original Hummer, due to low sales. #thisdayinhistory #thisdayinarmyhistory #repostedfrom @history (at Middle Tennessee Area) https://www.instagram.com/p/CqFvDPEO2jS/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Bernard John Dowling Irwin was an assistant army surgeon during the Apache Wars and the first (chronologically by action) Medal of Honor recipient. His actions on February 13, 1861, are the earliest for which the Medal of Honor was awarded. The Medal of Honor did not exist during the time of the Bascom Incident and would not be established until a year later in 1862. However, the actions of Irwin were remembered and he was awarded the Medal of Honor just prior to his retirement on January 24, 1894.Irwin's actions were the earliest for which the Medal of Honor was awarded, pre-dating the outbreak of the American Civil War. #thisdayinhistory #thisdayinushistory #repostedfrom @history #thisdayinarmyhistory #thisdayinmohhistory #medalofhonor (at Hampshire Unit School) https://www.instagram.com/p/ComeD2aO9Tl/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

The first Prohibition law in the history of the United States is passed in Tennessee, making it a misdemeanor to sell alcoholic beverages in taverns and stores. The bill stated that all persons convicted of retailing “spirituous liquors” would be fined at the “discretion of the court” and that the fines would be used in support of public schools. The movement for the prohibition of alcohol began in the early 19th century, when Americans concerned about the adverse effects of drinking began forming temperance societies. By the late 19th century, several states and dozens of cities had enacted prohibition laws, and temperance groups had become a powerful political force, campaigning on the state level and calling for total national abstinence. In December 1917, Congress passed the 18th Amendment, commonly known as the Prohibition Amendment. It took effect in January 1919, following state ratification. Despite an often-vigorous effort by law-enforcement agencies, the federal government failed to prevent the large-scale distribution of alcoholic beverages, and organized crime flourished in America during the 1920s. In 1933, the 21st Amendment to the Constitution was passed and ratified, repealing Prohibition. #thisdayinhistory #thisdayinushistory #repostedfrom @history #tennesseehistory #thisdayintennesseehistory https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn4T3K0uRLF/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Born the son of Texas sharecroppers on June 20, 1925, Murphy served three years of active duty, beginning as a private, rising to the rank of staff sergeant, and finally winning a battlefield commission to 2nd lieutenant. He was wounded three times, fought in nine major campaigns across Europe, and was credited with killing 241 Germans. He was awarded 37 medals and decorations, including the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star (with oak leaf cluster), the Legion of Merit, and the Croix de Guerre (with palm). The battle that earned Murphy the Medal of Honor, and which ended his active duty, occurred during the last stages of the Allied victory over the Germans in France. Murphy acted as cover for infantrymen during a last desperate German tank attack. Climbing atop an abandoned U.S. tank destroyer, he took control of its .50-caliber machine gun and killed 50 Germans, stopping the advance but suffering a leg wound in the process. Upon returning to the States, Murphy was invited to Hollywood by Jimmy Cagney, who saw the war hero’s picture on the cover of Life magazine. By 1950, Murphy was awarded an acting contract with Universal Pictures. In his most famous role, he played himself in the monumentally successful To Hell and Back. Murphy suffered severe depression from post traumatic stress syndrome, also called battle fatigue, and became addicted to sleeping pills as a result. This had long been a taboo subject for veterans. Murphy died in a plane crash while on a business trip in 1971. He was 46. #thisdayinhistory #thisdayinushistory #repostedfrom @history #thisdayinarmyhistory https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn4TyacuOtj/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#thisdayinhistory #thisdayinushistory #thisdayinarmyhistory #repostedfrom @history https://www.instagram.com/p/CnemzRFujEG/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=