Little-known World War II story exemplifies systemic racism
Growing up as a “boomer,” the history of World War II was all around us, in movies, on TV and in our classrooms. As we were taught then, World War II was the war to destroy the forces of oppression and ensure freedom for all people.
Consequently, I’ve read extensively about all facets of it ever since. On Memorial Day, I watched my favorite episode of the HBO series “Band of Brothers,” the episode concerning the Battle of the Bulge and the relationship between Medic “Doc” Roe and the Belgian nurse, Renee Lemeire. This episode encapsulated all of what that war was: harsh, brutal, deadly, with poignant displays of humanity and the emotional price one pays for experiencing its horrors.
However, today we’re confronted with a growing movement in this country focused on controlling, among other things, what we can learn by banning books that may contain topics distasteful to them. Sound familiar? Book burnings, laws restricting one’s involvement in society and control over one’s body and possessions?
“Critical race theory” is one of those topics. While it is not taught in public schools, it is demonized as part of an effort to ban books or films that contain references to and/or examples of actual racism practiced today. Children, as inquisitive as they are, would certainly ask questions about this racism if they were exposed to it. Then the “anti-woke” crowd would have to justify their behavior to their children.
I brought up the Battle of the Bulge to provide an example of racism that occurred almost 80 years ago but has only been “formally” acknowledged today. It is an example of how racism and its practice and infiltration into our societal systems still exists today.
After participating in the siege of Brest, France, the 333rd and 969th Field Artillery Battalions, both segregated units, were sent to the Ardennes region of Belgium for some needed refitting, rest and relaxation. It should be noted that the performance of both units earned them the reputation as some of the most efficient and hard-hitting in the Army.
On Dec. 16, 1944, the Germans staged their surprise attack on the Ardennes. Portions of the 333rd were ordered to remain in place and provide cover for other retreating American units. Unfortunately, they were overrun by advancing Germans, resulting in the death or capture of over half their men. The surviving troops joined the 969th Field Artillery Battalion and supported the 101st Airborne Division during the rest of the battle, receiving a Presidential Unit Citation for its efforts.
However, on Dec. 17, 1944, SS troops captured and executed 11 of these Black soldiers at Wereth, Belgium. After the war, the same Army investigators that uncovered the Malmedy massacre investigated the massacre at Wereth. While they were able to identify the SS troops who committed the murders, this massacre was ignored and no German soldier was ever held accountable for their deaths. What is far worse, these Black soldiers were brutally tortured before they died. Fingers were cut off, bones broken, men bayoneted and run over by vehicles, yet nothing was done.
The sin is that it has only been in recent years that this incident became public knowledge. Indeed, the U.S. government didn’t formally recognize their sacrifice until 2017! By the way, the Belgians erected a memorial to their sacrifice in 1994.
In my many readings on the Battle of the Bulge, little had been said about the 333rd as a segregated unit. Little had been said about the role that the 969th played in helping the 101st Airborne hold Bastogne.
Indeed, the only person of color I recall being mentioned in the “Band of Brothers” is the Congolese nurse Augusta Chiwy, who was treating wounded Americans in Bastogne. As you can guess, her actions were not honored by the Army until 2011, 10 years after the series debuted.
These Black American men endured torture for us! They died so that we can live in a “free” society. Yet we have hidden or downplayed their sacrifice for 75 years and still there are some who dare to say there is no systematic racism in our society.
Ignoring problems does not make them go away, it only makes their solution more costly and more painful.
John Sise is a resident of Hanover Township, Northampton County, whose father served in Europe during World War II. He was at the 75th anniversary of D-Day celebration June 6, 2019, in Normandy, France.