BLACK SOLDIERS HONORED FOR THEIR SERVICE
History and patriotism were in abundance Saturday at the Rowland Freedom Center in Vacaville, where more than 100 people gathered to celebrate and honor Black men and women who served in the military from eras ago to the modern day.
The event, “Faces of Freedom: Deed of Valor,” is part of a speaker series at Rowland.
There were speakers galore, a Civil War reenactment group and a special dedication ceremony that kicked off the event.
That ceremony focused on a Medal of Honor now on display that was awarded to Orson Bennett, a First Lt. with the 102nd Regiment, United States Colored Troops, who fought in the Battle of Honey Hill in 1864.
According to the website of the city of Ridgeland, SC, the battle “attempted to cut off the Charleston and Savannah Railroad in support of General Sherman's
projected arrival in Savannah.”
A fight with Confederates ensued, resulting in “89 men killed, 629 wounded, and 28 missing” on the Union side and eight deaths and 39 wounded on the Confederate side.
“The battle itself ended in a strategic stalemate that did little more than delay the inevitable Union capture of Savannah by a week,” the website continued. “Three Congressional Medals of Honor were awarded after the battle; with a third being awarded in 2001 (posthumously).”
Bennett was one of the honorees.
His littlest descendant and namesake, 3-year-old Orson, unveiled the medal with the help of his mom, Zoe Sanchez.
Her mother, Heather, told the tale of the medal and expressed how much it means to the family.
“I, too, am very proud of the fact that we live in the country that we live in,” she said, thanking all who served, past and present, for their sacrifices.
“I thank Orson Bennett and I thank all of you,” she said.
Speaker Gerald Gordon spoke of a family member who was
also part of that battle in 1864. He held a document that said his ancestor had been a slave at the time before joining the Union Army on the premise that he would be freed. In total, three ancestors signed up to fight.
The rival army had to cross a swamp, and Gordon's ancestors had a plan they carried out successfully.
“They waited for these guys to hit the swamp and they wiped them out, mostly,” Gordon shared.
Family members who died were buried on the battlefield.
“Our family has never been able to find out where,” he lamented, sharing a final thought.
“My people, we fought hard for this country and we died for this country and I left my blood in Vietnam, too.”
Retired Marine Corps Command Sgt. Major Jesse Branch, who fought in Korea and Vietnam, shared insight on his experiences.
He remembered being one of four Black men in a company of 40 people. He shared about instances of racism.
“I could not go into a restaurant or any other establishment (in Florida). They had signs posted that said `Whites Only.'” As well, public transportation laws had him riding in the back of a bus.
In Korea, one of his teammates didn't want to fight alongside him because of his ethnicity. That man was hurt, and Branch saved his life, carrying him to a safe area to be airlifted out.
“It was the right thing to do,” he remembered. Much later, as that man was about to be married, his teammate thanked him and asked him to be his best man. Branch accepted.
In closing, he asked that everyone “Google Black and the Marine Corps” to “Get a better understanding of how it was then and how it is now.”
He also offered blessings.
“God Bless our veterans, God Bless our servicemen and God Bless the United States of America.”
The exhibit will remain on display at Rowland, located at the Nut Tree Airport.
For more information, visit rowlandfreedomcenter.org.