A Non-Welcoming Military Homecoming for the 51st Defense Battalion, The First WWII Black Combat Division

All of my newly acquired information on Merchant Marines, Hugh Mulzac, and Liberty Ships prompted me to ask my father if he were familiar with the subjects. He listened intently as I described Captain Mulzac successfully ferrying over 18,000 Allied troops across the oceans aboard the Booker T. Washington. "Booker T. Washington," He reflected appreciatively. "Oh yes, I remember traveling on a Liberty Ship to the Marshall Islands. In the beginning of the war we traveled on Liberty Ships. They were rough going, the guys would threw up from motion sickness. Some would vomit right into their food. The "Chow Hounds" would eat the rest of people's food that they didn't throw up in."
"Chow Hounds?," I inquired with amusement.
"You know chow hounds, folks that eat all the time, they weren't too particular about food, they ate everything." Dad chuckled and continued his narrative. "The Liberty Ships would go out at night with a Destroyer and a Destroyer Escort. There were Japanese submarines out there. Towards the end of the war we rode on Victory Ships. They were smoother and they went at six knots an hour. When it was time to go home we traveled on a regular Dutch liner. It took us a month to get home to San Diego."



SS Lane Victory-Victory Class Cargo ships were used in WWII, The Korean War, and Vietnam War. SS Lane Victory named after HBCU Lane College. Now a standing museum and a U.S. National Historic Landmark. Source: hnsa.org



Dad's 51st Defense Battalion was initially viewed as an "Experiment", as the idea of Negros in combat for nonbelievers were wrongfully synonymous with failure. But even during training, the 51st impressed all. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt personally visited them at Montford Point to witness the Marines practice shooting down drones. Moreover, Montford Point Marines received excellent reviews from their commanding officers as evidenced by official military documents. They completed their duties in the Marshall Islands once the war was over in August, 1945.

It was time to return home for civilian life. Dad remembers the lively guys from Chicago who hired a taxicab to take them from San Diego, California, all the way to the Windy City. That must have been a pricey fare. But Dad also remembers a more poignant memory: His Military Homecoming.

Throngs of people awaited the arrival of the 51st Defense Battalion in San Diego, California. The Red Cross provided coffee and donuts. It appeared the 51st would receive a heroes' welcome, the antithesis of how they were treated before deployment. Indeed, on my dad's way to Montford Point, he was forced to substandard, segregated travel arrangements. Many folks gave uniformed Montford Point Marines a hard time because they resented them being Black Marines. Perhaps with the Allied victory, treatment would be better.

The Red Cross women hugged and greeted White Montford Point Marine Officers warmly after they disembarked from the ship. Excitement and gratitude permeated the air, and refreshments were distributed to the officers. Military celebrations at the end of WWII were epic, monumental occassions.

 And then the festivities were promptly over. For the remaining Black Montford Marines, they were greeted with leftovers. Not one person was around to acknowledge the Montford Point Marines. Not one handshake. It was as if they did not exist.

To this day, my father carried that memory of the Red Cross shunning the 51st Defense Battalion in his mind. For the longest time, he despised the Red Cross. He still had love for the Marines and his country.The bitterness that manifested is similar to many Veterans who return from battle receiving no thanks from their country. There were no parades or glory. Just...nothing. Dad receiving the Medal of Honor eased his pain.


                                                                  Source: suffolknewsdayheraldtribune.com
                                                                                       Artwork by USMC Veteran Timothy Giles.
                                               

See:
http://www.montfordpointmarines.com/

"How Many Japanese Did You Kill?"

"How many Japanese did you kill?" The question was candidly posed to my dad at a walk-in clinic last year. It was the type of question that really was rhetorical, where an answer was not expected. The intent was to shock and surprise, because the Japanese-American physician darted away before my dad could reply.

My dad, donning his ubiquitous USMC cap, usually received a cursory appreciative nod, and a show of thanks from patriotic Americans. As a result of my dad's age, folks surmise that he is a World War II Veteran and give him his props*. Usually some banter follows. But this was the first time that an actual person posed that type of question and then immediately scurried off into another room.

Source:  lifeasamarine.com

None of my friends or associates ever asked me that question  about my father. Veterans of other foreign wars such as Desert Storm, Vietnam, Korean, etc. never ventured to inquire the fatalities that my father might have caused.

 I have a friend whose father is also Marine. He was almost sent to participate in the "Bay of Pigs" conflict, involving Russia, Cuba and the nuclear missiles that were pointed in the direction of the United States. Her dad still fits the description of a soldier to the "t" despite being in his seventies. Ed walks seven miles a day and is in constant, perpetual motion. He has a pistol permit and a no nonsense, working class Irish American
demeanor. His previously close cropped buzz cut is now a clean shaven head. The Marine, with his piercing blue eyes, is always ready to assess any given situation. As an aside, Ed is not eligible to become a member of the Veterans of Foreign War. (VFW).Why? Because almost being sent to a conflict does not meet the requirements.

 Even consummate soldier Ed did not question the number of fatalities.

Perhaps these conversations take place behind closed doors of Veterans' groups, away from civilian ears. I know in military books, historical accounts, international watch groups, and news outlets that casualties are in fact documented. But to have that questioned just shouted out, so randomly, seemed so.... wrong.

Source :ampleharvest.org

When first a reporter and then a photographer came to interview my father they listened and took copious notes of what my dad had to say about his war experience. It even made the first page of The Hartford Courant, and later " mentions" in other papers. The question, "How many Japanese Did You Kill?" was not asked.

So, I ask the question to you, what is your opinion of the doctor wanting to know how many Japanese did my father kill?  Was he out of line? Is there some unwritten protocol that is followed on such a matter?



*give props: short for give proper respect to, slang


Reference:
www.jfklibrary.org (Bay of Pigs)
www.vfw.org