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

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       

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 .