The Black Veteran Newsletter

20/11/2025

Staff Sgt. Fred Brown's heroism saved several soldiers in Vietnam in 1969. Now, his Hamilton, Ohio hometown is pushing for the Medal of Honor.

20/11/2025

🫡🫡🙏🏾🙏🏾

On this day, 81 years ago, November 19, 1944, Staff Sergeant Ruben Rivers of the United States Army was fighting with the 761st Tank Battalion near Guébling, France.

He served as a tank platoon sergeant leading the “Black Panthers,” the first African American tank unit in combat in World War II.

On November 16, 1944, while advancing at the head of Able Company toward a railroad crossing outside Guébling, Rivers’ tank hit a mine, mangling his leg and sending shrapnel up to the bone.

Despite his severe wound, Rivers refused evacuation and morphine, and took command of another tank, staying in the fight while his men treated his injury with field dressings.

On November 17, Rivers continued to press into the enemy lines, repeatedly exposing himself to German fire and directing his crew to knock out enemy positions as Company A moved through fierce resistance.

By November 19, Able Company was stalled east of Bourgaltroff by heavy German anti-tank guns and entrenched infantry.

Captain David J. Williams ordered Rivers and the other remaining tanks to pull back, but Rivers replied over the radio, “I see ‘em. We’ll fight ‘em!”

He stayed at the head of the formation in his Sherman, drew fire, and engaged enemy anti-tank positions, covering his company’s withdrawal.

During this action, German gunners scored two direct hits on Rivers’ tank with high-explosive shells.

Rivers was killed instantly; his crew was wounded.

His final stand allowed Able Company to regroup and escape the German crossfire.

For his “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty,” Staff Sergeant Rivers was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

He received the medal on January 13, 1997, at the White House, when President Bill Clinton presented it to his sister, Grace Wilfork.

Rivers was killed in action at age 25 and is buried in Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial, Saint-Avold, France.

His courage and sacrifice remained unrecognized for more than half a century, until the U.S. Army’s review of discriminatory practices upgraded his Distinguished Service Cross to the Medal of Honor.

20/11/2025

🎖️ Attention Transitioning Service Members and Recently Discharged Veterans:

Big opportunity alert: the AI company OpenAI is offering one free year of ChatGPT Plus to those who qualify — service members in the last 12 months of separation/retirement, or veterans in their first year out. 

Why you should care: You’ll get access to advanced AI tools (GPT-4, custom instructions, memory) that can help you build a résumé, practice interviews, translate military experience into civilian speak, navigate benefits, plan next steps and more. 

✅ Eligible?
• Service member within 12 months of separating/retiring.
• Veteran within first year after leaving service.
• Verification through SheerID. 

📌 Work it into your strategy:
• Mark your date of separation/retirement and check eligibility.
• Apply as soon as you’re eligible (or verify if you’re within the window).
• Use the AI tool deliberately: résumé rewrite, interview scripts, benefit paperwork, side-hustle brainstorming.
• Remember: tech helps, but your story and action matter even more.

🗒️ Veterans and qualifying service members can visit chatgpt.com/veterans-claim to begin the verification process through SheerID and secure a year of free ChatGPT Plus access. OpenAI has stated it will continue outreach efforts and may expand the initiative or develop further collaborations, including potential partnerships with the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense.

🕊️

20/11/2025

Make the wages competitive.

Phelan said it's hard to entice workers for hard jobs like welding when the pay is comparable to a job at a Buc-ees truck stop or a job at Amazon.

19/11/2025

"Our Colored Fighters", 1918, WWI, United States

"Why would African Americans fight for the freedom of others when they themselves were treated as second-class citizens?

Why would Africans fight for democracy in Europe, when as the colonial subjects of European powers, they were denied full participation in European and African societies alike?

These thought-provoking questions are explored in the exhibition Black Bodies in Propaganda: The Art of the War Poster, featuring 33 posters from the collection of Tukufu Zuberi, the Lasry Family Professor of Race Relations and Professor of Sociology and Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania."

Black Bodies in Propaganda: The Art of the War Poster

19/11/2025

Thank you to the Morhange Memorial for honoring the brave men of the 761st Tank Battalion and recognizing Floyd Dade. Your remembrance keeps their history alive and reminds the world of the courage and sacrifice of Black American soldiers during World War II. My community and I deeply appreciate this tribute.

18/11/2025

Admiral Alvin Holsey, one of the few African-American four-star admirals in U.S. Navy history, made the courageous decision to retire rather than follow orders he felt were unjust. His actions underscore the value of leadership rooted in personal conscience over strict adherence to military hierarchy. In a world often driven by power, how can we elevate the voices of those who prioritize humanity over authority?

17/11/2025

Feature from Volume 3
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=u.+s.+military+hidden+figures+delores+johnson&crid=11MF9YG5RC15M&sprefix=U.+S.+Military+%2Caps%2C179&ref=nb_sb_ss_p13n-expert-pd-ops-ranker_1_15

17/11/2025

A Civil War Veteran poses with his grandchildren, c. 1900.

17/11/2025

Thanks for being a top engager and making it on to my weekly engagement list! 🎉

Madz Deleon