Edward L. Posey
Page 1
Table of Contents
Front Cover
Advance Praise
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Contents
Maps
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part I Formation and Training
Chapter 1. Training at Benning
Chapter 2. The Officers' Advance Party
Chapter 3. The Company's Trip to Korea
Part II Movements and Actions
Chapter 4. First Combat Action, Outside Tanyang Pass
Chapter 5. First Airborne Assault Near Munsan-Ni
Chapter 6. Attack and Defense of Hill
Chapter 7. Assault and Occupation of Hill
Chapter 8. Award of Combat Infantry Company Streamer and Start of the Journey Home
Chapter 9. After Korea: Life on Strategic Reserve Duty in Japan
Part III Personal Memoirs
Chapter 10. As I Remember
Appendix 1. Ranger Whereabouts
Appendix 2. Unit Roster
Appendix 3. Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations
Appendix 4. Table of Army Ranks
Appendix 5. Phonetic alphabet, used by the Army (1944 version)
Appendix 6. Chronology of the 2d Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne)
Notes
Bibliography
About the Author
Advance Praise
“The passionate description of bravery, patriotism, and pride gives the reader insight into the men who changed the armed services forever. I found myself wanting to cheer for them, cry with them, and beamed with pride in all they were able to accomplish.”
—Pamela Gentry, Washington Bureau Chief, BET News
“This outstanding book stands as a shining example of what Americans are capable of accomplishing. This elite outfit of paratroopers fought both the Communists on the battlefield and racial prejudice and bigotry from their own government. As a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, I think this book will educate America’s children, young and old, about what others have sacrificed on their behalf.”
—Congressman John Conyers, Jr., Michigan
“This book has it all: drama and daring, bravery and bigotry, combat and courage. These remarkable men made the first airborne assault in Ranger history on March 23, 1951 and ended their service with an outstanding combat record that is now, finally, one for the history books.”
—Tim and Daphne Reid, Producers, New Millennium Studios
“As a combat veteran of the Korean War, an author, actor, and “Above the Call: Beyond the Duty” style US citizen of African American descent, I found Edward Posey’s The US Army’s First, Last, and Only All-Black Rangers an outstanding contribution to both our nation’s history, and the history of our country during wartime. I heartily recommend this eye-opening and informative depiction of an incredibly relevant page in American history.”
—James McEachin, Silver Star, Purple Heart veteran, author, actor, director, and producer
“There is a growing interest in the role of the African American soldier in our history, from the time of the Revolution to Iraq. The US Army’s First, Last, and Only All-Black Rangers adds a fascinating personal note to this ongoing epic. Posey’s story is important because it says so much about our history. It’s destined to become an essential part of our understanding of the role black citizens have played in defending and defining our country.”
—Charlie Maday, Senior Vice President, Military History Channel
“Formed as part of an army that clung to racial segregation, despite a presidential directive to the contrary, the Buffalo Rangers helped make racial integration a reality. This is their story.”
—Bernard C. Nalty, author of Strength for the Fight: History of Black Americans in the Military
“Master Sergeant Ed Posey’s story is a riveting account of the misuse of brave men, who made up the Army’s first, last, and only all-black ranger company in what has come to be known as the Forgotten War, the US Army in Korea 1950–1953. While the local combatant commanders on the ground were clearly willing to use the 2nd Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne) in realistic tactical formations, senior officers at corps and higher were still guided by their own misguided prejudices grounded in WWI and WWII concepts about the black soldiers’ inability to be competent leaders or fighting infantrymen—almost three years following President Truman’s Executive Order 9981 to ensure equality of treatment and opportunity. Posey’s firsthand experience, accompanied by the recollections of his peers, paints a vivid mosaic of life at the most basic level of the airborne grunt. It’s a story that made me reflect on my experience as a small unit leader in the early stages of the Korean War.”
—Julius W. Becton, Jr., Lieutenant General USA (Ret.), author of Becton: Autobiography of a Soldier and Public Servant
© 2009 by Edward L. Posey
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 13: 978-1-932714-45-6
eISBN: 978-1-61121-036-1
05 04 03 02 01 5 4 3 2 1
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To all of the Buffalo Rangers
of the 2d Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne)
who served with us in Korea.
This book would not have been possible without the dedicated vision of Major James C. “Big Jim” Queen, Sergeant First Class William Weathersbee, and the collaborative efforts of the surviving members of the 2d Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne). The result of their decades-long journey is this wonderful book—their most important and final mission.
Contents
Foreword by General William E. Ward
Preface
Introduction
Part I: Formation and Training
Chapter 1. Training at Benning
Chapter 2. The Officers’ Advance Party
Chapter 3. The Company’s Trip to Korea
Part II: Movements and Actions
Chapter 4. First Combat Action, Outside Tanyang Pass
Chapter 5. First Airborne Assault Near Munsan-Ni
Chapter 6. Attack and Defense of Hill
Chapter 7. Assault and Occupation of Hill
Chapter 8. Award of Combat Infantry Company Streamer and Start of the Journey Home
Chapter 9. After Korea: Life on Strategic Reserve Duty in Japan
Part III: Personal Memoirs
Chapter 10. As I Remember
Appendix 1. Ranger Whereabouts
Appendix 2. Unit Roster
Appendix 3. Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations
Appendix 4. Table of Army Ranks
&n
bsp; Appendix 5. Phonetic alphabet, used by the Army (1944 version)
Appendix 6. Chronology of the 2d Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne)
Notes
Bibliography
Maps
Overview Theater Map
First Action Outside Tanyang Pass
Airborne Assault Near Munsan-Ni
Hand-drawn maps prepared by Major James Queen for Munsan-Ni After-Action Report:
Sketch A: Munsan-Ni Parachute Drop, March 23, 1951
Sketch B: Hill 151: Movement to Assembly Area, Assault Begins
Sketch C: Complete Assault from Assembly Area to Hill 151
Sketch D: Hill 151: Reorganization
Photographs
A special photo gallery
Foreword
This book covers the first eight months of the 2d Airborne Ranger Company’s experiences during the Korean conflict. It complements the histories of the 3d and 4th Ranger Companies, which were both all-white, by telling the stories of an all-black unit.
There are marked similarities but some race-specific differences between the Ranger Companies, which makes this book significant to the history of African Americans in military service.
The US Army’s First, Last, and Only All-Black Rangers: 2d Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne) in Korea 1950–1951 gives a general unit history of the 2d Airborne Ranger Company’s combat experiences in Korea. It records an important chapter in the Korean War. It begins with the first year of the war and goes on to describe in great detail the test of American leadership, resources, training incompatibility, and inadequacies of the United States effort in Korea. It also examines the special problems posed to the fighting army during the months of stalemate in the summer of 1951. Like the stories of other Rangers who served in Korea, this book emphasizes the limitations imposed by terrain and weather on the fighting capabilities of the troops. For those in the profession of military history the operations of the 2d Ranger Company are described in careful detail, to provide a vivid description of the application of the principles of war.
This book is going to the printer more than fifty years after the end of the Korean War. It emphasizes the contributions of African Americans who served during the Korean era. It is important to study carefully such a recent and invaluable example of an American all-black Ranger company that performed superbly against many odds. I encourage military and civilian students and veterans alike to take advantage of this insightful journey into the lives of those African Americans who made great sacrifices when America was in need.
William E. Ward, General
Commander, United States Africa Command
Preface
The 2d Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne)—sometimes referred to in this book as 2d Ranger Company or 2d Ranger Infantry Company—has the distinction of being the first, last, and only all black Ranger unit. First, because Ranger training had never before been offered to black soldiers. Last, because in late 1951, after several months of intense combat, 2d Ranger Company and all other airborne Ranger infantry companies were inactivated. Only, because that was how it happened. One group of elite soldiers trained, fought, and was disbanded—but not before leaving behind a legacy of heroism and honor. Prior to the Korean War it was commonly thought that blacks would not fight if placed in combat situations, and white soldiers would not follow the orders of black officers. Only through the exemplary performance of soldiers such as the Buffaloes of the 92d Infantry Division in Italy in World War II did we begin to dispel these myths.
After Executive Order 9981, which was signed into law on 26 July 1948 by President Harry S. Truman to desegregate the American military, the Army was the last of our services to comply. In 1950, during the 2d Ranger Company’s training at Fort Benning and in 1951 while in Korea, the black soldiers of the 2d Ranger Company were very much living two lives: one as highly trained, respected members of the elite Ranger forces, and another as black servicemen subject to the laws of segregation. In combat, all soldiers were colorblind—hospitals and aid stations treated everyone together, and the rules of segregation that dominated civilian situations at home did not exist. Stateside, these were years of uncertainty, racial tension, and a sense of inevitable, lasting changes to come. But unless you were overseas, under fire, and in close combat, the concepts of respect, racial equality, and civil rights often did not apply. Nonetheless, segregation was costly and inefficient for the military, particularly during a time when armed forces manpower was needed. When Rangers from 2d Ranger Company boarded a plane for their historic combat jump at Munsan-ni, one Ranger made the comment that “it took the Chinese to integrate the American Army,” and he was right. Chinese intervention in Korea was a wake-up call for Army integration: there was a realization that if we did not use black troops, we could lose this war.
The changes necessitated by desegregation did not come easily and were accompanied by many awkward moments. Even over fifty years after the inactivation of the Ranger companies, the authors and those Rangers who aided them in the completion of this book found desegregation difficult to discuss. Nonetheless, the events that shaped America’s first, last, and only all-black Ranger unit are described from its activation in 1950 to inactivation in August 1951, as compiled by the unit’s Executive Officer and two sergeants, with help from many 2d Airborne Rangers who served alongside the authors. In the military the old World War II policy that no black officer would command white personnel, maintained by the 92d Infantry Division, contributed to racial tension.
But there also were other times when white soldiers turned against bigotry and stood with blacks to demand equality. For example, Lieutenant Richard E. Robinson, the only black in the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team (RCT), got there because the white officer paratroopers of his Officer Candidate Class who were singled out to join the 187th Airborne RCT said they would not go without him. Major Joe Jenkins, S-1 of the 187th, offered the opportunity to all of the officers—except Robinson, because “no colored soldiers” were in the 11th Airborne Division. But because the rest refused to go without Robinson, on 20 October 1950, when the 187th RCT jumped at Sukch’on, Korea, Robinson became the first black paratrooper in the history of the U.S. Army to make a combat jump.
Yet, nearly a decade after black mess attendant Dorie Miller, U.S. Navy, valiantly fired from the deck of the USS West Virginia while the ship was under attack in Pearl Harbor, using a machine gun he could not have trained officially to use, white soldiers and prominent military figures continued to question whether blacks had the courage and desire to perform ground combat duty, to fight for their country. Members of the 2d Ranger Company did, and this book has been written to record those events and commemorate their place in history.
The Korean War has been called “the Forgotten War,” and in many ways it would be comforting to forget segregation and the efforts that were required to desegregate the military as well. But segregation was not just a dream—it is a part of American history and should neither be forgotten nor overemphasized. Unless we show our descendants how to see beyond the past, racism will remain; and true equality, in which all individuals are treated without preference or prejudice, will never be achieved.
After the Korean War, many of the 2d Airborne Rangers decided that they had “found a home” in the Army. Some took their Ranger expertise to a different branch of service (such as James Taylor, Navy SEAL, or James Allen, Roland Hodge, and William Rhodes, U.S. Air Force), but in addition to those few, 64 of 140 Rangers who served in the 2d Ranger Company from 1950 to 1951 retired from the military after twenty years of service. Approximately fifteen Rangers later became officers. This was an exceptional company of men. For many, their Korean War experiences left a lasting impression that would shape their lives. Likewise, their experience in the first, last, and only all-black Ranger unit left a lasting impression on the military.
Master Sergeant Edward L. Posey
(U.S. Army, Retired)
Acknowledgments
; Special thanks are due Colonel (Retired) Robert Black of the 8th Rangers for inspiring us, for encouraging all infantry companies (airborne) to publish a unit history book, and for providing the initial morning reports (M/Rs). We also give special thanks to retired Colonel Robert “Bob” Channon, 3d Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne), author of The Cold Steel Third about the Third Airborne Ranger Company—Korean War, 1950–1951 (Franklin, North Carolina: Genealogy Publishing Service, 1993) for his editorial assistance and encouragement.
We are also grateful to Joe Watts, author of Korean Nights about the 4th Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne), 1950, 1951 (St. Petersburg, Florida: Southern Heritage Press, 1997) for reminding us of incidents we had forgotten and for providing the copies of early morning reports about our experiences with the 4th Company (T/A). We are deeply indebted to Constance A. Burns, U.S. Army Center of Military History, Fort McNair, D.C., for her willingness to serve as coordinator, manager, and researcher for the 2d Ranger Company’s history. Constance spent many hours in the final editing, preparation, and organization of this manuscript, and worked closely with our publisher, Savas Beatie, managing director Theodore P. Savas, and marketing director Sarah Keeney. Although most of our research was conducted before the manuscript was completed, it proved of great benefit to have Thomas Faith to retrieve additional documents for our review. We express our appreciation to Cathy Frye for her editorial comments and reviews.
Without the extraordinary efforts of the members of the 2d Ranger Company this book would have been impossible to write. I owe a debt of gratitude to all members of the 2d Ranger Company; when we first consulted about this book, we determined to make it a collective effort to make our accomplishments known.
I also wish to acknowledge my grateful appreciation to Major James Queen and SFC William Weathersbee for their hard work and effort in compiling information and researching this book. Without their contributions this story would not be told. Major Queen and SFC Weathersbee were the force—with the support of many other members of the 2d Ranger Company—to make sure that as much information as possible was collected. Major Queen and SFC Weathersbee died before this book was completed. I would like to express my gratitude for their honorable service and loyal dedication to the Ranger spirit.