Speaker 1: Right now, It's time for the Way Black History Fact.
Speaker 1: Today's Way Black History Fact is sponsored by Underground Beach
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Speaker 1: of black Panthers? Of course you do, But have you
Speaker 1: ever heard of the original black Panthers? Well, buckle up,
Speaker 1: here we go, all right. The men of the African
Speaker 1: Americans seven hundred and sixty first Tank Battalion entered combat
Speaker 1: at Mooreville, Lesvic on November seventh, nineteen forty four, and
Speaker 1: an infronto battle, they proved their worth for the first
Speaker 1: time in a series of hard fought battles the seven
Speaker 1: hundred and sixty first Tank Battalion. The battalion's motto was
Speaker 1: come out fighting, and that it did from its first
Speaker 1: engagement at the little Belgian town of Moreville, Lesvic in
Speaker 1: November nineteen forty four, and through heavy combat right through
Speaker 1: the end of the war. But the seven hundred and
Speaker 1: sixty First fight was not just against the Germans. As
Speaker 1: a segregated African American unit, it took part in the
Speaker 1: struggle for racial equality, a struggle in which the men
Speaker 1: of the seven hundred and sixty First, the so called
Speaker 1: Black Panthers would engage for the rest of their lives.
Speaker 1: Brought into existence on April first, nineteen forty two, at
Speaker 1: Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, the seven hundred and sixty first Tank
Speaker 1: Battalion trained amid the restrictions and racism of Jim Crow South.
Speaker 1: First Lieutenant Jack Roosevelt Robinson of the seven hundred and
Speaker 1: sixty first, an athlete who had become one of the
Speaker 1: greatest baseball players of all time, lost his chance to
Speaker 1: see combat when he refused to move to the back
Speaker 1: of a segregated military bus during an incident in Fort Hood, Texas,
Speaker 1: in July nineteen forty four. The seven hundred and sixty
Speaker 1: first Battalion's commander, Lieutenant Colonel Paul el Bates, refused to
Speaker 1: prosecute Robinson, but a superiors got around that by transferring
Speaker 1: the lieutenant to another unit, where he was court martial.
Speaker 1: Robinson was later acquitted, but too late to rejoin the
Speaker 1: Black Panthers. Seven hundred and sixty First arrived in France
Speaker 1: on October ten, nineteen forty four, coming ashore at Omaha
Speaker 1: Beach and moving into Belgium at the beginning of November,
Speaker 1: General George S. Patten famously gave the Black Panthers a
Speaker 1: pep talk, saying in part, men, you're the first Negro
Speaker 1: Tan to ever fight in the American Army. I would
Speaker 1: never have asked for you if you weren't good. I
Speaker 1: have nothing but the best in my army. I don't
Speaker 1: care what color you are, as long as you go
Speaker 1: up there and kill those proud soldiers. Everyone has their
Speaker 1: eyes on you and is expecting great things from you,
Speaker 1: most of all your races, looking forward to your success.
Speaker 1: Don't let them down, and darn you, don't let me down. Privately, however,
Speaker 1: Patten harbored the same doubts that many white officers had
Speaker 1: about black soldiers, and he was reluctant to commit them
Speaker 1: to combat. On November seven, nineteen forty four, the Black
Speaker 1: Panthers finally got their chance as they attacked the German
Speaker 1: held town of Morville Lesvik in support of the twenty
Speaker 1: six Infantry Division. Bates, wounded the night before the engagement,
Speaker 1: was not present, nor were many of his white senior officers. Instead,
Speaker 1: the thrust into town was commanded by African American Captain
Speaker 1: John D. Long of b company who followed behind the
Speaker 1: lead Sherman tank commandment by Sergeant Roy King quote, I
Speaker 1: am sure men thought I was a bad man and
Speaker 1: hated my guts, but they followed me. Later recalled Long,
Speaker 1: a no nonsense officer who held from Detroit Motown. They
Speaker 1: were a well greased fighting machine. Captain Long proudly summed
Speaker 1: up his pride for the Black Panthers and their conduct
Speaker 1: not for God and for country, but from me and
Speaker 1: my people. He said, this was my motivation, pure and simple.
Speaker 1: When I entered the army, I sware to myself there
Speaker 1: would never be a headline saying my men and I chicken.
Speaker 1: Soldier in time of war is supposed to accept the
Speaker 1: idea of dying. That's what he's there for. Live with
Speaker 1: it and forget it. I expected to get killed, whatever happened,
Speaker 1: I was determined to die an officer and a gentleman.
Speaker 1: The town of morethe Less Victor was supposed to be
Speaker 1: a snap, but it was my inferno. My men were tigers.
Speaker 1: They fought like seasoned veterans. We got our lumps, but
Speaker 1: we took that efing town. So that's where the Black
Speaker 1: Panthers came from. Some soldiers and some ogs stick around,