Sujet

Order of Commendation from the Commander of the French Armies of the East, March 19, 1919. Creator: Unknown.

Légende

An English-language dispatch titled [ORDER NO. 14.645 "D" (EXTRACT)] from the General Headquarters of the French Armies of the East. The commendation comes from the [Personnel Bureau / (Decorations)] and lists French and American forces and personnel who have put Corporal Laurence Leslie McVey up for an award. The order praises McVey for displaying courage by leading an attack that resulted in his being wounded. On the bottom right a math equation is written in black ink and the word [ordre] in graphite. Due to racial tension within the US Army, the 369th Infantry Regiment was assigned to the French Army for the duration of US involvement in World War I. Formed from the 15th New York National Guard Regiment and nicknamed the "Harlem Hellfighters," the 369th was the first African American regiment to reach the battlefields of World War I and the first Allied troops to reach the banks of the Rhine. Upon completion of the 369th’s service in the war, the regiment had spent 191 days in combat, the longest of any American regiment. In appreciation for their actions in the Maison-en-Champagne campaign, the 369th was awarded the Croix de Guerre by the French Government for acts of bravery in conflicts against the enemy. In addition to this honor, 171 individual members of the 369th Regiment were awarded the Croix de Guerre and the Legion of Honor. The 369th Regiment finished their service in Europe and returned to the US in February 1919.

Crédit

Photo12/Heritage Images/Heritage Art

Notre référence

HRM21A74_111

Model release

NA

Property release

NA

Licence

Droits gérés

Format disponible

357,8Mo (13,2Mo) / 76,2cm x 117,6cm / 9004 x 13889 (300dpi)

Mots clés

government education country French France letter museum courage military war text location century recognition first bravery document orders first world war concept African American African-American B&W courageous afro-american records United States of America Smithsonian Institution Regiment World War I WWI infantry black & white black and white B W World War One Educational Institution 1910s 20th century commendation heritage American America USA 1st World War scientific institution WW1 object united states Unknown Philippe Marshal cultural heritage Black History Heritage Art Philippe Petain Marshal Petain Henri Philippe Omer Petain Marshal Philippe Petain Marshal Philippe National Museum of African American History and Culture NMAAHC orders (military records) Henri Philippe Omer Pétain Pétain Marshal Philippe Pétain Philippe Pétain Marshal Pétain Laurence Lesli ink on paper with ink on plaster