Yes, Black soldiers fought on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day

The Monday Musings

Today we commemorate D-Day, the date in 1944 when Allied Forces stormed the French coast in the last stages to rid Europe of Nazi tyranny. 

I have always taken note that in most popular films about the D-Day invasions at Omaha, Sword, Gold, Juno, and Utah Beach landing points in the Normandy region of France, iconic movies like "The Longest Day," "The Big Red One," and "Saving Private Ryan," that there are ZERO Black soldiers depicted as having played any role in these events.

Zero, zilch, none, nein, nann Black G.I.'s on the Hollywood big screens despite the fact that, like all of America’s wars, Black soldiers were right there serving on D-Day, too!

An article in the Grio several years ago noted that "Of the 31,912 U.S. troops landing on Utah Beach, approximately 1,200 were black and included troops of the remaining battery of the 320th Balloon Battalion, the 582nd Engineer Dump Truck Company, the 385th Quartermaster Truck Company, and the 490th Port Battalion with its 226th, 227th, 228th, and 229th Port Companies."

Now, some pedant will point out "well Hobbs, most of those movies focus upon the invasion at Omaha Beach." My response is, "true," but the overarching issue is that most Americans do not deal with historical pedantry and when the subject of D-Day arises, the archival films and pictures that are viewed on the news and the aforementioned iconic films would lead some to believe that Black folks did not serve honorably—and die—during the final stages of fighting in the European Theater. Or, the fact that just like in previous wars, Black units were also tasked with burying remains of the fallen (which numbered in the tens of thousands at Normandy), a grim job considering the weaponry that rained death down upon Allied forces storming those beaches and made many corpses unrecognizable! 

As such, I salute all of those brave souls who died 77 years ago today in France and on the English Channel, especially the Black ones who received little to no appreciation from their own country while fighting—and returned home to Jim Crow segregation when the fighting ended.

Lest we forget...

When Breaking News is really Breaking

Kudos to new CNN President Chris Licht for alerting his employees that the “Breaking News” banner that is often shown on the lower left corner of telecasts will be used far less frequently under his watch! Licht said in a company memo that, “Its (Breaking News) impact has become lost on the audience…”

I could not agree more, as it seems that even trivial matters have been given exalted status on the network. When I was growing up, if you saw the words “Special Report” or “Breaking News” pop up on CBS, ABC, or NBC, you knew that it was something REALLY major, like an assassination attempt, nuclear reactor meltdown, hostage crisis, or military attack—not something that’s relatively minor, which has been the case at CNN for quite some time.

Taxing AR-15's

U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) is proposing legislation that would tax AR-15's and other assault weapons by up to 1,000 percent. If passed, a typical assault weapon that now ranges from $500 to $2,000 would cost between $5,000 and $20,000!

While this proposal is not the end-all cure to America's gun culture problems, it surely is another step in the right direction to curtail the ease with which criminals purchase weapons that inflict maximum destruction in a minimal time frame.

Americans are weary and wary of weapons

A new ABC/Ipsos Poll has found that seven out of ten Americans agree that “new legislation reducing gun violence should be prioritized over protecting gun rights amid a particularly deadly string of mass shootings in the country.”

I would really like to sit down and chat with the three out of 10 who disagree, so that I can better understand what went wrong in the upbringings that makes them so callous and indifferent towards the deaths of innocent men, women, and children across America.

Benevolence Offering

My old friend and Morehouse classmate, Don Cheatham (below), is literally fighting for his life following a stage four pancreatic cancer diagnosis.

As I wrote on social media last week, Don is an amazing husband, doting father of an 18-month-old baby girl, and a stouthearted man! Even in the midst of this storm, he is displaying an unwavering faith that God WILL heal him!

Thus, my humble request for all Hobbservation Point subscribers to donate to the Go Fund Me account that’s been set up to help defray costs so that Don can focus on being healed!

Again, thank you in advance for your prayers, positive vibes, and contributions! Please click the following link to help Don conquer cancer!

Morehouse Mountain Man

As I wrote on Friday, there are few things in life that are better than breathing fresh, non-humid air, and looking at the natural beauty of America’s mountain ranges! As I have spent some time chatting with townspeople in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina over the past few days, their constant reminder is that if I find their locale breathtaking during late spring, that I should come back in the Fall (my fave season) when the colors start to change.

Below are a couple of pics of the Lake Junaluska village right now, and how it looked last October:

Methinks I shall return, Lord willling… ❤

Happy Heavenly Birthday

Wishing a Happy Heavenly Birthday to my Godmother, Dr. Eva C. Wanton, a legendary educator and Dean of the School of General Studies at Florida A&M University, and a past National President of Jack and Jill of America.

You are loved and sorely missed; Requiescat in Pace ❤ ❤ ❤

Thank you for subscribing to the Hobbservation Point—have a wonderful day!