Soldiers in segregated Army fought the enemy in Korea and prejudice at home

James Thompson and his fellow soldiers from the 24th Infantry Regiment fought North Korean troops from the Yalu River to the Pusan Perimeter more than 70 years ago. They also battled racism and prejudice from their own side as members of one of the Army’s segregated Buffalo Soldiers units.

Mr. Thompson, a New Jersey resident, spent more than 20 years in the Army and later had a long career in law enforcement. He is most proud of his time as a Buffalo soldier in Japan and Korea in the early 1950s.

The Buffalo Soldiers were from four segregated regiments: the 9th and 10th Cavalry and the 24th and 25th Infantry. These regiments served in the American West after the Civil War and later fought in Cuba and the Philippines. The units’ first officers were White, but more Black officers had leadership roles during Mr. Thompson’s time.

The 24th Infantry Regiment, also known as “Deuce Four,” didn’t get the same logistics support as the White units, and their combat victories in Korea were rarely publicized.

In September 1950, two months after the start of the Korean War, their division commander, Maj. Gen. William B. Kean, asked for the regiment to be disbanded. According to the Army, Gen. Kean said the 24th Infantry Regiment was “untrustworthy and incapable of carrying out missions expected of an infantry regiment.”

In recent years, military historians have pointed to systemic racism in a segregated military, lackluster training and incompetent unit leadership as the likely culprits for any struggles of the 24th Infantry.

The 24th Infantry soldiers weren’t allowed to go to Tokyo for rest and recreation like their White counterparts. They were the last unit to receive winter gear, which resulted in several cases of frostbite during the winter in Korea.

Mr. Thompson said the disrespect shown to his regiment still stings.

“We had nobody desert, and nobody dropped their weapons and ran,” he said in an interview with The Washington Times. “We’re the only unit that overran two POW camps. They didn’t write about that because we were colored troops.”

When the 24th landed in Korea, Mr. Thompson, 93, was already a seasoned soldier. He had served a couple of years of occupation duty in Germany and Japan after World War II.

The 24th landed in the port city of Busan, then known as Pusan, South Korea, in July 1950. The soldiers were loaded onto a train and sent north. They were handed grenades and ammunition and told they soon would be going into battle.

“We started moving real fast. We would take the objective, secure the town and then move out,” Mr. Thompson said. “We fought like everybody else. Our scouts went out, and they captured some of the enemy.”

The 24th Infantry fought throughout Korea, from the defense of the “Pusan Perimeter” to the breakout and pursuit of the retreating North Korean army and then the Chinese counteroffensive that pushed the United Nations forces back to a position near the current Demilitarized Zone that divides the Korean Peninsula.

“The enemy kept trying to surround us, but we fought our way back,” Mr. Thompson said. “The 24th Infantry Regiment did not throw their weapons down. They did not run.”

He was hit with shrapnel on April 11, 1951, and evacuated to the rear. On the same day, President Truman sacked Gen. Douglas MacArthur, the commander of forces in Korea.

Mr. Thompson was sent to Walter Reed Army Medical Center for treatment of his combat injuries. He was released from the hospital about a month later and asked to return to his unit in Korea.

“That’s when they told me the 24th had been deactivated. I said, ‘Never mind,’” Mr. Thompson said.

Mr. Thompson remained in the Army and was sent to Vietnam as an adviser to South Vietnamese troops in 1960 for a 12-month tour, five years before the first U.S. combat units were deployed to Southeast Asia.

“We would take [the South Vietnamese troops] out on patrol and make sure they lived and came back,” Mr. Thompson said. “Then, I wanted just to get the hell out of Dodge.”

Mr. Thompson was in Washington on Veterans Day weekend to present the story of the 24th Infantry Regiment in Korea to the 27th annual conference of the American Veterans Center. The group’s mission is to honor the sacrifices of American veterans through oral history preservation, educational programs and civic events.

“It was the best unit I ever served with. We were brothers,” Mr. Thompson said of the 24th Infantry.

Rep. Andy Kim, New Jersey Democrat, introduced the Buffalo Soldiers Congressional Gold Medal Act last year. He said the Buffalo Soldiers worked tirelessly to tear down barriers for future generations and that their bravery in combat deserves recognition with the highest honor Congress can bestow.

“Everyone in America should learn about the Buffalo Soldiers. Their decades of service through numerous conflicts began during a time when racism and segregation were barriers and a constant threat,” said Mr. Kim, who was elected to the Senate last week. “I hope this recognition can show our country’s gratitude for their service.”