The Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs (ODVA) is observing Black History Month 2024. They are focusing on the military service of Black service members in history. The series will feature articles and profiles of Black service members who served before and after the desegregation of the United States Armed Forces in 1948. The series will also highlight the contributions of Black military units and individuals to the United States.
One unit being highlighted is the 761st Tank Battalion, also known as the Black Panthers. The battalion was formed on April 1, 1942, at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana. They trained under the restrictions and racism of the Jim Crow South. Their motto was “Come Out Fighting,” and they demonstrated this in their first engagement in Morville-les-Vic, Belgium, in November 1944, and throughout World War II.
The 761st Tank Battalion was led by First Lieutenant Jack “Jackie” Robinson. Robinson is also known as a legendary baseball player. Robinson was transferred to another unit and court-martialed after refusing to move to the back of a segregated military bus in July 1944. Although he was later acquitted, he could not rejoin the Black Panthers.