{"id":7581,"date":"2024-02-22T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-22T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7581"},"modified":"2024-02-22T17:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-02-22T17:00:00","slug":"vas-national-cemetery-administration-dedicates-new-headstones-to-honor-black-soldiers-correcting-1917-injustice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7581","title":{"rendered":"VA\u2019s National Cemetery Administration dedicates new headstones to honor Black soldiers, correcting 1917 injustice"},"content":{"rendered":"

Originally published:<\/strong> 2024-02-22T17:00:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n

WASHINGTON <\/strong>\u2014 Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs\u2019 National Cemetery Administration (NCA)<\/a> is hosting a memorial ceremony in San Antonio, Texas, at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery<\/a> righting a wrong of the past by dedicating new headstones for 17 World War I Black soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment.<\/p>\n

These soldiers were among those executed following the courts martial of 110 Black soldiers charged with murder and mutiny in the 1917 Houston Riots. Consistent with standard procedure of that time for soldiers who were sentenced to death in a court martial, their graves were marked with headstones that listed only their names and year of death \u2013 as opposed to full honors. The Army reviewed the cases of these Black soldiers again in 2023 and marked their trials unfair<\/a>, saying that \u201cthese Soldiers were wrongly treated because of their race and were not given fair trials.\u201d The Secretary of the Army set aside all convictions and directed the soldiers\u2019 records reflect honorable discharges.<\/p>\n

Now, VA has provided these soldiers with new headstones that fully honor their service \u2013 including names, state, rank, unit, and date of death \u2013 and an updated interpretive sign sharing their story, educating the public, and providing closure for the next of kin.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, we right the wrongs of the past and honor the service of these soldiers \u2013 who served our country with honor,\u201d said VA Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Matthew Quinn. \u201c<\/strong>We are proud to dedicate new engraved headstones that include these Army soldiers\u2019 ranks, regimental unit, and home states, demonstrating our full commitment to helping correct the injustice of that era.\u201d<\/p>\n

Honoring these soldiers is a part of VA\u2019s comprehensive work to \u00a0deliver for all Veterans \u2015 regardless of their age, race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or geographic location. As announced last week<\/a>, using the Agency Equity Action Plan<\/a>, VA will work urgently to improve outcomes and eliminate disparities in Veteran benefits and health care; increase access to VA services; enhance economic security for all Veterans, including historically underserved Veteran communities; listen to and learn from Veteran communities; and more.<\/p>\n

VA operates 155 national cemeteries and 34 soldiers\u2019 lots and monument sites across the nation. More than five million Americans, including Veterans of every war and conflict, are buried in VA cemeteries. Learn more about\u00a0VA\u2019s burial benefits and memorial services<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration hosts memorial ceremony in San Antonio, Texas, at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery righting a wrong of the past by dedicating new headstones for 17 World War I Black soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":54,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community-veteran-stories","category-history-remembrance"],"yoast_head":"\nVA\u2019s National Cemetery Administration dedicates new headstones to honor Black soldiers, correcting 1917 injustice - Its Veterans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Department of Veterans Affairs' National Cemetery Administration hosts memorial ceremony in San Antonio, Texas, at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery righting a wrong of the past by dedicating new headstones for 17 World War I Black soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7581\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"VA\u2019s National Cemetery Administration dedicates new headstones to honor Black soldiers, correcting 1917 injustice - 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