When the Captain reached Europe, however, the assigned Major of his battalion was a White Georgian. This Captain was too independent to suit the Major, therefore, the Major suddenly ordered the Captain under close arrest. After a long delay, the Major preferred twenty-three charges against the Captain.
Afterwards, the charges were reduced to seven. The major, in the mean time, continued to heap restrictions and insults on the accused Captain.
Instead of breaking arrest or resenting his treatment, the Captain kept cool, hired a good lawyer in his division, and put up a very strong legal fight. The court martial acquitted the Captain and restored him to his command. The Major was sent to the Stevadores command.
Not every officer was able to to preserve his calm and poise behavior:A Black lieutenant of a Machine Gun Battalion was assigned to intelligence and Personnel work. He was dismissed and re-instated three times because the White officers who succeeded him could not do the work. Finally, the Lieutenant was arrested for one and a half months and then dismissed from service. However, General Headquarters investigated the case and restored him to his rank.
Most of the Negro officers had no chance to fight. Some were naturally incompetent and deserved demotion or removal. The incompetent Black officers were not objects of attack as often as the more competent and independent Black officers.
The French soldiers often stepped in, frequently and
unconsciously. They upset carefully planned harrassments of the
Black officers. The White American officers were convinced that the Negro officers were incompetent. They besieged General Headquarters and requested the removal of the Black officers "en masse"(in mass).
Captains and selected Lieutenants were sent to the French instructors at the Gonricourt Training School for training.The French staff at the school reported that the Negro Americans were
among the best solders that were sent there.
The 93rd Division, which had never been assembled or even competed as a unit, was suddenly called. They were desperitly needed by the French and were brigaded (joined with the French brigade) with the French soldiers. The Americans were thoroughly scared! Blacks soldiers and Black officers were about to be introduced to French democracy without the watchful eye of American bigeots to guard the Black soldiers. Something had to be
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J.Linzy-16