YES WE SERVED!

ARMY, MARINE CORPS, NAVY, AIR FORCE & COAST GUARD
Our American Troops have served both domestically and abroad to ensure that we as a united people are guaranteed the liberties and freedoms that all people are entitled to have. YES WE SERVED from the beginning of our nation to ensure that American people would be free from foreign oppression. During the Revolutionary War, we battled for years (1775-1783) for the right to establish an independent nation. In response to manpower shortages, George Washington lifted the ban on black enlistment in the Continental Army in January 1776. All- black units were formed in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Many of these units were composed of slaves who’d been promised freedom for serving in lien of their masters. Another African American unit came from Haiti with French forces. At least 5000 African American soldiers fought as Revolutionaries. Black volunteers also served with various South Carolina guerrilla units. These black troops made a critical difference in the fighting in the swamps, especially when many of the white troops were sick with malaria. Many black troops were genetically resistant to malaria because they carried the sickle cell trait; eventually, our new nation formulated a constitution that laid the framework for a society that embraced the idea of basic rights for its citizens. YES WE SERVED during the War of 1812. In fact, about one quarter of the personnel in the American navel squadrons of the battle of Lake Erie were blacks, in fact, the Rotunda of Ohio’s Capital show that blacks played a significant role in it. A militia unit, the Louisiana Battalion of Free Men of Color and a unit of black soldiers from Santo Domingo offered their services and were accepted by General Andrew Jackson in the Battle of New Orleans, a victory that was achieved after the war was officially over.