1. Freddie Stowers was an African-American corporal in the United States Army who was killed in action during World War I while serving in an American unit under 157th Infantry Division of the French Army, called the "Red Hand Division".
18 Facts About Freddie Stowers
1. 2.
Freddie Stowers married a woman named Pearl, with whom he had one daughter, Minnie Lee.
3.
Freddie Stowers was drafted into the Army in 1917, and assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion of the segregated US 371st Infantry Regiment, originally part of the 93d Infantry Division.
4.
Early on the morning of September 28,1918, Freddie Stowers' company was ordered to assault Cote 188, a tall, heavily defended hill overlooking a farm near Ardeuil-et-Montfauxelles, in the Ardennes region of France.
5.
The lieutenant commanding Freddie Stowers' platoon went down, followed by the more senior noncommissioned officers.
6.
Corporal Freddie Stowers, trained to lead a section of a rifle squad, was now in command of a battered and demoralized platoon.
7.
Freddie Stowers began crawling toward a German machine gun nest and shouted for his men to follow.
8.
Freddie Stowers then reorganized his force and led a charge against the second German line of trenches.
9.
Freddie Stowers collapsed from loss of blood, but ordered his men not to be discouraged and to keep going and take out the German guns.
10.
Freddie Stowers is buried, along with 133 of his comrades, at the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial east of the village of Romagne-sous-Montfaucon.
11.
Shortly after his death, Freddie Stowers was recommended for the Medal of Honor; however, this recommendation was never processed.
12.
In 1990, at the instigation of Congress, the Department of the Army conducted a review and the Freddie Stowers recommendation was uncovered.
13.
York survived the war and returned home to national acclamation; while Freddie Stowers made the ultimate sacrifice for his country, but remained an obscure figure who was not given his due until nearly a century after his death.
14.
The outcome of the Freddie Stowers review led to a new Army study in 1992, which found that several African American and other minority Distinguished Cross recipients from World War II were actually deserving of Medals of Honor that had not been awarded because of bias on the part of the Decorations Board.
15.
Freddie Stowers, distinguished himself by exceptional heroism on September 28,1918 while serving as a squad leader in Company C, 371st Infantry Regiment, 93d Infantry Division.
16.
Freddie Stowers took charge, setting such a courageous example of personal bravery and leadership that he inspired his men to follow him in the attack.
17.
Freddie Stowers continued to press the attack against a determined enemy.
18.
Freddie Stowers was mortally wounded, he pressed forward, urging on the members of his squad, until he died.