Old Barracks Museum pays tribute to African-American soldiers
By Stephanie Vaccaro
IF men die at war and their story goes untold, our collective memory is incomplete. For Black History Month, the Old Barracks Museum, in partnership with the Trenton Historical Society, will tell some of these stories about the contribution of black soldiers over the past three centuries.
”Our mission is to put out the word to the world and let them know that black men served in all wars, that they have never shirked their duty and that black men brought freedom for slaves in America – that’s our mission,” said Fred Minus, one of the organizers of the event.
Three centuries of African-American history will be presented by re-enactors of all the wars throughout the country’s history, beginning with the French and Indian War up to Vietnam, where actual veterans of the Korean and Vietnam wars will be in attendance. The participants will see the history of the service of African-Americans in all American wars come to life through historians in uniform, demonstrating weapons, clothing and equipment, and speaking about what life was like during the time periods they represent.
”African-Americans have participated in just about every armed conflict on our soil,” says Robert Butera, historical interpreter at the Old Barracks Museum, “even before we were a nation.” The displays will be in chronological order, and as you go along, you will see the constant and unswerving dedication of these men throughout history, Mr. Butera says.
The re-enactors include: the 1st Rhode Island Regiment Revolutionary War Re-enactors; the Black Marines in the War of 1812, the 6th Regiment of the United States Colored Troops Re-enactors Inc. from the Civil War; the 5th Platoon World War II Re-enactors; and the Buffalo Soldiers in Korea. There will also be photos, literature and artifacts, including a Tuskeegee Airmen display.
One of the lesser-known incidents of World War II, the Wereth 11 Massacre, where 11 black men died in Belgium will be presented by Art Collins, the keynote speaker at the two-day event.
The men were separated from their unit and managed to get together and wandered into the town of Wereth. They were overrun by the Germans during their counteroffensive, known as the Battle of the Bulge.
”This is a story that wasn’t told,” Mr. Collins says. While other massacres became well known, such as Malmedy, where 84 U.S. soldiers lost their lives, the Wereth massacre did not, he says, nor were the aggressors ever tried and convicted.
But Mr. Collins has had the good fortune of helping this story be told on a much broader scale. Prior to his talk at the Old Barracks Museum, he will be in New Orleans for the premiere of The Wereth 11 Massacre, a documentary he and his group of re-enactors, the 5th Platoon World War II Re-enactors, starred in, comprising 7 of the 11 soldiers.
The documentary will air Feb. 16 on the National Geographic Channel and will be released in 160 countries worldwide, Mr. Collins says.
”I think the importance of events like this is to make people aware of the sacrifices and contributions of black soldiers,” says Mr. Collins, who served in the U.S. Marines Corps from 1980-1984. The contributions of black soldiers and the atrocities they endured have not been documented, he says.
”The Civil War is personally my passion,” says Mr. Minus, who comes from a long line of men who have continuously served in the military, beginning with two of his great-great-grandfathers who fought in the Civil War. One was a runaway from Virginia who went to Philadelphia and joined the 3rd regiment of the United States Colored Troop in 1863, the other was born a free man in Pennsylvania and joined the fight to free others, despite being 42 and married with two children.
Approximately 200,000 black soldiers fought for the Union in the Civil War, according to the National Archives.
”This history is not taught in the history books,” Mr. Minus says. “If that’s all they write, then that’s all you know.”
History is the most important subject, he says, because it’s the compass of life, and it keeps repeating itself. “At the stroke of a pen, people could be put back into slavery.” For democracy to work in America, everybody has to participate, Mr. Minus says.
Black History Month will be honored at the Old Barracks Museum, 101 Barrack St., Trenton, Feb. 26-27, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is $4, $2 children (free for children under 6) and $8 for families. 609-396-1776; www.barracks.org