Seventeen new headstones were dedicated Thursday at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in Texas in what was described as righting a past wrong.
The new headstones mark the graves of 17 Black soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, known as Buffalo Soldiers, who were among those executed in the wake of the 1917 Houston race riot.
During the dedication ceremony, VA Deputy Secretary Tanya Bradnsher said equal justice belongs to all soldiers, today and every day.
“This day, in some small way, reflects the progress we have made as a nation since these men were first buried here over a century ago,” she said. “It’s progress that makes clear that all institutions must live up to the ideals and promise of our nation’s constitution.”
Consistent with the 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 – as opposed to full honors.
The Army reviewed the cases of the soldiers last year and found they “were wrongly treated because of their race and were not given fair trials.” All the convictions have now been set aside and the Secretary of the Army directed the soldiers’ records to reflect honorable discharges.
The riot took place on Aug. 23, 1917, following an incident when officers from the all-white Houston Police Department assaulted several Black soldiers.
That caused dozens of other Black soldiers to enter the city, where they shot and killed 11 civilians and five policemen. Five soldiers were also killed.
During hasty court-martial proceedings, 110 of the soldiers were found guilty. 19 were ultimately hanged.
The Department of Veterans Affairs provided the soldiers with new headstones fully honoring their service – including names, state, rank, unit, and date of death – and an updated interpretive sign sharing their story, educating the public, and providing closure for the next of kin.
“Today, we right the wrongs of the past and honor the service of these soldiers – who served our country with honor,” said VA Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Matthew Quinn in a statement. “We are proud to dedicate new engraved headstones that include these Army soldiers’ ranks, regimental unit, and home states, demonstrating our full commitment to helping correct the injustice of that era.”
VA operates 155 national cemeteries and 34 soldiers’ lots and monument sites across the nation.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.