veteran’s corner

Tom Krabbenhoft

With Black History Month upon us, it’s warranted to recognize the exceptional service of some of America’s seldom-mentioned black heroes. Many of their individual and unit contributions remain largely little known. I will highlight some of them throughout February.

Crispus Attucks, a man of Native and African descent, was part of a group of colonists who confronted several British soldiers on March 5, 1770. One of the soldiers was punishing a boy for complaining loudly that a British officer had not paid for his a haircut. The colonists threw sticks at the soldiers, hitting one one the head. The British fired on the crowd. Crispus Attucks was the first to be shot and killed in the incident, which became known became as the Boston Massacre. He is regarded as the first person killed in the Revolutionary War.

Jude Hall: Historians dispute exactly how Jude Hall came to fight in the war. Some stories say he was free; others argue he was a slave sent to fight. And fight he did … so bravely that he was known as “Old Rock” forever after. 

In his first month of service, Hall fought in the battle of Bunker Hill – one of 100 people of color fighting that day. He was almost killed when he was violently thrown by a cannonball. He went on to fight in the battles of Ticonderoga, Saratoga and other engagements. He retired in 1783 and was fully freed and given land and a soldiers pension. 

Sadly, Old Rock’s service and fierce reputation weren’t enough to keep his three sons from being kidnapped and sold into slavery in the South. Two of his grandsons later fought in the Civil War, one of them with the famed 54th Regiment.

Salem Poor was enslaved and years later bought his freedom. He enlisted in the Army and fought in the battle of Bunker Hill. It is said he killed 14 men himself, including Lt. Col. James Abercrombie, who came from a prominent British family. Poor fought so fiercely that several fellow soldiers wrote affidavits attesting to his bravery, including William Prescott, commander of the American forces st Bunker Hill. Centuries later, the U.S. Postal Service issued a stamp honoring his bravery.

The 1st Rhode Island Regiment was racially integrated almost 200 years before it was accepted via Federal law. The 1st Rhode Island fought in the Battle of Newport. There they repelled several attacks of German Hessian infantry, regarded as the best in the World. Truly a heroic unit!

 Veteran of the Week

Jarod Jacobson served in the Army from 1999-2002. A Russian linguist, he served as an electronic warfare/voice interceptor. He has been employed at the Clay County Sheriff’s Department for 15 years. Thanks for your service!

To submit a veteran’s name for this feature, email me at 11btwk@gmail.com.