discriminated against in 1917, black African-American soldiers celebrated as heroes in Séchault

After the traditional ceremony of November 11 at the foot of the monument to the dead, the Ardennes village of Séchault moved to the obelisk located on the edge of the departmental for a second moment of homage dedicated to the African-American soldiers of the 369th Infantry Regiment this Thursday. The 2,000 men who made it up, all black, liberated the town on September 29, 1918, after bitter fighting which claimed the lives of 851 of them.

Black soldiers in second class

In 1917, when the United States entered the war, black-skinned American soldiers are not allowed to bear guns and are relegated to menial tasks. Under the leadership of Marshal Foch, they were incorporated into the French army and fought in the Fourth Army. Those that we will nickname the Harlem hellfighters are sent to the front in Champagne.

The victories they won at the cost of substantial human sacrifices made it possible in particular to liberate the village of Séchault. It is at the foot of the monument erected by their descendants in 1997 that the sub-prefect, elected officials, soldiers and residents met this Thursday, November 11, 2021. On the other side of the Atlantic, 1,200 Houston students watch the ceremony live and in video.

Two GI’s at the ceremony

The star-spangled banner floats in the Ardennes fog. Two lieutenants from the US Air Force attend this tribute moment. “These soldiers had to face racism in their home country“, slips Lieutenant Lauren Benedict in his speech to the audience.”They lost their lives for their freedom, and for ours too“, adds the mayor of Séchault, René Salez.

The children of the Monthois school pole list the names of these soldiers who fell at the front, far from home. The fanfare “Le Réveil d’Attigny” sounds the last notes of the American anthem. “There are holes in the processing of our history and we are on the way to try to fill these holesUS Air Force Lt. Cole Armagost admits.

I will go and plant a pecan tree

At the end of the ceremony, we plant a pecan. The pecan tree has been the symbol of Franco-American friendship since the American President Thomas Jefferson planted one in 1787 in Villenave-d’Ornon, in Gironde.

Since 2017, 85 pecan trees have been planted in France at the initiative of the “France-United States” and “Jefferson Pecans” associations in sites symbolizing the historical link between France and the United States. The pecan tree of Séchault will be the only one dedicated to African-American soldiers who fought in World War I.