![]() ![]() James’ body was buried in the Netherlands. In recent years, James’ Medal of Honor has been part of the World War II Museum’s “Fighting for the Right to Fight” traveling exhibit, showcasing the seven medals awarded to the Black soldiers. ![]() This certificate issued by President Bill Clinton in 1997 to the family of Willy James will be on display along with the Medal of Honor at the Black Archives of Mid-America. Becoming a personal champion for James’ story, he set out to find the resources he needed to bring more attention to the courage of a fellow Black veteran. Gray sees James’ life and sacrifice as an integral part of telling the story of how Black soldiers had to not only overcome a foreign battlefield but also a domestic one. “There was no service with the 21 gun salute, the playing of ‘Taps’ and the widow being given the folded American flag.” “In 1945 when he was killed, it was uncommon for African Americans to receive a proper military burial service,” says Gray. All in a time when he was looked down upon as a second-class citizen back home. James died fighting in a war liberating strangers thousands of miles away. “He enlisted as a young man and he died as a young man,” his niece Margaret Pender said in 2015 at an event for the National WWII Museum in New Orleans. “Private First Class James’ fearless, self-assigned actions, coupled with his diligent devotion to duty exemplified the finest traditions of the Armed Forces,” his medal citation reads. James died on April 7, 1945, near Lippoldsberg, Germany, while attempting to save the life of his platoon leader, who was shot during the charge. He drew machine gun and sniper fire in order to report back the enemy’s location, according to the National Medal of Honor Museum. ![]() James became a scout with the 413th Infantry Regiment and was the first to volunteer and lead the way for his platoon to secure and expand a vital bridgehead. While the military wouldn’t be integrated until 1948, when President Truman signed Executive Order 9981, allowing Black and white soldiers to fight side by side, James and his comrades paved the way years beforehand. James and more than 2,200 other Black soldiers volunteered for special training to become reinforcements. But when casualties mounted in the Battle of the Bulge, Army leaders changed their minds. He joined the Army in 1942, and two weeks before shipping out, he married his girlfriend, Valcenie.īlack soldiers weren’t permitted to fight on the front lines and were relegated to menial tasks, like cooks, drivers and road workers. James came from modest beginnings, growing up at 12th Street and The Paseo, where he attended Lincoln High School. The portrait is now on display at the Black Archives of Mid-America. ![]() This portrait of Willy James, by artist James Guilford, was commissioned in 1997 when James was given the Medal of Honor posthumously. “We as a community dropped the ball and we need to make sure his name becomes not just a part of Kansas City history but American history. James, and as soon as I learned he was from Kansas City I started asking myself how have I never heard this extraordinary story? “I read this book called ‘ Honoring Sergeant Carter,’ which told the story of the seven,” says Gray, who lives in Olathe. The debut will be marked by a procession through Kansas City streets on Friday, April 7, the 78th anniversary of James’ death. It will showcase his medal, given to his widow in 1997 as then-President Bill Clinton honored the seven Black heroes who were bypassed because of racism. Gray, a retired Marine first sergeant, coordinated with the Black Archives of Mid-America to create an exhibit dedicated to James. So for over a decade he researched, contacted relatives and worked with community organizations to ensure James’ contributions would be remembered. is Kansas City’s only Black Medal of Honor recipient, awarded posthumously, and yet Gray, a veteran himself, had never heard of him. Robert Gray was reading a book about Black Medal of Honor recipients - seven World War II veterans whose courage was not recognized for decades - when he stumbled across the name of a Kansas Citian. ![]()
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