In what year was the 99th Pursuit Squadron, which later came to be known as the Tuskegee Airmen, formed?
1. 1940
2. 1945
3. 1943
4. 1941
1941
On March 19, 1941, the U.S. War Department established the 99th Pursuit Squadron, which, along with a few other squadrons formed later, became better known as the Tuskegee Airmen.
Who was the first Black female cadet Brigade Command Sgt. Major of West Point?
1. Emily Perez
2. Isabella Baumfree
3. Cathay Williams
4. Araminta Ross
Emily Perez
2nd Lt. Emily Perez became the first Black female cadet Brigade Command Sgt. Major of West Point as part of the "Class of 9/11." At the age of 23, she also became the first female graduate of West Point to die in the Iraq War, the first West Point graduate of the "Class of 9/11" to die in combat, and the first female African-American officer to die in combat.
Who was the first African American to earn the Congressional Medal of Honor?
1. Christopher Kyle
2. William Harvey Carney
3. Colin Powell
4. Chad Lundsford
William Harvey Carney
William Harvey Carney was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously in 1900 for his bravery in saving the regimental colors (American Flag) during the Civil War at the Battle of Fort Wagner in 1863.
Who was the first African-American to be awarded the Navy Cross for bravery during the attack on Pearl Harbor?
1. Sean Miller
2. Doris "Dorie" Miller
3. Stacey Milner
4. Robert Milley
Doris "Dorie" Miller
Doris, Dorie" Miller, originally from Waco TX, served as a cook on the battleship West Virginia but proved to be a hero when, with no experience or training, he gunned down several Japanese aircraft carriers. In 2020, the U.S. Navy recognized him by naming a CVN-81 aircraft carrier after Miller
Who was the 1st African American four star general in the U.S. Army?
1. Roscoe Robinson Jr
2. Colin Powell
3. Leslie C. Smith
4. Benjamin O. Davis Jr
Roscoe Robinson Jr
In 1982, Roscoe Robinson Jr. became the first African American to be promoted to four star general of the U.S. Army (Daniel “Chappie” James was promoted to four star general in the Air Force in 1975).
Who is the only African American to earn two Medals of Honor?
1. Vernon Baker
2. James Elder Madison
3. Henry Johnson
4. Robert Augustus Sweeney
Robert Augustus Sweeney
Robert Augustus Sweeney, a sailor in the United States Navy, is one of only nineteen servicemen, and the only African American, to receive the Medal of Honor twice, both for peace-time actions; one in 1881, the second in 1883.
Who was the first Black woman to graduate from the US Army Ranger school?
1. Janina Simmons
2. Kristen Griest
3. Shaye Haver
4. Amanda Kelley
Janina Simmons
Janina Simmons became the first female African-American soldier to complete the U.S. Army Ranger School course in April 2019.
What were the famous Tuskegee Airmen also known as?
1. “The Red Tails”
2. “Brown Bombers”
3. “Red Bombers”
4. “The Brown Tails”
“The Red Tails”
The famed Tuskegee Airmen, a company of Black bombers who flew during WW II, were also known as “The Red Tails” because of the red paint that was on the tail wings of their planes.
As of 2020, who has served as the highest ranking African American woman in the military?
1. Clara Adams-Ender
2. Nancy C. Leftenant
3. Nadja Y. West
4. Mildred C. Kelly
Nadja Y. West
Nadja Yudith West is a retired United States Army lieutenant general and the 44th U.S. Army Surgeon General and former Commanding General of the U.S. Army Medical Command. West is also the first Army black female lieutenant general and the highest ranking woman to have graduated from the United States Military Academy.
What African American was honored with the Medal of Honor in 1918 for heroic acts he performed fifty years earlier?
1. Drew Dennis Dix
2. Sammy L. Davis
3. John L. Canley
4. Paul Bucha
John L. Canley
John Canley received the Medal of Honor in October of 2018 for his heroic actions in 1968 in the Vietnam War.
As of 2020, How many black four-star generals have served in the US military?
1. 8
2. 10
3. 9
4. 6
10
As of 2020, just 10 black men have ever gained four-star rank-- five in the Army; four in the Air Force and one in the Navy.
Who was the first black general in the Air Force?
1. Chesty Puller
2. Benjamin Oliver Davis, Jr
3. George Bush
4. Daniel “Chappie” James
Benjamin Oliver Davis, Jr
Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. was the first African American United States Air Force general and commander of the World War II Tuskegee Airmen.
What political position was held by Colin Powell, retired four star general, during the Bush administration?
1. Secretary of defense
2. Secretary of State
3. Attorney General
4. Speaker of the House
Secretary of State
Colin Powell, retired four-star general, served from 2001-2005 as the 65th Secretary of State under President George W. Bush.
Which is the first war in the U.S. in which African Americans fought as part of the military?
1. The Spanish American War
2. The Revolutionary War
3. The French and Indian War
4. The Civil War
The Revolutionary War
African Americans served the U.S. military in every war since and including the Revolutionary War.
What sheroic woman served in many capacities in the Union Army, including as a spy?
1. Harriet Tubman
2. Amanda Kelly
3. Cathay Williams
4. Isabella Baumfree
Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman, with her ability to arrange clandestine meetings, scout routes without drawing attention to herself and think on her feet, was able to serve as a spy for the Union Army; she even received $100.00 in Secret Service funds as compensation.
In what year was the US Military desegregated?
1. 1942
2. 1958
3. 1948
4. 1938
1948
The military was desegregated in 1948 with the passing of Executive order 9981 by President Harry S. Truman.
Which president of the United States, issued the executive order that officially ended segregation in the armed forces?
1. Franklin Delano Roosevelt
2. John F. Kennedy
3. Harry S Truman
4. Theodore Roosevelt
Harry S Truman
Signed by Harry S. Truman in 1948, Executive Order 9981, called for the abolishment of segregation throughout the armed services.
Approximately how many Black soldiers fought in World War II?
1. 16 million
2. 1 million
3. 5 million
4. 500,000
1 million
Among the 16 million U.S. soldiers who fought in World War II, approximately 1 million of them were African American.
Who was the first African American killed during a war on American soil?
1. Crispus Attucks
2. Denmark Vesey
3. Vernon Baker
4. John Brown
Crispus Attucks
Crispus Attucks is considered to be the first casualty of the American Revolution having been killed in the original skirmish, The Boston Massacre, 1770.
What year were the Buffalo Soldiers formed?
1. 1898
2. 1942
3. 1866
4. 1963
1866
African American regiments formed in 1866, in Fort Leavenworth KS, including the 24th and 25th Infantry, became known as Buffalo Soldiers.
Who was the 1st female pilot in the Armed Forces?
1. Vernice Armour
2. Bessie Coleman
3. Sarah Deal
4. Cathay Williams
Vernice Armour
Vernice Armour, a former United States Marine Corps officer, was the first African American female naval aviator in the Marine Corps and the first African American female combat pilot in the U.S. Armed Forces. She flew her first mission in 2003
What film featured the 54th Union regiment composed of African-American soldiers and starred Denzel Washington?
1. "A Soldier Story"
2. "Glory"
3. "The Tuskegee Airmen"
4. "Mutiny"
"Glory"
Glory is the 1989 film, starring Denzel Washington, about the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, the Union Army's second African-American regiment in the American Civil War.
Which of the following was NOT a name given to one of the most renowned units of African American combat troops, the highly decorated 369th Infantry Regiment (15th New York National Guard Regimen)?
1. Rainbow Division
2. Men of Bronze
3. Harlem Hellfighters
4. Black Rattlers
Rainbow Division
Most popularly known as the Harlem Hellfighter, the 369th Infantry Regiment was never known as the Rainbow Division. In fact, this 15th New York National Guard Regimen, was refused permission to participate in the farewell parade of New York’s National Guard, known as the “Rainbow Division,” because “black is not a color in the rainbow.”
When Abraham Lincoln issued the first Medals of Honor during the Civil War, how many African Americans were awarded Medals?
1. 1
2. 16
3. 21
4. 25
25
Twenty-five African Americans earned the Medal of Honor during the Civil War, including seven sailors of the Union Navy, fifteen soldiers of the United States Colored Troops, and three soldiers of other Army units.
