The United States entered World War One in April 1917. Patriotism struck deeply in North Omaha specifically and hundreds of Black men across the community entered the Army and Navy to fight in the war. This is a history of Omaha’s African American service members in World War 1.

Joining the “Great War”

Black men served in every U.S. war, starting with the Revolutionary War.

The so-called Great War started in 1914, and three years later the United States sent troops for the first time. Between May and July, 1917, more than 700,000 African Americans registered for military service in answer to the draft. According to the National Archives, over 380,000 African-American troops served in World War 1.

Black military members were allowed to serve in every branch of the Army except the Army Air Corps. They weren’t allowed to joined the Marines and only served low roles in the Navy.

More than eight-hundred African American soldiers from Omaha served in the U.S. Army 92nd Infantry Division, a segregated unit, while others served in the 93rd Infantry Division. Many of these soldiers were forced to serve in non-combat roles, including in the Services of Supply section of the American Expeditionary Forces. The main function of this section was to provide materials to other companies on the front. This happened because the American Expeditionary Forces was strictly segregated and refused to have Black men serve in combat.

There were exceptions though. Black soldiers from Omaha were among the front line fighters who fought in the 92nd and 93rd Infantry Divisions. Since the U.S. Army wouldn’t allow them to serve in battle, these divisions were assigned to the French Army. That included the 369th Infantry Regiment, known as the Harlem Hellfighters, and the 370th Infantry Regiment, who Germans called the “Black Devils.” The 370th was the only unit in World War 1 to be commanded by Black officers.

Black people were discriminated from others in the service, and their boot camps were segregated. Fort Des Moines in Iowa was the main place Black Omahans were sent.

In the middle of 1918, the Omaha Bee reported about the African Americans from the city who were fighting overseas. The newspaper also reported on the Black women who formed a Red Cross auxillary unit to make hospital garments and send them overseas, and the purchase of Liberty bonds and thrift stamps by Black consumers in Omaha.

Notable Omaha Black WWI Veterans

In 1917, more than 600 Black men were commissioned at Fort Des Moines as captains and lieutenants, including several men from Omaha.

Notable African Americans from North Omaha who were commissioned in World War One included Lieutenant Dr. W.W. Peebles (1888-1958), Lieutenant Harrison J. Pinkett (1882-1960), Lieutenant Dr. Aaron M. McMillan (1895-1980), Lieutenant Joseph Carr (1857-1924) and First Lieutenant Dr. Craig Morris. Others included Lieutenant Edward Turner (1884-1949), Lieutenant Will N. Johnson, Lieutenant Amos Madison (1883-1931), Lieutenant Andrew Reed, and Lieutenant John Bundrandt. Dr. Morris’s brother, Elmer Morris, was a pharmacist before the war who served as a sergeant, along with Sergeant E.W. Killingsworth.

After the War

Immediately before and after their return from Europe, The Monitor newspaper began running articles addressing fears about Black soldiers coming back from the war. In February 1919, Rev. Williams published an opinion piece addressing rumors about Black soldiers revolting in racist communities in the South. He proclaimed the veterans would not exact revenge or violently respond to discrimination or otherwise, but also asserted that discrimination must end and that the returning soldiers wouldn’t be inclined to sit aside and accept the fates of Jim Crow.

A Legacy

In 1918, Black veterans in North Omaha started an African American branch of the War Camp Community Service. Before World War One ended in November 1918, they helped launch a new national organization and transformed the War Camp Community Service branch into the community’s American Legion Post #30. Chartered by Congress in March 1919 as a patriotic veterans organization, the larger Omaha American Legion chapter immediately segregated Black members from white members.

First Lieutenant Dr. Amos Madison was a graduate of the Lincoln Institute and Meharry Medical College who practiced in North Omaha when he signed up. After attending Camp Dodge, he served with the 366th Infantry, 92nd Division. After the war he became the first commander of the Roosevelt American Legion Post. Along with Dr. Madison, Harrison Pinkett led the effort to establish this post.

On September 29, 1919, a group of these American Legion members formed a unit to protect the Near North Side from a rioting white mob after the lynching of Will Brown. Seemingly answering the call Rev. Williams issued, the veterans posed a significant deterrent to the racist mob headed towards their community. However, when active units from the US Army came to Omaha and established near-martial law, these men were disarmed and sent home.

The post stayed active until 2009, sponsoring community building events, scholarships and more for decades.

Remembering the Past

In 2025, its been more than 125 years since World War 1 ended. Of course, nobody alive in North Omaha today remembers the war and few commemorate the sacrifices that were made. The segregated American Legion post started by the veterans has been closed. However, that does not diminish the contributions and sacrifices Omaha’s African American made to the American effort to defend democracy and defeat fascism.

That should be remembered throughout the community today.

You Might Like…

• A History of Black Military Service Members in North Omaha
• A History of Black Military Service Members in North Omaha
• History of North Omaha’s American Legion Post #30
• The Harlem Renaissance in North Omaha

Elsewhere Online

• “African-American Participation During World War I” by the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs.