Join Robert Child live on YouTube this Sunday at 4PM EST as he speaks with Rick Beyer and Chris Anderson on History Happy Hour about Immortal Valor.

Join Robert Child in February on Point of the Spear when he welcomes many outstanding guests including authors Katherine Pangonis, Queens of Jerusalem, and Paul Wooadge, Angels of Mercy. In addition and #1, NYT Bestselling author Mark Greaney will be here to talk about his new military thriller, Sierra Six. Also in February, we will be celebrating Black History Month and author Linda Hervieux will be here to talk about her book Forgotten: The Untold Story of D-Day’s Black Heroes, at Home and at War. It’s a jam-packed February on Point of the Spear.

TONIGHT...I hope you'll join Robert Child for a free online event at 7P EST on Facebook where I discuss my new book IMMORTAL VALOR. Click the link below to register. REGISTER HERE

This coming week I hope you'll join me for a free online event on Facebook featuring my brand new book, Immortal Valor, which came out on January 11th. Immortal Valor.

REGISTER AT THIS LINK

The remarkable story of the seven African American soldiers ultimately awarded the World War II Medal of Honor, and the 50-year campaign to deny them their recognition.

In 1945, when Congress began reviewing the record of the most conspicuous acts of courage by American soldiers during World War II, they recommended awarding the Medal of Honor to 432 recipients. Despite the fact that more than one million African-Americans served, not a single black soldier received the Medal of Honor. The omission remained on the record for over four decades.

But recent historical investigations have brought to light some of the extraordinary acts of valor performed by black soldiers during the war. Men like Vernon Baker, who single-handedly eliminated three enemy machineguns, an observation post, and a German dugout. Or Sergeant Reuben Rivers, who spearhead his tank unit's advance against fierce German resistance for three days despite being grievously wounded. Meanwhile Lieutenant Charles Thomas led his platoon to capture a strategically vital village on the Siegfried Line in 1944 despite losing half his men and suffering a number of wounds himself.

Ultimately, in 1993 a US Army commission determined that seven men, including Baker, Rivers and Thomas, had been denied the Army's highest award simply due to racial discrimination. In 1997, more than 50 years after the war, President Clinton finally awarded the Medal of Honor to these seven heroes, sadly all but one of them posthumously.

These are their stories. 

For my readers in the UK check out my article in the Jan-Feb issue of The American magazine about the fifty year struggle that Captain David Williams fought to secure the Medal of Honor for his black tank soldier, Ruben Rivers.

It is a true study in tenacity and Williams was able to attend the ceremony in Washington DC to see his life-long mission completed. The article is well-worth the read and I hope you check it out

Link to magazine.

Check out my article about Medal of Honor recipient, Edward Carter, and his long struggle to clear his name in this today's issue of the online magazine Aspects of History

Article Excerpt:

"His post WWII life was a story of discrimination, frustration, false accusations but ultimate redemption driven by the efforts of his tenacious daughter-in-law, Allene Carter. Edward Carter was a born soldier, it was his profession and first love, and his transition to civilian life was complicated. Discrimination after the war was widespread, and many black veterans had trouble securing employment, including Carter.

He applied but was turned down for a VA (Veterans Affairs) loan to launch a painting business and eventually landed as the Director of Public Relations for the Eastside Chamber of Commerce in Los Angeles. He became chairman of the Chamber’s Veterans Bureau and attempted to form an interracial veterans committee. He saw it as a way black and white veterans could work together to set an example to improve race relations. Unfortunately, the committee never got off the ground.

Frustrated, he returned to the life he knew best and reenlisted in the military. Carter was assigned to Camp Lee, Virginia, in the First Service Group, but it was only temporary. His combat experience was needed, and he became an instructor on loan from the Army in the California National Guard and transferred west to Sacramento. Carter served successfully at different posts across the state.

In the late 1940s, however, it came to light that he had been under investigation and surveillance by the Army Counterintelligence Corps (CIC) for suspected communist sympathies. The investigation stemmed from his service with the Abraham Lincoln Brigade in Spain during the Spanish Civil War."

Read the full Article at Aspects of History

Tomorrow...IMMORTAL VALOR published by Osprey Publishing releases in the USA. It has been an incredible journey writing this #WWII book and I hope you will check it out! HERE

The remarkable story of the seven African American soldiers ultimately awarded the World War II Medal of Honor, and the 50-year campaign to deny them their recognition.

In 1945, when Congress began reviewing the record of the most conspicuous acts of courage by American soldiers during World War II, they recommended awarding the Medal of Honor to 432 recipients. Despite the fact that more than one million African-Americans served, not a single black soldier received the Medal of Honor. The omission remained on the record for over four decades.

But recent historical investigations have brought to light some of the extraordinary acts of valor performed by black soldiers during the war. Men like Vernon Baker, who single-handedly eliminated three enemy machineguns, an observation post, and a German dugout. Or Sergeant Reuben Rivers, who spearhead his tank unit's advance against fierce German resistance for three days despite being grievously wounded. Meanwhile Lieutenant Charles Thomas led his platoon to capture a strategically vital village on the Siegfried Line in 1944 despite losing half his men and suffering a number of wounds himself.

Ultimately, in 1993 a US Army commission determined that seven men, including Baker, Rivers and Thomas, had been denied the Army's highest award simply due to racial discrimination. In 1997, more than 50 years after the war, President Clinton finally awarded the Medal of Honor to these seven heroes, sadly all but one of them posthumously.

These are their stories.

January kicks off Season Two of Point of the Spear and the focus is on the black Medal of Honor recipients of WWII to celebrate my book Immortal Valor, which comes out this month. We have authors coming to the program including Solace Wales and Allene Carter who have also written about the black Medal of Honor recipients. Later in the month we have another narrative special planned Weather and Warfare. Join us as we kick off Season Two of the podcast!

Join Robert Child for a conversation with author Frank van Lunteren. Frank was born and raised in Arnhem, the Netherlands. His interest in military history dates to the 1980’s, when as a child he first visited the Airborne Museum in Oosterbeek. He went on to study political history at the Radboud University in Nijmegen, while privately researching the exploits of American paratroopers. He’s written a trilogy of books about the 504th PIR with a 4th book planned in the spring.

Purchase this book and help support your local book store at the link below.

USA Shop

https://bookshop.org/lists/books-from-authors-on-point-of-the-spear-podcast

UK Shop

https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-from-authors-on-point-of-the-spear