Black Americans face discrimination during war service
by Eric Hooker, reporter

    Modern buffalo soldiers, so named for black Americans who served in the military during the settling of the West, spoke during SE Campus’ celebration of Veterans Day on their war experiences and the discrimination they faced.

    Maj. E.S. McDonald, a retired member of the 92nd black infantry in World War II, and Henry Hofsis, a veteran of the Korean War, described their military service.

    Because McDonald, his twin brother and his sister were the only blacks in Rochester, N.Y., he experienced some discrimination while attending school.

    After high school, he and his brother had a strong desire to attend glide school, but were not allowed to enroll, McDonald said.

    “They said blacks were not intelligent enough,” he said.

    In Brownsville, Texas, he and his battalion were spit on. After the bombing at Pearl Harbor, McDonald was shipped to Italy, along the border of Switzerland, under the command of Mark Clark.

    McDonald said firing ignited a hundred feet ahead of him. He tracked down the target with his BS scope, an instrument allowing him to see for a mile, and told his men to take cover. As a result, they lost only two men.

    Although he ducked, McDonald was grazed on the top of his head, but was not seriously injured. A white captain tried to take the credit for McDonald’s successful endeavor, but he failed.

    “I had 29 witnesses, he said

    The Italian government awarded 1,910 Purple Heart merits, and McDonald received one of them. His purple heart was for his courage and honor in rescuing his men.

    Hofsis was shipped out to Korea three and a half months after he was married. Hofsis said he was burdened with grief on leaving his pregnant wife to fight in the Korean War.

    Making it even harder to fight, communications were disconnected for an unknown reason, causing his wife to worry more.

    “The Korean War is often forgotten,” he said.

    “Did we win the Korean War?” a student asked.

    “Yes, we took the North Koreans out of South Korea,” he replied.
    Although Hofsis fought his enemies, he said he did not hate them. In an encounter with a North Korean child, he offered to give her food (tea biscuits).

    Her father said the child could have the biscuits under one condition—that he have dinner with the family. Hofsis accepted.

    The Korean War was a difficult time for Hofsis. During the war, he lost many friends. On one mission, he and the rest of his battalion had to climb up a hill, peaking 174 meters.

    “I knew for sure that I was going to die. Four men were killed in front of me,” he said.

    Taking a dramatic turn to keep from losing composure, Hofsis retreated.

    “I still have nightmares about climbing that hill and watching my friend die,” he said.

    Hofsis was wounded severely: both of his legs were broken, and his right knee was shattered. He said he still experiences chronic pain in his knee.

    After the war, Hofsis returned home to his 2-month-old son and wife.