Illinois Park Named After National Guard African-American War Hero [Image 8 of 9]

SPRINGFIELD, IL, UNITED STATES

06.22.2021

Photo by Lt. Col. Bradford Leighton 

Joint Force Headquarters - Illinois National Guard Public Affairs

Illinois Army National Guard Col. Maurice Rochelle, the Deputy Chief of the Illinois National Guard Joint Staff, poses for photos following the naming of a Springfield, Illinois park after Col. Otis B. Duncan of the Illinois National Guard's famed "Fighting" 8th Infantry Regiment. Duncan was the highest ranking African-American officer to serve overseas during World War I. Because of institutional racism in the U.S. Army during World War I, Duncan and his fellow African-American Soldiers fought under the French. The 8th Infantry, re-designated the 370th Infantry Regiment during the war, was the only African-American combat unit commanded by African-American officers. Duncan was awarded the Purple Heart and the French Croix de Guerre for gallantry in action. The Springfield (Illinois) Park District named a park in his honor and cut the ribbon on the re-dedicated park on June 22. Duncan was from a prominent Springfield family and the Col. Otis B. Duncan Park is about a half-mile from the Illinois National Guard headquarters at Camp Lincoln, where Col. Duncan often trained. (U.S. Army photo by Lt. Col. Brad Leighton, Illinois National Guard Public Affairs Office.)

• Date Taken: 06.22.2021
• Date Posted: 06.24.2021 00:24
• Photo ID: 6706264
• VIRIN: 210622-A-OH563-798
• Resolution: 5589x4639
• Size: 4.3 MB
• Location: SPRINGFIELD, IL, US