Overcoming adversity

Photo By Airman Collin Schmidt | Henry Ossian Flipper was commissioned an Army lieutenant after his graduation from West Point in 1873. Flipper was then assigned to the 10th Cavalry at Fort Sill, Okla., and later became the Assistant Commissary of Subsistence at Fort Davis, Texas. Flipper is widely remembered as the first African-American to graduate from the U.S. Military Academy. (Courtesy photo)  

MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, MT, UNITED STATES

02.05.2016

Story by Airman Collin Schmidt 

341st Missile Wing

MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. - African-American History Month is a time to reflect on the trials and triumphs of African-Americans across the nation and a time to celebrate the achievements of those who have played a central role in the fight for equality.

Among the men and women who have fought this fight there are many famous names, but there are many more who have fought just as hard and their stories have been lost to the tides of time. This is a call to remember those names that have been lost to obscurity and a call to further explore black history.

Born a slave in Thomasville, Georgia, in 1856, Henry O. Flipper would go on to lead a life of trials and triumphs. Through adversity and with racism being an accepted nuance of society at the time, he would fight his way to becoming the first African-American to graduate from the prestigious West Point Military Academy and continue on to serve in the U.S. Army.

When Flipper entered West Point in 1873, he was the fifth African-American to enter the academy. The four others had all previously been forced to leave. Although nearly 180,000 black soldiers had courageously fought for the Union during the Civil War, white society still persisted in believing that black troops could only function effectively under the command of white officers.

Though Flipper stated that his instructors had always treated him fairly, his peers had ostracized him and left him to pursue his education as an outcast. Nonetheless, even with this adversity, Flipper graduated on schedule and placed 50th in a class of 76.

“Flipper was initially assigned to the 10th Cavalry at Fort Sill, Oklahoma,” said Peter Skirbunt, Defense Commissary Agency historian. “The 10th was one of two famous all-black cavalry regiments in the Army – the other was the 9th Cavalry – known as the Buffalo Soldiers.

“Within the Army and among the Indians, the Buffalo Soldiers were widely acknowledged to be among the finest soldiers in the service,” he continued. “It was not until 1948 – after World War II – that the armed forces would be desegregated.”

After two years at Fort Sill, Flipper was assigned as assistant commissary officer at Fort Davis, Texas. Today the title is equivalent to deputy store director store manager.

Even with Flippers loyal service, in 1881, the commanding officer at Fort Davis accused Flipper of stealing $3,800 in commissary money. He was brought before a general court-martial, which found him not guilty of theft but did convict him of conduct unbecoming of an officer. The reason for the conviction was due to his commanding officer’s assertion he had been lied to about commissary accounts.

“Over the years, many historians have dissected Flipper’s case and found no logical motive for his alleged lies,” said Skirbunt. “Still, his conviction contributed to the segregationist sentiment and ‘Jim Crow’ legal restrictions that were common in the United States in the late 19th century, when African-Americans were routinely denied positions of responsibility or advancement in countless professions.”

Regardless of the outcome of a biased court-martial, he still went on to lead an extraordinary life.

In 1890, Flipper opened his own land-surveying firm. Through this company he surveyed the boundaries of several Western states and Latin American republics. In 1901, he became the editor of the Nogales (Arizona) Sunday Herald and had also been a special agent for the Department of Justice’s Court of Private Land Claims from 1893 to 1910.

With his success in the private sector he attempted to clear his name. In 1898, he made his first attempt but ended in failure.

For years he tried with no success to have his name cleared. Upon his death in 1940, his family took up the fight.

“In December 1976, thanks to the efforts of his living relatives, the Army reversed the decision of the 1882 court, holding Flipper had been convicted because of racism and the desire to remove him from the officers’ rolls,” said Skirbunt. “The Army changed the terms of Flipper’s discharge from dishonorable to honorable.”

Following Flippers exoneration, his remains were reburied in Thomasville with full military honors.

President Bill Clinton issued an official pardon to Flipper during a White House ceremony Feb. 19, 1999. With this pardon, the 117-year-old fight had been won.

• Date Taken: 02.05.2016
• Date Posted: 02.05.2016 17:06
• Story ID: 188076
• Location: MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, MT, US
• Hometown: GREAT FALLS, MT, US