A few months ago I was speaking with an archivist at an Army museum who told me flatly, "There were no black men at D-Day."
I had just explained to him that I'd spent six years researching and writing the story of D-Day's only African-American combat unit.
The belief is pervasive that there were no soldiers of color on the beaches of France on one of the most important days of World War II. None of the many films made about D-Day like "Saving Private Ryan" show black soldiers storming Omaha Beach. Most history books don't mention them.
It is a sore point among black veterans.
But they were there, landing under brutal fire early on June 6, 1944. The men of the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion were packed tight with infantry troops aboard small metal boats that motored toward the Normandy coast obscured by smoke and fire. It was a harrowing ride, and even worse when they landed as early as 9 a.m.
[excerpted]
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/remembering-d-day-s-african-american-soldiers-veterans-day-n682016
