Page 8 - Black History Month 2021 - Combined Special Edition of Aerotech News and Review Nellis AFB Creech AFB Desert Lightning News

Medal of Honor Winner: Army Maj. Charles L. Thomas

by Katie Lange task force. Cross. He was promoted to captain in ommendations were made to the Pen-
DOD News As Thomas’ scout car reached high February 1945. The 3rd platoon was tagon’s Board of Generals to upgrade
ground southeast of the village, the awarded the Distinguished Unit Cita- the medals of seven soldiers from that
During World War II, more than a enemy attacked. Artillery and other tion, making it the first unit attached era. Congress had to authorize a statute
million Black men served in the U.S. gunfire from about 700 yards away to the 103rd Division — and the first of limitations waiver so the men, in-
military; however, not one of them re- slammed into the vehicle, disabling black combat unit — to earn that honor. cluding Thomas, could be recognized.
ceived the Medal of Honor during the the car and severely wounding Thomas, Thomas stayed in the Army for On Jan. 13, 1997 — more than
war or directly afterward. who immediately signaled for the col- about two more years before leaving 50 years after the battle in Climbach
Decades later, when a review called umn behind him to stop. in August 1947 to return to civilian life.
that discrepancy into question, Army As he tried to help his comrades get He married and had two children. His — Sarah Johnson, Thomas’ niece, ac-
Maj. Charles L. Thomas posthumously to safety, Thomas was exposed to en- family returned to Michigan, where cepted the Medal of Honor on his be-
became one of the first Black men from emy machine gun fire, which hit him Thomas worked as a missile techni- half from President Bill Clinton during
that era to receive the nation’s highest multiple times in the chest, legs and left cian at Selfridge Air Force Base (now a White House ceremony.
medal for valor. arm. Despite the intense pain, Thomas Selfridge Air National Guard Base) Five other soldiers posthumously
Thomas was born on April 17, 1920, was still able to order the column’s before joining the IRS as a computer received the same upgrade during that
in Birmingham, Ala., and he grew up first two M-5 anti-tank guns into place programmer. ceremony: Staff Sgt. Edward A. Carter
in Detroit. He graduated from high Army photograph and direct their fire back at the enemy Thomas died of cancer on Feb. 15, Jr., 1st Lt. John R. Fox, Pfc. Willy
school in 1938 and went to work with Army Capt. Charles L. Thomas, within a few minutes. 1980, in Wayne, Mich. He is buried James Jr., Staff Sgt. Ruben Rivers and
his father as a molder at a Ford Mo- Medal of Honor recipient, in his Army Thomas knew his injuries were so there in Westlawn Cemetery. Pvt. George Watson. First Lt. Vernon
tor Company plant. He’d also enrolled uniform. bad that he wouldn’t be able to stay in Baker was the only man to receive the
in Wayne State University to study command, so he signaled for the pla- A Belated Honor honor in person.
mechanical engineering, but then the Thomas was the commanding officer toon commander to join him. Thomas In the 1990s, the Army ordered a
war began, and he was drafted into the of Company C. The company’s 3rd pla- proceeded to get that man up to speed study on racial disparities during World Today, we thank these brave men for
Army on Jan. 20, 1942. toon was chosen to be the lead element on the enemy’s gun positions, the War II. It found there were Black ser- their sacrifices and are grateful their ac-
Thomas started his military career in of a task force that had been formed to platoon’s ammunition status and the vice members whose actions were tions were finally met with the honor
the infantry, but he was quickly cho- storm and capture the village of Clim- general situation. He refused to be worthy of the Medal of Honor. Rec- they deserved.
sen to attend officer training school. He bach, France. evacuated until he felt sure the junior An M5
was commissioned as a second lieuten- officer would be able to take command gun
ant on March 11, 1943, then assigned Drawing Out the Enemy successfully. crew in
to Company C of the 614th Tank De- There had been no reconnaissance of Thomas’ personal courage and grasp action in
stroyer Battalion. the area, so little was known about the of the situation led the 3rd platoon to France
His unit arrived in England in Sep- enemy at that position. Thomas knew it triumph over the enemy that day, de- in 1944.
tember 1944 and eventually joined would be an extremely dangerous mis- spite losing more than half of its men
Gen. George Patton’s 3rd Army in sion, so he volunteered to command the to injury or death. The platoon helped
France, first seeing combat toward the platoon and ride in the column’s lead the task force capture Climbach and
end of November 1944. The battalion vehicle, an M-20 scout car. According push enemy troops back to the Sieg-
was attached to the 103rd Infantry to his Medal of Honor citation, Thomas fried Line.
Division when a 24-year-old Thomas assumed the village had a concentra- Thomas was taken off the front
performed the heroics that would put tion of enemy armored vehicles, and he lines. After recuperating from his
him in the history books. wanted to draw the enemy’s first strike many wounds, he returned home and
On Dec. 14, 1944, then-1st Lt. toward him instead of the rest of the was awarded the Distinguished Service Army photograph
AIAA honors Martin Luther King Jr.

by Larry Grooms technology research. der, immigration, culture and lifestyle. And even as today’s Civil
special to Aerotech News • Alan Chan, a native of Malaysia, Chan is a Visual Effects In- Rights Movement expresses a unified stand on broad philosophical
dustry writer, director and special effects designer, having worked questions, there are enough differences in the needs, wants and
On the weekend commemorating the birth of Martin Luther 29 years in motion pictures, including Titanic and Lord of the priorities to deter one size fits all remedies.
King Jr., the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics/ Rings. Technology industries, and especially defense and aerospace
Los Angeles-Las Vegas Section convened a three-hour online Each panelist offered a personal perspective on experiences, organizations, are traditionally and functionally bound by conser-
reflection on how far minority opportunities in aerospace and observations, theories and feelings about matters of equality, dis- vative regulations and security issues.
science have come in the 57 years since King’s “I Have a Dream” crimination, counterproductive management practices and human Evans, who said she wanted to privately retain her transgender
speech, and what they believe remains to be done. relations in the workplace. female personality while visibly serving outwardly as a career Air
Opening with an adopted theme from the biographical book Setting the stage for the roundtable was Shelby Jacobs, who Force officer, was denied any chance of promotion by unsubstanti-
and movie Hidden Figures, which tells of black American women recalled the words bluntly spoken by his William S. Hart High ated gossip spread by rivals. She said leaving the service permit-
mathematicians who made pivotal calculations at NASA during School principal on the day senior honors student Jacobs told the ted her to become outwardly the person she inwardly wanted to
the Space Race of the 1960s, the AIAA assembled a panel cover- principal he wanted to be an aerospace engineer. Jacobs said the be — changing her life for the better and allowing her to finish
ing a wide spectrum of diversity. administrator’s five-word reply — ‘there are no black engineers,’ writing her bestselling book. Never-the-less, she said attitudes are
Las Vegas Pastor Marlin J. Ivy, an Air Force veteran of Desert hit him “like a moment of divine intervention.” From that moment changing, and she believes the military may accommodate gender-
Storm and Desert Shield, served as moderator and speaker for a forward, Jacobs was stimulated and motivated to overcome every fluid persons.
panel also consisting of: obstacle by understanding that he was being underestimated by Responding to discussion about how far, fast and aggressively
• Shelby Jacobs, Black NASA aerospace engineer who adapted people whose ignorant misperceptions undervalued his capabili- to expand the envelope for the civil rights movement, Evans cited
a camera system to record visually iconic and mission-critical ties. He said his epiphany in the struggle for civil rights came at Dr. King’s words that love is the only force for transforming an
proof of clean separation when the Saturn booster fell away from around the same time followers of United Farm Workers Union enemy into a friend.
Apollo VI, clearing the way for the Apollo XI moon landing. leader Caesar Chavez began chanting “Si se puede” (Yes, we can.) Kumar, reminding peers that he grew up in one of the world’s
• Victor L. Cook, Black Air Force veteran and aviation in- At the time he began work at North American Aviation, Jacobs largest cultures historically based on discriminatory class distinc-
dustry specialist in quality control, and aircraft maintenance said he was barely aware of NASA’s role in the space race. But tions, urged that equality be advanced for all people, regardless of
technology. when he was offered the chance to adapt the camera to function on background, rather than be restricted to certain groups. He advised,
• Dr. Kristeen Puraja-Navarro, research scientist specializing the Saturn booster for the Apollo, “it was a one-shot deal.” He add- “Hold yourselves to a higher standard in diversity of thought and
in Alzheimer’s disease, who immigrated from the Philippines ed, “I was self-confident enough to really do it ... too stupid to opinion.”
at age 15. know I couldn’t do it. So, take the chance. Go ahead and do it.” On the question of institutionalized biases built into the systems
• Michelle Evans, author of The X-15 Rocket Plane, Flying Thinking about racial relations in the 1950s, Jacobs said “the for job qualifications, performance evaluation and promotion, Ku-
the First Wings into Space, former Air Force officer and found- Space Program was significantly ahead of our social progress. We mar said he believes the whole business of not being qualified for
ing president of Mach 25 Media; AIAA Distinguished Lecturer & beat the Russians because NASA put our best team forward,” and certain jobs “has some shading.”
LGBTQ activist. that progress rallied the country in rising to fulfill Dr. King’s call Chan said many built-in biases are often not recognized by those
• Santosh Kumar, a native of India, civil airman and member of for equality for all Americans, regardless of race, color or creed. holding them, and “it will take time to sort them out.” He said, “It’s
SCAUWG, Southern California Pilots Association and the Long As reflected in the faces and thoughts of those contributing to important to recognize our pre-biases.”
Beach Airport Association. the MLK Day webinar, today’s civil rights movement is culturally, Pastor Ivy observed near the end of discussion on ideas to ad-
• Douglas Ikemi, with 39 years of aerospace industry engineer- socially and politically wider and more diverse than the movement vance equality in economic sectors where the rules are set by the
ing experience, Ikemi is of Japanese ancestry, educated at Harvey of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. It isn’t only about racial discrimi- people in charge, “I’m only seeing minorities here. The people in
Mudd College and CalTech. He is currently engaged in thermal nation anymore. The conversation now involves issues of gen- charge are not here.”
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