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Photographic postcard of Cpl. Lawrence Leslie McVey in uniform

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@ National Museum of African American History and Culture

Unidentified

Description

Due to racial tension within the US Army, the 369th Infantry Regiment was assigned to the French Army for the duration of US involvement in World War I. Formed from the 15th New York National Guard Regiment and nicknamed the "Harlem Hellfighters," the 369th was the first African American regiment to reach the battlefields of World War I and the first Allied troops to reach the banks of the Rhine. Upon completion of the 369th’s service in the war, the regiment had spent 191 days in combat, the longest of any American regiment. In appreciation for their actions in the Maison-en-Champagne campaign, the 369th was awarded the Croix de Guerre by the French Government for acts of bravery in conflicts against the enemy. In addition to this honor, 171 individual members of the 369th Regiment were awarded the Croix de Guerre and the Legion of Honor. The 369th Regiment finished their service in Europe and returned to the US in February 1919.A black-and-white photographic postcard of Corporal Lawrence McVey in uniform posing with a cane. McVey stands in the center of a studio with a backdrop of an open window overlooking a forest. He is leaning his proper right arm on a square column stand and holding his gloves and cane in his proper left hand. He is standing on a wooden floor. On the reverse is a handwritten message. Typed text on the horizontal side of the post card reads, [CARTE POSTALE / Correspondance / Adresse]. The handwritten note...
Type:
Image
Format:
Silver And Photographic Gelatin On Photographic Paper, With Graphite On Paper
Rights:
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Gina R. McVey, Granddaughter
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Record Contributed By

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Record Harvested From

Smithsonian Institution