Photographic postcard of Cpl. Lawrence Leslie McVey in uniform

Object Details

Photograph by

Alfred Phillip Mighell, English American, 1878 - 1943

Subject of

Cpl. Lawrence Leslie McVey, Sr., American, 1897 - 1968

369th Infantry Regiment, American, 1913 - 1945

Caption

The 369th United States Infantry, nicknamed the “Harlem Hellfighters,” was the first African American regiment of troops to reach the battlefields of World War I. The 369th Regiment was formed from the 15th New York National Guard Regiment and was recognized as part of the U.S. Army on July 15th, 1917. The regiment arrived in Brest, France on January 1st, 1918, being the first African American U.S. soldiers to arrive in France and initially assigned to dam building and stevedores in charge of loading and unloading cargo. The 369th Regiment, due to racial tension within the US Army was assigned to the French Army for the duration of US involvement in WWI. The 369th were the first Allied troops of the war 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. The entire 369th Regiment, in appreciation for their actions in the Maison-en-Champagne campaign, was given the Croix de Guerre, a medal awarded 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.

Description

A photographic postcard of Lawrence McVey in uniform posing at attention. The word [HERO] is inscribed in pencil on the top right corner. On the reverse, there is adhesive residue and a piece of Scotch tape. In pencil, the inscription [Lawrence in World / War one.].

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Gina R. McVey, Granddaughter

1914 - 1918

Object number

2011.108.17

Restrictions & Rights

Public domain

Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.

Type

gelatin silver prints

portraits

photographic postcards

Medium

silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper, with ink on paper

Dimensions

H x W: 5 7/16 x 3 7/16 in. (13.8 x 8.7 cm)

See more items in

National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

Classification

Photographs and Still Images

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Topic

African American

Military

Photography

World War I

Record ID

nmaahc_2011.108.17

Metadata Usage (text)

CC0

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd57e657968-76ae-4c31-942b-190833f65ced