American Notes

On Sept. 28, 1918, Corporal Freddie Stowers led a squad from Company C of the all-black 371st Infantry Regiment against a German unit dug into a hill in France. After a brief fight, the Germans appeared to surrender but suddenly blasted Stowers' men with machine-gun fire and mortar rounds, killing nearly half of Company C. Mortally wounded, Stowers, a 21-year-old South Carolina farmer, urged his men on to victory until he died. His commanding officer recommended Stowers for the Medal of Honor, but for 73 years he received no medal at all.

Although a handful of black soldiers have been awarded the Medal of Honor since 1863, questions about possible bias have been raised in Congress. Last week President Bush named Corporal Stowers as the first black soldier to receive the Medal of Honor for service in World War I or II. The medal is the nation's highest award for valor. "He fought not for glory," said Bush as he presented the award to Stowers' sisters, "but for a cause larger than himself -- the cause of liberty."