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ARMY SETS ASIDE CONVICTIONS OF 110 BLACK SOLDIERS CONVICTED IN 1917 HOUSTON
RIOTS

By U.S. Army Public AffairsNovember 13, 2023

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WASHINGTON — Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth has approved the
recommendation of the Army Board for Correction of Military Records to set aside
the courts-martial convictions of the 110 Black Soldiers of the 3rd Battalion,
24th Infantry Regiment (also known as the Buffalo Soldiers), who were convicted
following the World War I-era Houston Riots. The records of these Soldiers will
be corrected, to the extent possible, to characterize their military service as
honorable.

"After a thorough review, the Board has found that these Soldiers were wrongly
treated because of their race and were not given fair trials," said Wormuth. "By
setting aside their convictions and granting honorable discharges, the Army is
acknowledging past mistakes and setting the record straight."

The Houston Riots took place on Aug. 23, 1917 following months of racial
provocations against members of the 24th — including the violent arrest and
assault of two Black Soldiers. Following the assaults, and amid rumors of
additional threats to Soldiers, a group of more than 100 Black Soldiers seized
weapons and marched into the city where clashes erupted. The violence left 19
people dead.

In the months that followed, the Army convicted 110 Soldiers in a process that
was, according to historians, characterized by numerous irregularities.
Ultimately, nineteen men were executed in the largest mass execution of American
Soldiers by the U.S. Army. The first set of executions occurred in secrecy and
within a day of sentencing, leading the Army to implement an immediate
regulatory change which prohibited future executions without review by the War
Department and the President.

In October 2020 and December 2021, the South Texas College of Law petitioned the
Army requesting a review of the courts-martial. Shortly after, the Army received
petitions from retired general officers requesting clemency for all 110
Soldiers.

“As a Texas native, I was grateful to participate in this process early in my
tenure at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, and I am proud that
the Army has now formally restored honor to Soldiers of the 3-24 and their
families,” Under Secretary of the Army Gabe Camarillo said. “We cannot change
the past; however, this decision provides the Army and the American people an
opportunity to learn from this difficult moment in our history.”

The Secretary of the Army asked the Army Board for Correction of Military
Records to review records pertaining to these court-martial cases and to provide
recommendations about the appropriateness of each individual conviction. After
careful review, board members adjudicated each case and found that significant
deficiencies permeated the cases. These deficiencies led the Army Board for
Correction of Military Records to acknowledge that the proceedings were
fundamentally unfair. The board members unanimously recommended all convictions
be set aside and that, to the extent possible, the Soldiers’ military service be
characterized as "honorable."

“With the support of our experts, our dedicated Board members looked at each
record carefully and came up with our best advice to Army leaders to correct a
miscarriage of justice,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Review
Boards Michael Mahoney, who oversaw the review. “We’re proud of the hard work we
did to make things right in this case.”

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has been deeply involved as this case
has unfolded and is prepared to assist any family members upon receipt of the
corrected records.

Relatives of the Soldiers may be entitled to benefits. Instructions for applying
to the Army Board for Correction of Military Records can be found at
https://arba.army.pentagon.mil/abcmr-app.html. Family members may apply online
at https://arba.army.pentagon.mil/online-application.html or submit a DD Form
149, Application for Correction of Military Record by mail to: Army Review
Boards Agency (ARBA), 251 18th Street South, Suite 385, Arlington, VA
22202-3531. Applications should include documentation to prove a relationship to
one of the 110 formerly convicted Soldiers.

Family members or other interested parties may request a copy of the corrected
records from the National Archives and Records Administration, in accordance
with NARA Archival Records Request procedures found at:
https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records.

For more information about these corrections, please contact the Army Review
Board Agency at: army.arbainquiry@army.mil.

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