December holds several key moments in African American military history including the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, which brought widespread attention to the heroism of Doris Miller. Other events include the 1862 anticipation of the Emancipation Proclamation, the execution of 13 Black soldiers in Houston in 1917, the deployment of the all-Black 758th Tank Battalion to Italy in 1944, and the graduation of the first African American female naval officers in 1944.

Pearl Harbor and World War II

December 7, 1941: During the attack on Pearl Harbor, Doris "Dorie" Miller, a mess attendant aboard the USS West Virginia, helped save his fellow sailors and manned a machine gun against Japanese planes. He would later become the first African American to receive the Navy Cross.

December 1944: African American soldiers fought alongside white soldiers in integrated units for the first time during the Battle of the Bulge.

December 1944: The 758th Tank Battalion arrived in Italy to fight with the 92nd Division, a unit that included many African American soldiers.

December 26, 1944: Harriet Pickens and Frances Wills graduated from Naval Reserve Midshipmen's School, becoming the first African American female officers in the U.S. Navy.

Other significant events

December 31, 1862: Enslaved and free African Americans across the country awaited the passage of the Emancipation Proclamation, which would be signed the next day.

December 11, 1917: Thirteen Black soldiers from the Texas-based 24th Infantry Regiment were executed following the Houston Riot, in which 13 soldiers, four policemen, and 12 civilians were killed.

December 6, 1916: Powhatan Beaty, a Civil War soldier, died. He received the Medal of Honor for taking command of his company and leading them after all officers were killed or wounded at the Battle of Chaffin's Farm.

December 9, 1908: William Harvey Carney died. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery in saving the regimental colors at the Battle of Fort Wagner during the Civil War, the first African American to receive the medal.

December 2021: Sergeant. Sergeant Elzie E. Cashe was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Iraq in 2003, making him the first Black recipient of the medal since the 9/11 attacks.