This is a photo of the Main Post Chapel on Fort Sam Houston, a place of worship for all denominations, the site of baptisms, weddings, and funerals. Few realize, however, that the largest court martial in U.S. history took place in its basement. This is where 118 soldiers of the all-Black 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, often referred to as Buffalo Soldiers, were tried and convicted of mutiny, willful disobedience to orders, murder and assault in connection with the Houston Riot of 1917. Eight were exonerated of the charges. Those found guilty received a dishonorable discharge and various sentences; nineteen were executed by hanging. Two of the executed soldiers’ remains were eventually returned to their families. Seventeen sat in unmarked graves for twenty years before being exhumed and moved to their current location within the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.
As previously documented in my November 20, 2023 blog entry, Random Thoughts on Justice and Peace, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth set aside those convictions, acknowledging that the soldiers’ guilt had never been established and they did not get a fair trial. Their service records were changed to reflect that they had served honorably.
On February 22, 2024, a final symbolic step in righting the injustices to all those wrongfully convicted took place. The seventeen soldiers interred at Fort Sam Houston received new headstones. Previously those markers listed only their names and dates of death. They now reflect rank, unit, and service record. By holding itself accountable and making these changes, the U.S. Army admitted that it had acted in its own self-interest, ignoring the race issues that had precipitated the riot as well as the shortcomings in its legal system that denied the Buffalo Soldiers a presumption of innocence. Justice denied in 1917, after almost 107 years, eventually prevailed.
“Today, we right the wrongs of the past and honor the service of these soldiers who served our country with honor. The new headstones represent the Army’s full commitment to helping correct the injustice of that era.”
Matthew Quinn, Veterans Affairs Undersecretary of Memorial Affairs
Life is History 