Corporal Clarence Roland Van Allen (July 28, 1883-November 29, 1964) was a war hero from the 372nd Infantry Regiment, an all Black unit that fought with honor in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. For his bravery under fire, he won the

Médaille militaire The ''Médaille militaire'' (, "Military Medal") is a military decoration of the French Republic for other ranks for meritorious service and acts of bravery in action against an enemy force. It is the third highest award of the French Republic, ...

, one of a few Americans to do so.

372nd Infantry Regiment

The U.S. armed forces remained segregated through

. Still, many African Americans volunteered to join the

Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...

cause following America's entry into the war. By the time of the

armistice with Germany {{Short description, none This is a list of armistices signed by the German Empire (1871–1918) or Nazi Germany (1933–1945). An armistice is a temporary agreement to cease hostilities. The period of an armistice may be used to negotiate a peace t ...

on November 11, 1918, over 350,000 African Americans had served with the American Expeditionary Force on the Western Front. One of these all Black units was the 372nd Infantry Regiment which was organized in January 1918 at Camp Stewart, Virginia and initially moved to France in March 1918. The American high command did not know what to do with these segregated units and so allowed the French to integrate them on their Front lines. The 372nd Infantry was seconded, along with the 371st Infantry Regiment, to the 157th Infantry Division of the French Army, called the "Red Hand Division". Under the command of General

Mariano Goybet Mariano Francisco Julio Goybet (17 August 1861 – 29 September 1943) was a French Army general, who held several commands in World War I. Family His family is an old family from Savoy in France. Its members were notaries, merchants, mayors, cap ...

, the division was in need of reinforcements. During the fighting on the Western Front in the

Champagne region The wine region within the historical province of Champagne in the northeast of France is best known for the production of champagne, the sparkling white wine that bears the region's name. EU law and the laws of most countries reserve the term ...

, this division was in the French IX Corps of the French 4th Army. After fighting in the Champagne–Marne region (28 September-7 October 1918) and the Meuse–Argonne offensive, the regiment moved to the

Vosges The Vosges ( , ; ; Franconian and ) is a range of medium mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single geomorphological unit and ...

Mountains area of the front. The regiment returned to the United States in February 1919, and was demobilized 28 February 1919 at Camp Jackson, South Carolina.

Front lines

While under fire Corporal Clarence Van Allen, of the 372nd Infantry, charged a German machine gun nest by himself, killing four of its crew and taking a further three Germans prisoner. For these actions he was awarded the

. An Arizona newspaper, the Phoenix Tribune, wrote that Allen was the first US soldier to receive the award. When he arrived in Boston a large group turned out to honor him.

Bibliography

Notes References * * * - Total pages: 244 * - Total pages: 511 * - Total pages: 547 United States Army soldiers African Americans in World War I Recipients of the Médaille militaire (France) United States Army personnel of World War I Military personnel from Boston African-American United States Army personnel {{US-army-World-War-I-bio-stub