Governor Proclaims African American Military and Veterans Lineage Day 2024

WHEREAS, each February during National Black History Month, we remember the African American military service members who came before us and honor those who continue to serve in our nation's armed forces; and

WHEREAS, North Carolina's African American community has shouldered an enormous share of the burden of battle in numerous American military engagements, donning our nation's military uniforms to answer the call of duty; and

WHEREAS, we remember soldiers like Captain Frederick C. Branch from Hamlet, a Montford Point Marine and the first African American Commissioned Officer in the United States Marine Corps; Lieutenant William McBryar from Elizabethtown, the second African American from North Carolina to be awarded the Medal of Honor; Technical Sergeant John Davis (JD) Lewis from Raleigh, a Montford Point Marine and the first African American broadcaster for WRAL and North Carolina; Gunnery Sergeant Francis Marion Hooper, Jr. from Laurinburg, a Montford Point Marine and Congressional Gold Medal recipient; and Gunnery Sergeant Robert Lee Thomas from Durham, a Montford Point Marine and a Congressional Gold Medal recipient; and

WHEREAS, these and many other African Americans from North Carolina have triumphed over oppression and injustice to make contributions, to our state's military history and to American history, and their stories deserve to be told; and

WHEREAS, in 2019, the North Carolina Department of Military and Veteran Affairs joined forces with the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, the North Carolina State Archives, the North Carolina Museum of History, and the North Carolina Humanities Council to collect and amplify these stories as part of the African American Military and Veterans Lineage Project; and

WHEREAS, the service and sacrifice of these brave individuals continues to impact us today, and the State of North Carolina is proud to recognize these heroes as our own; and

WHEREAS, hawse are grateful to these individuals who served with honor and distinction bringing credit to themselves, their respective branch of service, and the great State of North Carolina;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROY COOPER, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim February 22, 2024, as “AFRICAN AMERICAN MILITARY AND VETERANS LINEAGE DAY” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.