The black American military history receives its correct recognition, thanks to the efforts specified by the Kappa Alpha Psi Brothher Don North (PI Chapter, 1975). On June 14, 2025, a new historical mark will be revealed in Iowa, where the temporary Negro officers training school for the temporary army stood, to honor more than 1,200 black men who trained there during World War I to become US military officers. Many of these men were not only pioneers in military service, but were also members of the Black Greek organizations that formed the twentieth century and some were even the founders of those organizations.
North, a retired teacher and emotional military historian, description of Iowa Radio General The moment when a documentary film was discovered on Fort de Mosin that he “sent God”. With a passion for life, army, and horses, he was forced to dig deeper into the importance of the site. What he found is a story that deserves to be told and remembered.
In 1917, Fort Des Moines became the first and only training camp for African American officers during World War I. Men who trained there are not only limited to their country; They were fighting for the right to drive. Among those assigned to Elder Watson Diggs, founder of Kappa Alpha Psi; Edgar Amos Loew and Frank Coleman, the founders of Omega Psi Phi; Charles H. Houston, a member of Alpha Fi Alpha, will later become the legal architect behind the NAACP campaign to dismantle the separation; Handard d. Quinn, brother of Fai Beta Sigma and Boufalo soldier. Their stories are not only talking about military excellence, but also talks about the transformational leadership planted within the black brotherhood.
The historical mark that is installed in Fort Des Moines aims to permanently honor their legacy. This is the first official public recognition of these officers and their contributions – and it is now a silence that is replaced by a memory. The project, which is participating in its sponsorship of the Di Mine branch in NAACP and the historical association of the state in Iowa, will ensure that this date is no longer hidden in the footnotes or archives, but it is engraved in the scene of the nation.
Fort de Main’s legacy does not end with the First World War. During World War II, it was a training site for the Women Army weapon (WAAC), where 40 black women – both – were trained in itself – on military service. Among them is a charity Adams, a proud member of Delta Sigma Theet Sorryity, Inc. , Who became the first black woman assigned as a Waac officer and eventually rose to the rank of first lieutenant. Her story, along with the story of five other black women who trained in Fort de Mosin, appeared in Netflix in Tyler Perry, The three of the three. Adams served with discrimination, as the only black battalion led women abroad during World War II.
Hariett Waddy, another leader in Waac, joined her, urged other black women to recruit – even in the face of the chapter – their service index was a decisive step towards achieving the true promise of American democracy.
“You, comrades, are like the cradle of maternity army officers, there is in De Mine,” Iowa Radio General. Not only did this cradle produce the soldiers, but the brothers and sisters – the most prominent Americans belonging to organizations rooted in service, scholarships and community leadership. To date, their presence in Fort de Moen was not largely unrecognized. This new brand clarifies the matter: black distinction, black military leadership, and black -black life have always been linked.
With the unveiling of June 14, 2025, the Fort Des Moines and the Nine Divine members who walked at home – are not just like military history, but as a vital part of the black American story.
