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  • 2018-08-15 (xsd:date)
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  • Was William Harvey Carney the First Black Medal of Honor Recipient? (en)
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  • A Facebook page promoting support for President Donald Trump attempted to contrast the kneeling during the national anthem protests against racial injustice that some NFL players have engaged in with the real-life military heroics of U.S. Army Sgt. William Harvey Carney, who became the first African-American recipient of the Medal of Honor for his service against the Confederacy during the Civil War. On 14 August 2018, Facebook that page posted a photograph of Carney under the caption Maybe the NFL should put this up in every locker room: The image seen here is a real photograph of Carney, taken in the early 20th century. According to the U.S. Department of Defense's profile of Carney, he was so honored for his actions during the 54th Massachusetts Colored Infantry's assault on Fort Wagner, South Carolina -- a battle that was depicted in the climactic scene of the 1989 Civil War film Glory (although Carney himself was not represented in that movie): Many honors connected with Civil War service were not awarded until long after the fact, so Carney had to wait until 1900 -- nearly 37 years -- to receive his medal. By that time other African-Americans had received Medals of Honor, but because the actions of Carney's that earned him his medal occurred earlier than all the others', he is generally considered to be the first African-American recipient of the Medal of Honor. (en)
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