African Americans History

Vietnam Veterans

Many local African-Americans served during the Vietnam War. Four of these men are among the local Vietnam Veterans of America Honor Guard.

John “Perkey” Yates leads Cumberland Chapter #172 of the Vietnam Veterans of America Honor Guard during the opening ceremonies of the National Day of Prayer on the Downtown Cumberland Mall, May 4, 2017. Second in line is Robert Peck and fourth in line is James “Song” Meade. Holding the blue flag in the second photograph is Jimmy Washington.
 

Women have played an increasingly important role in the armed forces. In March 2005, about 350,000 women were serving in the U.S. military, almost 15% of active duty personnel, one in seven soldiers. (From: NPR Radio, Wounded in War: The Women Serving in Iraq, March 14, 2005).

Fulton Myers Post 153 Razed
The Fulton Myers American Legion Post #153 was razed in October 2011. The building was damaged in a March 2010 fire, the cause of which was determined to be arson after fire investigators found combustibles inside the building.

This photograph depicts the Fulton Myers Post 153 American Legion located on North Mechanic Street in Cumberland. It was named for Fulton J. Myers (1890-1918), a young black soldier serving in the 351st Field Artillery who died at Camp Meade (later known as Fort George Meade) in Maryland.

The following is an excerpt from Cumberland, Maryland Through The Eyes of Herman J. Miller

This photograph from about 1962 depicts a food donation to the Salvation Army from Fulton Myers Post #153. Depicted from left to right are John "June" Stephens, George Ashby, Major Ben Jones of the Salvation Army official, and William Jones.

The Post (on Mechanic Street, Cumberland) was named in honor of Private Fulton J. Myers who died in 1918 at Camp Meade. The Fulton Myers Post #153 of the American Legion was closed during the summer of 2008. The Post was damaged by a fire in 2010 and razed in 2011.

Robert "Bob" Peck

Robert "Bob" Peck served in the United States Navy from 1958 to 1967 and saw service aboard ship throughout Southeast Asia and Europe. He recalls, "There was unity on our ship. I can only speak for our ship. We had people of all races and all backgrounds. We only had one guy ever tell me that I couldn't give him an order. And that didn't take too long. It lasted about two days. At the end of the two days, he would say, 'Yes sir, chief'".

John Jesse "Perkey" Yates is a 1967 graduate of Allegany High School. A photograph of John on the Allegany basketball team appears elsewhere on this website. John served in the U.S. Army, 4th Division, 2nd. Battalion, 35th. Infantry, Company D in Vietnam from June 1969 to June 1970.

Allegany Hi Grads Meet In Vietnam

Two local soldiers, Sp/5 Rodney R. Keys, (right) and Sp./4 William Powell (left), both 1966 graduates of Allegany High School, had an unexpected reunion recently in Long Binh, South Vietnam.

Sp./5 Keys, who had traveled over 600 miles to a Long Binh base camp for special training, discovered that Sp./4 Powell was stationed at the same location. Sp./5 Keys reports that Sp./4 Powell was "one surprised soldier" upon seeing his first stateside acquaintance since his overseas assignment began nine months ago.

Herman J. Washington, depicted here in a 1965 photograph while stationed in Korea, was a member of the last class that graduated from Carver High School in 1955. His father, Herman G. Washington, worked for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad for 50 years and retired from there in 1975. He passed away in February 1986. His mother, Kathleen Francis, graduated from the Frederick Street School in the class of 1927 and is depicted in the 1978 Class Reunion photograph.

William H. Rhodes, 1922 - 1961

William (Bill) Rhodes was a United States Army veteran of the Korean War, as well as World War II. It was during the Korean War while serving in E Company, 35th Infantry, 25th Division, that PFC Bill Rhodes was captured and became an American Prisoner of War (POW). According to archival data he was assigned to Camp 1: POW Camp Ch'ang-Song. It was while assigned to Camp 5: POW Camp Pyoktong that he met a fellow POW from Cumberland, Robert McGreevy.