US Army to overturn century-old convictions of 110 Black soldiers

HOUSTON — The U.S. Army is overturning the convictions of 110 Black soldiers — 19 of whom were executed — for a mutiny at a Houston military camp a century ago, an effort to atone for imposing harsh punishments linked to Jim Crow-era racism.

U.S. Army officials announced the historic reversal Monday during a ceremony posthumously honoring the regiment known as the Buffalo Soldiers, who had been sent to Houston in 1917, during World War I, to guard a military training facility. Clashes arose between the regiment and white police officers and civilians, and 19 people were killed.

“We cannot change the past; however, this decision provides the Army and the American people an opportunity to learn from this difficult moment in our history,” Under Secretary of the Army Gabe Camarillo said in a statement.

The South Texas College of Law first requested that the Army look into the cases in October 2020, and again in December 2021. The Army then received clemency petitions from retired general officers on behalf of the 110 soldiers.

At the secretary of the Army’s petition, the Army Board for Correction of Military Records reviewed records of the cases and found that “significant deficiencies permeated the cases.” The proceedings were found to be “fundamentally unfair,” according to the Army’s statement. The board members unanimously recommended all convictions be set aside and the military service of the soldiers’ to be characterized as “honorable.”

Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth said in the statement that the move marks the Army’s acknowledgement of past mistakes and sets the record straight.

“After a thorough review, the Board has found that these Soldiers were wrongly treated because of their race and were not given fair trials,” Wormuth said.