NEGRO IN ARMY PERSONNEL
HIS MECHANICAL ABILITY REQUIRED--SKILLED AT SPECIAL TRADES--VICTORY
DEPENDS UPON TECHNICAL WORKERS--VAST RANGE OF OCCUPATIONS--NEGRO MAKES
GOOD SHOWING--PERCENTAGES OF WHITE AND BLACK--FIGURES FOR GENERAL
SERVICE.
In 1917 and 1918 our cause demanded speed. Every day that could be saved
from the period of training meant a day gained in putting troops at the
front.
Half of the men in the Army must be skilled at special trades in order
to perform their military duties. To form the units quickly and at the
same time supply them with the technical ability required, the Army had
to avail itself of the trade knowledge and experience which the recruit
brought with him from civil life. To discover this talent and assign it
to those organizations where it was needed was the task of the Army
Personnel organization.
The army could hardly have turned the tide of victory if it had been
forced to train from the beginning any large proportion of the technical
workers it needed. Every combat division required 64 mechanical
draughtsmen, 63 electricians, 142 linemen, 10 cable splicers, 156 radio
operators, 29 switchboard operators, 167 telegraphers, 360 telephone
repairmen, 52 leather and canvas workers, 78 surveyors, 40 transitmen,
62 topographers, 132 auto mechanics, 128 machinists, 167 utility
mechanics, 67 blacksmiths, 151 carpenters, 691 chauffeurs (auto and
truck), 128 tractor operators and 122 truckmasters.
Besides these specialists each division required among its enlisted men
those familiar with 68 other trades. Among the latter were dock
builders, structural steel workers, bricklayers, teamsters, hostlers,
wagoners, axemen, cooks, bakers, musicians, saddlers, crane operators,
welders, rigging and cordage workers, stevedores and longshoremen. Add
to these the specialists required in the technical units of engineers,
ordnance, air service, signal corps, tanks, motor corps and all the
services of supply, and the impossibility of increasing an army of
190,000 in March 1917, to an army of 3,665,000 in November, 1918,
becomes apparent unless every skilled man was used where skill was
demanded.
To furnish tables showing the number of Negroes which the selective
draft produced for the various occupations mentioned was at the
compilement of this work not practicable. In many cases the figures for
white and black had not been separated. The Army Personnel organization
did not get into the full swing of its work until well along in 1918.
A good general idea of the percentages of white and black can be gained
from the late drafts of that year. Figures for white drafts were not
available with the exception of that of September 3rd. But a very fair
comparison may be made from the following table showing some occupations
to which both whites and blacks were called. Take any of the three
general service drafts made upon Negro selectives and it makes a
splendid showing alongside the whites. Out of 100,000 men used as a
basis for computation, it shows that among the Negro selectives an
average of slightly over 25 percent were available for technical
requirements, compared with slightly over 36 percent among the whites.
It reveals a high number of mechanics and craftsmen among a race which
in the minds of many has been regarded as made up almost entirely of
unskilled laborers:
Supply per 100,000 in late Negro drafts for general service, compared
with supply of white men in same occupations for the September 3rd
draft:
Misc. Figures Sept. 3
Sept. 1 Sept 25 Upon Draft
Occupation-- Draft Draft 59,826 Men White
Mechanical engineer 7 30 8 25
Blacksmith 393 334 331 733
Dock builder ... ... 15 ...
Carpenter 862 571 670 2,157
Stockkeeper 161 176 140 562
Structural steel worker 463 326 351 334
Chauffeur 3,561 4,003 3,300 7,191
Chauffeur, heavy truck 1,304 1,356 987 2,061
Bricklayer 189 99 132 223
Hostler 3,351 1,433 2,062 3,559
Teamster or wagoner 8,678 12,660 9,534 13,691
Transit and levelman ... 4 2 47
Axeman logger 1,192 1,759 1,423 1,827
Clerical worker 603 395 324 4,159
Baker and cook 4,129 3,157 2,974 1,077
Musician 105 17 115 160
Alto horn 56 47 38 46
Baritone 21 21 15 16
Bass horn 35 21 18 16
Clarinet 21 64 25 66
Cornet 98 56 67 132
Flute 21 ... 5 29
Saxaphone 7 13 10 23
Trap drum 217 197 100 46
Trombone 42 69 40 67
Bugler 14 13 12 24
Saddler ... 26 3 12
Crane operator, hoistman 21 39 42 44
Crane operator, pile driver ... 13 12 7
Crane operator, shovel ... 13 5 30
Oxy-acetylene welder ... 21 8 44
Rigger and cordage worker 49 77 57 40
Stevedore, cargo handler 161 34 68 10
Longshoreman 652 664 651 15
---- ---- ---- ----
26,413 27,708 23,544 38,473
Figures are for general service drafts and do not include the
enlarged list of occupations for which both whites and Negroes were
selected.
[Illustration: FIVE SEA TUGS PUSHING TRANSPORT "FRANCE" INTO DOCK. SHIP
LADEN WITH MEMBERS OF NEW YORK'S "FIGHTING 15TH" (369TH INFANTRY) AND
CHICAGO'S "FIGHTING 8TH" (370TH INFANTRY) NEGRO HEROES FROM BATTLEFIELDS
OF EUROPE.]