USAF veteran Morgan Freeman lends his iconic voice to a new History Channel WWII documentary. The gripping two-hour documentary about the Black soldiers of the “761st Tank Battalion: The Original Black Panthers” chronicles the battalion’s significant contributions to the war effort.
TV Insider said, “They trained more than anybody else, so they were better at it than anybody that even [Gen. George] Patton had ever seen.” As a result, they proved military leaders were wrong about their combat worthiness.
Like most Black units in WWII, they surpassed expectations. According to Freeman, he wanted to tell their story because stories of Black men and women who have fought in every U.S. war must be chronicled.
The Academy Award winner said making the documentary was a critical mission to ensure accurate Black history is recorded. The men of the 761st were the only Black tank battalion to see combat during the Second World War.
The “761st Tank Battalion: The Orginal Black Panthers” executive producer, Freeman, explained why the documentary was necessary: “I grew up with movies and during that part of me growing [we weren’t] part of that history being told: no cowboys, no soldiers, nothing. It has to be told.”
The documentary’s August 20, 2023, release comes shortly after the 75th anniversary of President Harry S. Truman’s ending of United States Armed Forces segregation. He signed Executive Order 9981 on July 26, 1948.
“761st Tank Battalion: The Original Black Panthers” release also comes as Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) is holding up hundreds of military promotions and Air Force Gen. C.Q. Brown, President Joe Biden’s nominee for the next Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Politico reports: “[General] Brown would be the second Black man to serve in that role after the late Gen. Colin Powell did under former President George W. Bush. Note: General Powell also served as the first Secretary of State (2001 to 2005).
Senator Tuberville continues to hold them hostage due to his objection to the Pentagon’s policy surrounding service members’ abortion rights.
Documentary Features Freeman and Others
According to The History Channel, the documentary features an interview with Ret. Cpl. Robert Curtis Andry and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd James Austin III. Additionally, producers featured “New and archival interviews, period footage, still photographs.” They also featured new commentary and stories from Black Panther soldiers’ families and relatives.
According to Yellow Hammer, Corporal Andry was presented a Purple Heart medal by U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl (R-Ala.) on March 22, 2022. It was the WWII war hero’s 97th birthday. Representative Carl recalled the ceremony: “Today, I was honored to present Cpl. Andry with a Purple Heart medal to recognize his sacrifice and dedication to the United States. Cpl. Audry truly embodies the patriotism, determination, and fighting spirit that defines The Greatest Generation.”
Freeman told TV Insider that interviewing the battalion’s last serving member was “enthralling.” Referring to Corporal Aubry, he said: “This is a guy whose body is still full of shrapnel: A guy who almost didn’t survive the first contact with the German army.”
Another interviewee is the current and first Black United States Secretary of Defense, Secretary Austin III.
The 70-year-old retired from the United States Army as a four-star general in 2016. He was sworn in this Department of Defense position on January 22, 2021.
Freeman told The Washington Post he asked the 28th Secretary of Defense: “Do you ever think about the fact that you’re Black? Do you ever just think of that? Do you ever look in the mirror, realize who are where you are and what?”
According to the Post, Freeman continued: “And he says, ‘Every day,’ ever day because he’s in a place that historically would never happen, and there he is and doing the job.”
The 761st Tank Battalion WWII Story Matters
Freeman is doing his part to ensure visual Black history stories are told. The documentary, “761st Tank Battalion: The Original Black Panthers,” chronicles his pursuit of learning more about the unit’s significant offensives and the adversity endured when they returned home.
During a Politico interview, Freeman talked about the battalion being sent to two separate bases in the South — Camp Claiborne in Louisiana and Fort Hood in Texas — and their experiences before being battlefield ready.
He explained that segregation had a firm grasp in the Deep South in the 1940s. So, everything the battalion had to deal with was second-class — equipment, food, living conditions, etc. Freeman added: “I think the worst part of Camp Claiborne was it was swampy. I think the best thing they had going for them was training — that’s where they knew they could excel,” which they did.
The National Park Service reports that the men of the 761st received seven Silver Stars, 246 Purple Hearts, and one Congressional Medal of Honor from the time they entered combat until the end of the war in Europe.
Written by Cathy Milne-Ware
Sources:
National Park Service: 761st Tank Battalion: The Original Black Panthers
Office of Public Affairs DOJ: 75th Anniversary of the Racial Integration of the Armed Forces; By Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke
Politico: Morgan Freeman and the ‘Original Black Panthers;’ By Brakkton Booker
The National WWII Museum: The Black Panthers Enter Combat: The 761st Tank Battalion; By Ed Lengel, PhD
TV Insider: Morgan Freeman Shares Personal Connection to ‘761st Tank Battalion: The Original Black Panthers’ Doc; by Kate Hahn
Featured and Top Image by Pat Terry Courtesy of DVIDS – Public Domain License
First Inset Image by Nathan Congleton Courtesy of Flickr – Creative Commons License
Second Inset Image by Lisa Ferdinando for U.S. Secretary of Defense Courtesy of Flickr – Creative Commons License
Third Inset Image by Nicole Dalrymple for U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Courtesy of Wikimedia – Creative Commons License
