Story of Service: Willie Edward Richardson

My grandfather, Willie Richardson, was a veteran of World War I, and his experiences symbolize the service and family life of many African American soldiers. Unfortunately, their military service occurred during a period of "nots." They could not eat in certain businesses; they could not live in certain neighborhoods; their service was often overlooked or devalued. Yet, my grandfather and those soldiers defended the world and prospered within limitations. Yet, the invisibility of my grandfather's service seemed invisible in 2018 as I viewed a pictorial display of World War I soldiers in an Arkansas Welcome Center. None of the soldiers in the display looked like my grandfather. Therefore, I contacted the Arkansas visitor's bureau to express that soldiers of color should be commemorated too. The communication exchange was informative and productive as I learned of efforts to find and preserve the service of Arkansas' soldiers of color during World War I. However, I also learned that my grandfather's two brothers also served in World War I. Before the communication exchange, I thought one of my grandfather's brothers had been killed in another war. This perception came from visits to his home in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and watching him reflectively hold papers and a folded flag that belonged to one of his brothers. Afterwards, he returned the materials to a cedar chest beside his bed. It was fascinating to learn the three brothers served in the Army during World War I and returned home safely, but I refrain from imagining the anguish my great grandfather, a widower, endured when sending his only children to war. My grandfather never spoke of his service or his brothers' military service. Yet, it was what he did for me after his life of service that provides insight into his character. My grandfather instilled in me to be a person of integrity. He taught me to make a bed so precise that a flipped quarter should bounce o...