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Army Service Overseas: Notes (93rd Infantry) (Page 1 of 2)
!["[ca. 1945] “DARK SOLDIER” By J. A. Emanuel, 642 Ord Am Co, Mindanao, P.I. Dark soldier, where were you When evil from the sky First fell upon your countrymen Who could do naught but die? I know--you, too, were at your post, Your lifeblood ebbed away. You gave your first full measure That famed December day. Dark solder, was your manhood there At your wounded country’s side? Or, did you di savow your kin, And creep away to hide? I know, you, too, took up your harms, Beside the fair-skinned man. You bore with you your mother’s prayers And sailed to the foreign land. You were maligned, dark soldier, While you were in the fray. The onslaughts of your countrymen Beshamed the American way. Dark soldier, how did you meet your death By the hand of friend and foe? What was your prayer as you gave your life For a land that treats you so? I know your prayer, dark solider: “America, you take my sons in hand And let them live the way they plan, The way I died for them--a man.” [*For original see Subject File, Military service.] "](https://cuny.manifoldapp.org/system/resource/c/3/1/c31a79f6-40fc-47ab-b8eb-57491a52e67a/attachment/1b109f3b92937b4231e86883d753d619.jpg)
Dark Soldier
James Emanuel U.S. Army Ribbons
![BRIGADIER GENERAL BENJAMIN O. DAVIS
U. S. A. (RET.)
1721 S STREET, N.W.
WASHINGTON 9, D. C.
22 July 1962
Dear Mr. Emanual:
I want to acknowledge with thanks your very
kind note extending good wishes re my birthday.
I feel rather flattered that you not only remembered
it but that you took time out to let me know that
you thought of it.
Mrs. Davis joins me in thanking you and and
extending our congratulations on your success in
your chosen field. We both always felt that you
would go places in your chosen field. In addition
to thanking you we extend to you our wishes for
your continued success. Mrs. Savis as an old school
teacher is greatly pleased with the news of your success
up to date and wish for you further advancees in your
field. With kindest regards and thanks from both of
us and good wishes, I am,
Sincerely,
[signature]
B. 0. Davis.](https://cuny.manifoldapp.org/system/resource/1/3/7/1377cccb-fe7a-4594-a790-ed92cb74fa79/attachment/7a2487b6af21529948f7a7ea6b31cbf1.jpg)
Letter to James Emanuel from Benjamin O. Davis
![HEADQUARTERS
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS
UNITED STATES ARMY
A.P.O 887
BOD/br
10 January 1945
Mr. J. A. Emanuel
Fort Devens, Mass.
Dear Mr. Emanuel:-
Your letter on the 6th of December, 1944, has just reached
me. On the 17th of November I was relieved from duty with the
Inspector General’s Department, and I am now serving in an ad-
visory capacity to the Theater Commander.
I have gotten around quite a bit since I have been over
here. In fact, I have visited nearly all of the fronts. I
had the pleasure of spending some little time during the month
of September with Colonel Davis and his Fighter Group.
I did welcome the opportunity to get away from Washington.
I am sorry that this brings about a separation from Mrs. Davis,
but that is one of the fortunes of war, and as an Army wife, she
is taking it in stride. She knows that she really has a claim on
me at this time because he had every reason to expect my society
after I reached the retirement age, and I am afraid if she were
too insistent, I might ask to be relieved from active duty.
However, I think you will agree that she is still a good sport.
I am very glad to know that you are getting along nicely,
and I would have been greatly disappointed had you not finished
the Administration School at the top of your class. I would like
to remind you of General Peterson’s request that you advise him
when you finish your basic training. That is, of course, if you
would like to work in that office. It was always a comfort and
pleasure to me to hear the good things said about you by all the
people who worked with us; not only the officers of the department,
but the civilian employees as well.
I did receive from you a long time ago a “V...-“ mail letter.
I did not reply to it because at that time I figured you would
complete your basic training before a reply could reach you. It
was nice to hear from you, and I hope that you will be good enough to let me keep in touch with you. Again thanking you for your
letter, and good wishes, I am,
Very sincerely yours,
[signature]
B.O. DAVIS,
Brigadier General, U.S.A.](https://cuny.manifoldapp.org/system/resource/3/e/d/3ed26f67-637b-4376-8b7d-79f37a9c798d/attachment/25f957994870de4bb89b0dedb3ebb6b3.jpg)
Letter from Benjamin O. Davis
![183
[*”At Bay”: Using the images common to a confrontation between police and a lawbreaker, this poem examines the feelings of the “underdog”.*]
At Bay
My sirens
Ain’t never stopped screamin’
My searhlights
Ain’t got to no sky
My pistol
Ain’t hung up for dreamin’
My tear gas
Ain’t made nobody cry.
Come on, cops.
Ain’t but one way
To live and to die.
1966
1968
183
[*I Touched the Hand of a Solider Dead: an anti-war poem set in the Philippine Islands. The sampaguita is the national flower there.*]
I touched the hand of a solider dead
On Bukidnon hill.
I touched a cold and lonely hand. [*This line reflects my seeing (I thought) a human hand in the water near Manila Bay as the troopship I had been on for 36 days, the General Anderson, neared its destination*]
It was quite still.
It looked not like an enemy,](https://cuny.manifoldapp.org/system/resource/a/3/d/a3d663c6-be19-4e1b-a1f3-83cbb38529fa/attachment/98596816ed1861884b982849fca588f0.jpg)
I Touched the Hand of a Soldier Dead (with annotations) 1
I Touched the Hand of a Soldier Dead (with annotations) 2
![Poem begun at Le Barry, 1 Aug. 1985, 11:20 a.m.—12:37; 4:40 p.m.—5:05
A BLACK MILITANT POEM SPEAKS
by J. A. Emanuel
I was born militant,
screamed
when the world first [*leave 5 spaces*] touched me,
slapped me into life.
Measles, mumps, and scarlet fever
dug [was like trenches to my bedroom door,]
foxholes near my schoolyard,
[tried an tough tested me at fighting back,]
[blood tested
[while words my father hated]
[toughened my hands]
[to the schoolyard,] to my inkwell,
[sank] dragged me home
to [for] test[s at] my fighting back.
Retilo Remos taught me how to [swear curse
like Mexicans pushed [who had to live] in boxcars homes [across the] across [beyond] the railroad tracks,
while words my father always hated
[toughened my hands, like cracked marbles toughening gripped] toughened my hands
like the grip of cracked marbles.](https://cuny.manifoldapp.org/system/resource/3/0/b/30bbc15c-2790-434e-bd8c-1e2755707614/attachment/7a6711ded94ed9322a4b9d66f6f91496.jpg)
Draft, A BLACK MILITANT POEM SPEAKS
A BLACK MILITANT POEM SPEAKS