About Roy
Roy J. Caldwood is a 103 year old World War II Buffalo Soldier – Bronze Star recipient. He served in the U.S. Army (1943-1945) overseas in Italy in the 92nd Infantry Division Reconnaissance Troop 2nd Platoon as a Medic. The 92nd Infantry Division was the only WWII African American Infantry Division that was deployed for combat. They were racial pioneers at home, and abroad, who fought German troops in Italy for the better part of two years. In addition to becoming fluent in Italian and chosen by his Lieutenant to interface with the Italian villagers to determine which homes his Platoon would occupy and temporally share, he provided medical assistance to soldiers in his platoon, local residents and assisted with religious sacramental duties.
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His most significant achievement was a humanitarian mission (Italy – 1945) where he volunteered to escort starving Italian women into town to get food. Roy and his 2 soldier volunteers had no idea that this mission would result in them walking on “Purple Heart Stretch” (a very dangerous area where people are killed or seriously wounded)and being spotted by German forces in the mountains. Astoundingly, the Germans were stunned by what they saw and learned was taking place. Instead of the German soldiers fighting to their death (as they were losing the Italian Campaign), they decided to peacefully surrender to Roy’s 2nd Platoon! This is believed to have been the last batch of surrendering German Soldiers and resulted in the end of the WW2 Italian Campaign.
About The 92nd Infantry
The 92nd Infantry Division (known as the 92nd Division during World War I) was an African American, later mixed, infantry division of the United States Army that served in World War I, and World War II. The military was racially segregated during the World Wars.
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The division was organized in October 1917, after the U.S. entry into World War I, at Camp Funston, Kansas, with African American soldiers from all states. In 1918, before leaving for France, the American buffalo was selected as the divisional insignia due to the "Buffalo Soldiers" nickname, given to African American cavalrymen in the19th century. The divisional nickname, "Buffalo Soldiers Division", was inherited from the 366th Infantry, one of the first units organized in the division.
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The 92nd Infantry Division was the only African American infantry division that participated in combat in Europe during World War II. Other units were used as support. It was part of the U.S. Fifth Army, fighting in the Italian Campaign from 1944 to the war's end.
