Senators urge Obama to exonerate 'Port Chicago 50'

[Calvin]

Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein are urging President Barack Obama to exonerate a group of African-American sailors convicted of mutiny during World War II, adding their voices to a chorus of lawmakers and advocates seeking justice for the men known as the "Port Chicago 50."

On Monday, the senators from California sent a letter to Obama saying the explosions at the Port Chicago naval munitions base on July 17, 1944, and the subsequent mutiny trial are a reminder of the bravery of the men who served there and the "painful legacy of a segregated military."

"We urge you to take executive action to restore honor to these 50 sailors who signed up to serve our country in World War II but were instead victims of racism and unjust convictions," the senators wrote. "Their exoneration would demonstrate our continued commitment to a just and equal society for all Americans."

The two explosions at Port Chicago killed 320 men, including 202 African-American sailors who performed the dangerous job of loading munitions onto cargo ships headed for the Pacific theater. Although white officers were given 30 days' leave after the accident, black enlisted men were not. When the sailors refused to resume loading bombs and ammunition under working conditions they believed were unsafe, 50 of them were charged with mutiny.

Boxer worked with former Rep. George Miller on the bill to designate the National Port Chicago Naval Magazine Memorial as part of the National Park Service, which Obama signed in 2010. Now, she wants to help set the historical record straight about what happened.

"These dedicated sailors who were court-martialed for insisting on safe working conditions suffered a terrible injustice," Boxer said. "It is time that we fixed it."

During his tenure in Congress, Miller worked tirelessly to educate the public about the little-known tragedy and to exonerate the 50 sailors, none of whom are still alive. On Monday, Miller recalled meeting Freddie Meeks, whom President Bill Clinton pardoned in 1999. Meeks and the other men worried that they would lose their jobs or pensions if their mutiny convictions came to light, Miller said. Today, family members visit the Port Chicago memorial to celebrate their relatives' courage in standing up for themselves in the face of great pressure, he added.

"I certainly hope that the president will take some action," Miller said. "I think this is the right thing to do."

Last month, Reps. Mark DeSaulnier, Barbara Lee and Mike Honda sent Obama a similar letter arguing that the sailors deserve recognition for their courageous service to their country at a time when African-Americans were treated as second-class citizens.

The Rev. Diana McDaniel, board president of the Friends of Port Chicago National Memorial, believes the time may finally be right.

"I am grateful, I'm thrilled that it's gotten their attention again and that they're moving forward, or at least attempting to," McDaniel said. "I think it's an idea whose time has come. It's almost in the air for righting some wrongs.".

http://www.contracostatimes.com/bre...einstein-urge-obama-exonerate-port-chicago-50

 

[seb]

This case as well as the case against Charles McVay the captian of the USS Indianapolis were perhaps the two biggest injustices of WWII and both involved the navy. These men should of been exonerated years ago, unfortunately, all of them are already dead, so only their family members will have closure in the case.

 

[hoichi]

Where they executed?

 

[Reba]

Where they executed?

No, not executed.

Here's what happened:

Port Chicago disaster

 

[Reba]

TV movie about it:

Mutiny

 

[hoichi]

No, not executed.

Here's what happened:

Port Chicago disaster

Odd....i was taken to a list that had ice road truckers, ancient aliens, and shows like forged in fire...
Mmmmm...

 

[DeafDucky]

Where they executed?

I don't think any of them were.

They all were court martialed and received prison sentences which were commuted by President Truman.

More info-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Chicago_disaster#Port_Chicago_50

I couldn't find anything that told what happened to all of them- likely many died of old age or disease etc. There is a book about it also.

[ame]http://www.amazon.com/The-Port-Chicago-50-Disaster/dp/1596437960[/ame]

----

Whoops Reba was faster than me- I got sucked into reading everything lol

 

[DeafDucky]

Odd....i was taken to a list that had ice road truckers, ancient aliens, and shows like forged in fire...
Mmmmm...

Odd-- the page about the Port Chicago disaster came up for me. That page was one I came across in my googling too.

 

[Reba]

Odd....i was taken to a list that had ice road truckers, ancient aliens, and shows like forged in fire...
Mmmmm...

That's weird. I just checked it again and this is what I got:

1944
Port Chicago disaster

An ammunition ship explodes while being loaded in Port Chicago, California, killing 332 people on this day in 1944. The United States’ World War II military campaign in the Pacific was in full swing at the time. Poor procedures and lack of training led to the disaster.

Port Chicago, about 30 miles north of San Francisco, was developed into a munitions facility when the Naval Ammunition Depot at Mare Island, California, could not fully supply the war effort. By the summer of 1944, expansion of the Port Chicago facility allowed for loading two ships at once around the clock. The Navy units assigned to the dangerous loading operations were generally segregated African-American units. For the most part, these men had not been trained in handling munitions. Additionally, safety standards were forgotten in the rush to keep up frenetic loading schedules.

On the evening of July 17, the SS Quinault Victory and SS E.A. Bryan, two merchant ships, were being loaded. The holds were being packed with 4,600 tons of explosives–bombs, depth charges and ammunition. Another 400 tons of explosives were nearby on rail cars. Approximately 320 workers were on or near the pier when, at 10:18 p.m., a series of massive explosions over several seconds destroyed everything and everyone in the vicinity. The blasts were felt as far away as Nevada and the resulting damage extended as far as San Francisco. Every building in Port Chicago was damaged and people were literally knocked off their feet. Smoke and fire extended nearly two miles into the air. The pilot of a plane flying at 9,000 feet in the area claimed that metal chunks from the explosion flew past him.

Nearly two-thirds of the people killed at Port Chicago were African-American enlisted men in the Navy–15 percent of all African-Americans killed during World War II. The surviving men in these units, who helped put out the fires and saw the horrors firsthand, were quickly reassigned to Mare Island. Less than a month later, when ordered to load more munitions, but still having received no training, 258 African-American sailors refused to carry out the orders. Two hundred and eight of them were then sentenced to bad conduct discharges and pay forfeiture. The remaining 50 men were put on trial for general court martial. They were sentenced to between eight and 15 years of hard labor, though two years later all were given clemency. A 1994 review of the trials revealed race played a large factor in the harsh sentences. In December 1999, President Clinton pardoned Freddie Meeks, one of only three of the 50 convicted sailors known to be alive at the time.

The Port Chicago disaster eventually led to the implementation of far safer procedures for loading ammunition. In addition, greater emphasis was put on proper training in explosives handling and the munitions themselves were altered for greater safety. There is now a national memorial to the victims at the site.

 

[hoichi]

Interesting...i never knew this history...
I thought the navy used execution for mutiny...
Glad to know these guys made it out alive

 

[hoichi]

That's weird. I just checked it again and this is what I got:

I just checked again..
Got curse of the frozen cold, and shows about ice ...and mountain men...mmmm..not one thing about the mutiny
Could this be cuz im in.canada?
Damn..

 

[hoichi]

Thanks for the info reba....

 

[Reba]

I just checked again..
Got curse of the frozen cold, and shows about ice ...and mountain men...mmmm..not one thing about the mutiny
Could this be cuz im in.canada?
Damn..

Yeah, must be a Canadian thing.

 

[Calvin]

The Navy was looking for scapegoat and sadly for McVay, he became one. He was a captain of the USS Indianapolis that was sunk after delivered atomic bomb. Of the hundreds of Navy ships and submarines lost in WWII, McVay was the only captain to be court martial for the loss of his ship and sailors.

As for Port Chicago disaster, they were in a rush to load the ammunitions and bombs in the warships. With little or no training... that's a disaster waiting to happen and it did. The Navy blamed these african americans for mishandling of the dangerous weapons. They just looking for scapegoats for their mistakes while Navy will not admit their faults.

This case as well as the case against Charles McVay the captian of the USS Indianapolis were perhaps the two biggest injustices of WWII and both involved the navy. These men should of been exonerated years ago, unfortunately, all of them are already dead, so only their family members will have closure in the case.

 

[Bebonang]

The Navy was looking for scapegoat and sadly for McVay, he became one. He was a captain of the USS Indianapolis that was sunk after delivered atomic bomb. Of the hundreds of Navy ships and submarines lost in WWII, McVay was the only captain to be court martial for the loss of his ship and sailors.

As for Port Chicago disaster, they were in a rush to load the ammunitions and bombs in the warships. With little or no training... that's a disaster waiting to happen and it did. The Navy blamed these african americans for mishandling of the dangerous weapons. They just looking for scapegoats for their mistakes while Navy will not admit their faults.

In the bold statement, this is why I agree with Hoichi that they were being executed because they were African Americans or Black sailors. The reason is that the Black sailors were not given training at all, no training. They should be trained to handle the dangerous bombs and weapons onto the ships. But the Navy refused to give the training exercises or lessons how to handle them. Navy people don't want to be blame for not providing the training exercise and they don't care. They want to cover up. So that is why they were executing them. This is a tragedy on what happened to many of the African American sailors because of Navy's ignorance and hatred.

 

[Reba]

In the bold statement, this is why I agree with Hoichi that they were being executed because they were African Americans or Black sailors.

No one was executed.

The reason is that the Black sailors were not given training at all, no training. They should be trained to handle the dangerous bombs and weapons onto the ships. But the Navy refused to give the training exercises or lessons how to handle them. Navy people don't want to be blame for not providing the training exercise and they don't care. They want to cover up.

Yes, the sailors were very wrongly treated.

So that is why they were executing them.

None of the sailors were executed.

 

[Calvin]

None of the "Port Chicago 50" were executed. They were court martial and sentenced to prison.. after the war, sentence was reduced and released. Those 50 men probably died of natural causes when they age and likely few from injuries related to explosion.

In DeafDucky's link:

On October 24, 1944, Admiral Osterhaus and the other six members of the court deliberated for 80 minutes and found all 50 defendants guilty of mutiny. Each man was reduced in rank to Seaman Apprentice and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor to be followed by dishonorable discharge. The men were held under guard while their sentences were passed to Admiral Wright for review.

On November 15, Wright reduced the sentences for 40 of the men: 24 were given 12 years, 11 were given 10 years and the five youngest sailors were given eight-year sentences. The full 15-year sentences remained in place for ten of the men including Joe Small and Ollie Green. In late November, the 50 men were transferred to the Federal Correctional Institution, Terminal Island in San Pedro Bay near the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach.

And

After the surrender of Japan and the cessation of hostilities, the Navy was no longer able to justify such severe sentences as a warning to other potentially dissident servicemen and labor battalions. In September 1945, the Navy shortened each of the 50 mutiny sentences by one year. Captain Harold Stassen recommended in October that the Navy reduce the sentences to just two years for men with good conduct records and three years for the rest, with credit for time served. Finally, on January 6, 1946, the Navy announced that 47 of the 50 men were being released. These 47 were paroled to active duty aboard Navy vessels in the Pacific Theater, where the men were assigned menial duties associated with post-war base detail. Two of the 50 prisoners remained in the prison's hospital for additional months recuperating from injuries, and one was not released because of a bad conduct record. Those of the 50 who had not committed later offenses were given a general discharge from the Navy "under honorable conditions". In all, the Navy granted clemency to about 1,700 imprisoned men at this time.

In the bold statement, this is why I agree with Hoichi that they were being executed because they were African Americans or Black sailors. The reason is that the Black sailors were not given training at all, no training. They should be trained to handle the dangerous bombs and weapons onto the ships. But the Navy refused to give the training exercises or lessons how to handle them. Navy people don't want to be blame for not providing the training exercise and they don't care. They want to cover up. So that is why they were executing them. This is a tragedy on what happened to many of the African American sailors because of Navy's ignorance and hatred.