Eugene Jacques Bullard (born Eugene James Bullard; October 9, 1895 – October 12, 1961) was one of the first black American military pilots,
[ although Bullard flew for France, not the United States. Bullard was one of the few black combat pilots during ]World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, along with William Robinson Clarke, a Jamaican who flew for the Royal Flying Corps
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colors =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries =
, decorations ...
, Domenico Mondelli from Italy, and Ahmet Ali Çelikten of the Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
. Also a boxer and a jazz musician, he was called "L'Hirondelle noire" in French (literally "Black Swallow").
Early life
Bullard was born in Columbus, Georgia
Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it ...
, the seventh of 10 children born to William (Octave) Bullard, a Black man from Stewart County, Georgia
Stewart County is a county located in the west central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 6,058. The county seat is Lumpkin. The county was created on December 23, 1830.
History
The area was inhabi ...
, and Josephine ("Yokalee") Thomas, a Black woman said to be of African American and Indigenous (Muscogee Creek) heritage. His paternal ancestors had been enslaved in Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
and Virginia according to U.S. census records, and his father was born on a property owned by Wiley Bullard, a slave owning planter in Stewart County. Bullard attended the 28th Street School in Columbus from 1901 to 1906 completing the 5th Grade.
During his youth, he suffered the trauma of watching a white mob attempt to lynch his father over a workplace dispute. Meanwhile, his father continued to voice the conviction that African-Americans had to maintain their dignity and self-respect in the face of the white prejudice. Despite this, Bullard became enamored with his father's stories of France where slavery had been abolished and blacks were treated the same as whites. When he reached his 11th birthday, Bullard ran away from home with the intent of getting to France. Stopping in Atlanta, he joined a British clan of gypsies known by the surname of Stanley and traveled throughout Georgia tending their horses and learning to race. It was the Stanleys who told him how the racial barriers did not exist in Britain and reset his determination to now get to the United Kingdom.
Disheartened that the Stanleys were not scheduled to return to the United Kingdom, Bullard found work with the Turner family in Dawson, Georgia. Because he was hard-working as a stable boy, young Bullard won the Turners' affection and was asked to ride as their jockey in the 1911 County Fair races. In 1912, he made his way to Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...
where he stowed away on the German freighter ''Marta Russ'', hoping to escape racial discrimination
Racial discrimination is any discrimination against any individual on the basis of their skin color, race or ethnic origin.Individuals can discriminate by refusing to do business with, socialize with, or share resources with people of a certain g ...
. Bullard arrived at Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
, Scotland and made his way first to Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
and then London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
where he boxed and performed slapstick
Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such a ...
in the Freedman
A freedman or freedwoman is a formerly enslaved person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, enslaved people were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their captor-owners), emancipation (granted freedom a ...
Pickaninnies
Pickaninny (also picaninny, piccaninny or pickinninie) is a pidgin word for a small child, possibly derived from the Portuguese ('boy, child, very small, tiny').
In North America, ''pickaninny'' is a racial slur for African American childr ...
, an African-American troupe.[ While in London, he trained under the then-famous boxer ]Dixie Kid
Aaron Lister Brown ''aka'' Dixie Kid (23 December 1883 – 6 April 1934) was an American boxer. He was a controversial contender for the World Welterweight Boxing Championship in April 1904.
Early life and career
Brown was born on December 23 ...
who arranged for him to fight in Paris. As a result of that visit to Paris, he decided to settle in France. He continued to box in Paris and also worked in a music hall
Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Bri ...
until the start of World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
World War I
Marching Regiment of the Foreign Legion
World War I began in August 1914. On October 19, 1914, Bullard enlisted and was assigned to the 3rd Marching Regiment of the Foreign Legion
The Marching Regiment of the Foreign Legion (RMLE) (french: link=no, Régiment de marche de la Légion étrangère) was a French military unit that fought in World War I and World War II. Initially composed of marching regiments from the 1st Fo ...
(R.M.L.E.), as foreign volunteers were allowed only to serve in the Foreign Legion.
By 1915, Bullard was a machine gunner and saw combat on the Somme front in Picardy. In May and June, he was at Artois, and in the fall of that year fought in the Second Battle of Champagne
The Second Battle of Champagne ( or Autumn Battle) in World War I was a French offensive against the German army at Champagne that coincided with an Anglo-French assault at north-east Artois and ended with French retreat.
Battle
On 25 Septemb ...
(September 25November 6, 1915) along the Meuse River.[Carnes, Mark C. American National Biography. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005, p. 53–55.][Sutherland, Jonathan. ''African Americans at War: An Encyclopedia''. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2004, Vol. 1, p. 86–87.] He was assigned to the 3rd Marching Regiment of the 1st Foreign Regiment. On July 13, he joined the 2nd Marching Regiment of the 1st Foreign Regiment
The 2nd Marching Regiment of the 1st Foreign Regiment, (french: 2e régiment de marche du 1er étranger, 2e R.M. 1er R.E) was a French military unit of the Legion which formed the Marching Regiment of the Foreign Legion (R.M.L.E) and existed ephe ...
and also served with the . The 2nd Marching Regiment of the 1st Foreign Regiment
The 2nd Marching Regiment of the 1st Foreign Regiment, (french: 2e régiment de marche du 1er étranger, 2e R.M. 1er R.E) was a French military unit of the Legion which formed the Marching Regiment of the Foreign Legion (R.M.L.E) and existed ephe ...
and the 2nd Marching Regiment of the 2nd Foreign Regiment were serving as part of the 1st Moroccan Division. Commanded initially by Hubert Lyautey
Louis Hubert Gonzalve Lyautey (17 November 1854 – 27 July 1934) was a French Army general and colonial administrator. After serving in Indochina and Madagascar, he became the first French Resident-General in Morocco from 1912 to 1925. Early in ...
, Resident-General of Morocco at the outbreak of World War I, the division was a mix of the Metropolitan and Colonial French troops, including Legionnaires, zouaves and tirailleur
A tirailleur (), in the Napoleonic era, was a type of light infantry trained to skirmish ahead of the main columns. Later, the term "''tirailleur''" was used by the French Army as a designation for indigenous infantry recruited in the French ...
s. Towards the end of the war, the 1st Moroccan Division became one of the most decorated units in the French Army. The Foreign Legion suffered high casualties in 1915. It started the year with 21,887 soldiers, NCOs
A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...
, and officers, but ended with only 10,683. As a result, the Foreign Legion units fighting on the Western front were put in reserve for reinforcement and reorganization. On November 11, 1915, 3,316 survivors from the 1e and the 2e ''Étranger'' were merged into one unit — the Marching Regiment of the Foreign Legion (), which in 1920 became the 3rd Foreign Regiment of the Foreign Legion. Bullard participated in the fighting on the Somme, Champagne, and Verdun
Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department.
Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...
, where he was severely wounded on March 5, 1916.
As for the Americans and other volunteers, they were allowed to transfer to the Metropolitan French Army units, including the 170th French Infantry Regiment. The 170th had a reputation of crack troops, being nicknamed (in English, 'The Swallows of Death'). Bullard opted to serve in the 170th Infantry Regiment and the 170 military insignia is displayed on his uniform collar. In the beginning of 1916, the 170th Infantry along with the , to which the regiment belonged from February 1915 to December 1916, was sent to Verdun. During his convalescence, Bullard was cited for acts of valor at the orders of the regiment on July 3, 1917, and was awarded the croix de guerre
The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...
.
Aviation
While serving with the 170th Infantry, Bullard was seriously wounded in action in March 1916 at the Battle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun (french: Bataille de Verdun ; german: Schlacht um Verdun ) was fought from 21 February to 18 December 1916 on the Western Front in France. The battle was the longest of the First World War and took place on the hills north ...
.[Venzon, Anne Cipriano. The United States in the First World War: An Encyclopedia. New York: Garland Pub, 1995, p. 110.] While recuperating he learned to fly on a bet. After recovering, he volunteered on October 2, 1916, for the French Air Service (french: Aéronautique Militaire) as an air gunner. He was accepted and underwent training at the Aerial Gunnery School in Cazaux, Gironde
Gironde ( US usually, , ; oc, Gironda, ) is the largest department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the Gironde estuary, a major waterway, its prefecture is Bordeaux. In 2019, it had a population of 1,62 ...
. Following this, he went through his initial flight training at Châteauroux
Châteauroux (; ; oc, Chasteurós) is the capital city of the French department of Indre, central France and the second-largest town in the province of Berry, after Bourges. Its residents are called ''Castelroussins'' () in French.
Climate
...
and Avord
Avord () is a commune in the Cher department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France.
Geography
A farming area comprising the village and several hamlets situated by the banks of the river Yèvre, some east of Bourges at the junction of t ...
, and received pilot's license number 6950 from the Aéro-Club de France
The Aéro-Club de France () was founded as the Aéro-Club on 20 October 1898 as a society 'to encourage aerial locomotion' by Ernest Archdeacon, Léon Serpollet, Henri de la Valette, Jules Verne and his wife, André Michelin, Albert de Dion, ...
on May 5, 1917.
Like many other American aviators, Bullard hoped to join the famous squadron Escadrille Americaine N.124, the Lafayette Escadrille
The La Fayette Escadrille (french: Escadrille de La Fayette) was the name of the French Air Force unit escadrille N 124 during the First World War (1914–1918). This escadrille of the ''Aéronautique Militaire'' was composed largely of Ameri ...
, but after enrolling 38 American pilots in the spring and summer of 1916, it stopped accepting applicants. After further training at Avord, Bullard[Hall, James Norman, Charles Nordhoff, and Edgar G. Hamilton. ''The Lafayette Flying Corps''. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1920, Volume II, p. 324.] joined 269 American aviators at the Lafayette Flying Corps
The Lafayette Flying Corps is a name given to the American volunteer pilots who flew in the French Air Force (Armée de l'Air) during World War I. It includes the pilots who flew with the bona fide Lafayette Escadrille squadron.
Numbers
The ...
on November 15, 1916, which was a designation for all American pilots who served with the French Air Service, rather than the name of a specific unit. American volunteers flew with French pilots in different pursuit and bomber/reconnaissance aero squadrons on the Western Front. Edmund L. Gros, who facilitated the incorporation of American pilots in the French Air Service, listed in the October 1917 issue of ''Flying'', an official publication of the Aero Club of America
The Aero Club of America was a social club formed in 1905 by Charles Jasper Glidden and Augustus Post, among others, to promote aviation in America. It was the parent organization of numerous state chapters, the first being the Aero Club of New ...
, Bullard's name is on the member roster of the Lafayette Flying Corps.
On June 28, 1917, Bullard was promoted to corporal
Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non ...
. On August 27, he was assigned to Escadrille N.93 (french: Escadrille SPA 93), based at Beauzée-sur-Aire south of Verdun, where he stayed until September 13. The squadron was equipped with Nieuport
Nieuport, later Nieuport-Delage, was a French aeroplane company that primarily built racing aircraft before World War I and fighter aircraft during World War I and between the wars.
History
Beginnings
Originally formed as Nieuport-Duplex in ...
and Spad aircraft that displayed a flying stork as the squadron insignia. Bullard's service record also includes Squadron N.85 (french: Escadrille SPA 85), September 13, 1917 – November 11, 1917, which had a bull insignia.[Hall, James Norman, Charles Nordhoff, and Edgar G. Hamilton. The Lafayette Flying Corps. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1920, Volume II, p. 330.] He took part in over twenty combat missions, and he is sometimes credited with shooting down one or two German aircraft (sources differ). However, the French authorities could not confirm Bullard's victories.
When the United States entered the war, the United States Army Air Service
The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial war ...
convened a medical board to recruit Americans serving in the Lafayette Flying Corps for the Air Service of the American Expeditionary Forces. Bullard went through the medical examination, but he was not accepted, as only white pilots were chosen.[ Some time later, while on a short break from duty in Paris, Bullard allegedly got into an argument with a French commissioned officer and was punished by being transferred to the service battalion of the French 170th Infantry Regiment in January 1918.] He served beyond the Armistice
An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the La ...
, not being discharged until October 24, 1919.
Interwar years
For his World War I service, the French government awarded Bullard the ''Croix de guerre
The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...
'', Médaille militaire
The ''Médaille militaire'' ( en, Military Medal) is a military decoration of the French Republic for other ranks for meritorious service and acts of bravery in action against an enemy force. It is the third highest award of the French Republic, ...
, Croix du combattant volontaire 1914–1918, and Médaille de Verdun, along with several others. After his discharge, Bullard returned again to Paris.
Bullard found work for four years as a jazz drummer in a nightclub named "Zelli's", which was owned by Joe Zelli. Bullard worked with Robert Henri, a lawyer and friend, to secure a club license, which allowed Zelli's to stay open past midnight. This led to Zelli's becoming the most celebrated nightclub in Montmartre, as most other area cabarets still closed at midnight. Following his time at Zelli's, Bullard departed for Alexandria, Egypt where he performed with a jazz ensemble at Hotel Claridge and fought two prize fights. He also hired musicians for private parties with Paris' social elites, worked as a masseur, and an exercise trainer. Bullard later managed a nightclub
A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music.
Nightclubs gener ...
"Le Grand Duc", where he hired the American poet, Langston Hughes. Around 1928, Bullard was able to buy "Le Grand Duc" from Ada "Bricktop" Smith. As a popular jazz venue, "Le Grand Duc" gained him many famous friends, including Josephine Baker
Josephine Baker (born Freda Josephine McDonald; naturalised French Joséphine Baker; 3 June 1906 – 12 April 1975) was an American-born French dancer, singer and actress. Her career was centered primarily in Europe, mostly in her adopted Fran ...
, Louis Armstrong
Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...
, Langston Hughes
James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. One of the earliest innovators of the literary art form called jazz poetry, Hug ...
, and French flying ace Charles Nungesser. He eventually became the owner of another nightclub, "L'Escadrille". Bullard's Montmartre fame was such that Ernest Hemingway based a minor character on Bullard in "The Sun Also Rises."
Bullard also opened Bullard's Athletic Club which was a gymnasium offering physical culture
Physical culture, also known as Body culture, is a health and strength training movement that originated during the 19th century in Germany, the UK and the US.
Origins
The physical culture movement in the United States during the 19th century ...
, boxing, massage, ping pong
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small solid rackets. It takes place on a hard table div ...
and hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy and also called water cure, is a branch of alternative medicine (particularly naturopathy), occupational therapy, and physiotherapy, that involves the use of water for pain relief and treatment. The term ...
. He also worked as a trainer for noted boxers Panama Al Brown
Alfonso Teofilo Brown (July 5, 1902 – April 11, 1951), better known as Panama Al Brown, was a Panamanian professional boxer. He made history by becoming boxing's first Latin American world champion, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest ...
and Young Perez Victor Perez or Víctor Pérez may refer to:
*Victor Perez (Tunisian boxer) (1911–1945), Tunisian boxer
**''Victor Young Perez'', 2013 French biographical film about Victor Perez
*Víctor Pérez (Puerto Rican boxer) (born 1971)
*Víctor Pérez ...
.
On 17 July 1923, he married Marcelle Eugénie Henriette Straumann, (b. 8 July 1901) a milliner from Paris' second arrondissement. The marriage ended in divorce on 5 December 1935, with Straumann abandoning custody of their two surviving children, Jacqueline Ginette and Lolita Joséphine, to Bullard upon her departure.
When World War II began in September 1939, Bullard, who also spoke German, agreed to a request from the French government to spy on the German citizens who still frequented his nightclub.
World War II
Following the German invasion German invasion may refer to:
Pre-1900s
* German invasion of Hungary (1063)
World War I
* German invasion of Belgium (1914)
* German invasion of Luxembourg (1914)
World War II
* Invasion of Poland
* German invasion of Belgium (1940)
* G ...
of France in May 1940, Bullard volunteered and served with the 51st Infantry Regiment (french: 51e Régiment d'Infanterie) in defending Orléans
Orléans (;["Orleans"](_blank)
(US) and [Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...]
, New York City.
Peekskill riots
In 1949, a concert held by Black entertainer and activist Paul Robeson
Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, stage and film actor, professional football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for his p ...
in Peekskill, New York
Peekskill is a city in northwestern Westchester County, New York, United States, from New York City. Established as a village in 1816, it was incorporated as a city in 1940. It lies on a bay along the east side of the Hudson River, across fro ...
to benefit the Civil Rights Congress
The Civil Rights Congress (CRC) was a United States civil rights organization, formed in 1946 at a national conference for radicals and disbanded in 1956. It succeeded the International Labor Defense, the National Federation for Constitutional Li ...
resulted in the Peekskill riots. These were caused in part by members of the local Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion
The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...
posts, who considered Robeson a communist sympathizer.[Robeson, Susan. ''The Whole World in His Hands: A Pictorial Biography of Paul Robeson.'' Secaucus, N.J.: Citadel Press, 1981. Chapter 5, ''The Politics of Persecution'', p. 181–183.] The concert was scheduled to take place on August 27 at Lakeland Acres, north of Peekskill
Peekskill is a city in northwestern Westchester County, New York, United States, from New York City. Established as a village in 1816, it was incorporated as a city in 1940. It lies on a bay along the east side of the Hudson River, across fr ...
. Before Robeson arrived, however, a mob attacked the concert-goers with baseball bats and stones. Thirteen people were seriously injured before police put an end to it. The concert was then postponed until September 4. The rescheduled concert took place without incident, but as concert-goers drove away, they passed through long lines of hostile locals, who threw rocks through their windshields.
Bullard was among those attacked after the concert. He was knocked to the ground and beaten by an angry mob, which included members of the state and local law enforcement. The attack was captured on film and can be seen in the 1970s documentary '' The Tallest Tree in Our Forest'' and the Oscar
Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to:
People
* Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms.
* Oscar (Irish mythology) ...
-winning documentary narrated by Sidney Poitier, '' Paul Robeson: Tribute to an Artist''. None of the assailants were prosecuted. Graphic pictures of Bullard being beaten by two policemen, a state trooper, and a concert goer were published in Susan Robeson's biography of her grandfather, ''The Whole World in His Hands: a Pictorial Biography of Paul Robeson''.
Later life and death
In the 1950s, Bullard was a relative stranger in his own homeland. His daughters had married, and he lived alone in his apartment, which was decorated with pictures of his famous friends and a framed case containing his 14 French war medals. His final job was as an elevator operator at the Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center is a large complex consisting of 19 commerce, commercial buildings covering between 48th Street (Manhattan), 48th Street and 51st Street (Manhattan), 51st Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The 14 original Art Deco ...
, where his fame as the "Black Swallow of Death" was unknown. On December 22, 1959, he was interviewed on NBC's ''Today Show
''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It w ...
'' by Dave Garroway
David Cunningham Garroway (July 13, 1913 – July 21, 1982) was an American television personality. He was the founding host and anchor of NBC's ''Today'' from 1952 to 1961. His easygoing and relaxing style belied a lifelong battle with depressi ...
and received hundreds of letters from viewers. Bullard wore his elevator operator uniform during the interview.
Bullard died in New York City of stomach cancer
Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is a cancer that develops from the lining of the stomach. Most cases of stomach cancers are gastric carcinomas, which can be divided into a number of subtypes, including gastric adenocarcinomas. Lymph ...
on October 12, 1961, at the age of 66. He was buried with military honors in the French War Veterans' section of Flushing Cemetery
Flushing Cemetery is a cemetery in Flushing in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York.
History
Flushing Cemetery has several predecessors. In the year 1789 (64 years before the cemetery was founded), George Washington had crossed th ...
in the New York City borough
A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
In the Middle Ag ...
of Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
. His friend Louis Armstrong
Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...
is buried in the same cemetery.
Honors
Bullard received 14 decorations and medals from the government of France. In 1954, the French government invited Bullard to Paris to be one of the three men chosen to rekindle the everlasting flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
A Tomb of the Unknown Soldier or Tomb of the Unknown Warrior is a monument dedicated to the services of an unknown soldier and to the common memories of all soldiers killed in war. Such tombs can be found in many nations and are usually high-prof ...
under the Arc de Triomphe
The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile (, , ; ) is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Place de l'Étoile—the ''étoile'' ...
.[ In 1959, he was made a ''Chevalier'' (Knight) of the '']Légion d'honneur
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
''[ by ]General
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...
, who called Bullard a "''véritable héros français''" ("true French hero"). He also was awarded the Médaille militaire
The ''Médaille militaire'' ( en, Military Medal) is a military decoration of the French Republic for other ranks for meritorious service and acts of bravery in action against an enemy force. It is the third highest award of the French Republic, ...
, another high military distinction.
In 1989 he was posthumously inducted into the inaugural class of the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame
The Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame recognizes aviation pioneers and contributors associated with the state of Georgia. The museum was created in 1989 by Governor Joe Frank Harris signing House Bill 110. The law called for a 15-member board to overse ...
. On August 23, 1994 – 33 years after his death, and 77 years to the day after the physical that should have allowed him to fly for his own country — Bullard was posthumously commissioned a second lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank.
Australia
The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
in the United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
.[
On October 9, 2019, the Museum of Aviation in ]Warner Robins, Georgia
Warner Robins (typically ) is a city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located in Houston and Peach counties in the central part of the state. It is currently Georgia's eleventh-largest incorporated city, with an estimated population of 80,308 in th ...
erected a statue in Bullard's honor.
There is a sign in Columbus, Georgia, near the site of the house where he grew up, which describes his early life.
Decorations and medals
1st row :
* Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...
(Knight of the Legion of Honor)
* Médaille militaire
The ''Médaille militaire'' ( en, Military Medal) is a military decoration of the French Republic for other ranks for meritorious service and acts of bravery in action against an enemy force. It is the third highest award of the French Republic, ...
(Military Medal)
2nd row :
* Croix de guerre 1914–1918
Croix (French for "cross") may refer to:
Belgium
* Croix-lez-Rouveroy, a village in municipality of Estinnes in the province of Hainaut
France
* Croix, Nord, in the Nord department
* Croix, Territoire de Belfort, in the Territoire de Belfort depa ...
avec etoile de bronze (War Cross with bronze star)
* Croix du combattant volontaire 1914–1918 (Volunteer Combatant Cross)
* Croix du combatant (Combatant's Cross)
* Médaille des blessés militaires (Medal for Military Wounded)
3rd row :
* Médaille commémorative de la guerre 1914–1918 (World War Service Medal)
* Médaille interalliée 1914–1918, dite de la Victoire (Interallied Victory Medal)
* Médaille engagé volontaire (Voluntary Enlistment Medal)
* Médaille commémorative de la bataille de Verdun (Battle of Verdun Medal)
4th row :
* Médaille commémorative de la bataille de la Somme (Battle of the Somme Medal)
* Médaille commémorative de la guerre 1939–1945 (World War II Service Medal)
* Médaille commémorative des services volontaires de la France libre (Voluntary Service to Free France)
* Médaille des volontaires américains avec l'Armée Française (American Volunteer with French Army Medal)
In addition to the above awards, Bullard also received the French Pilot's Badge and the fourragere unit award.
Note – Bullard was posthumously eligible for the World War I Victory Medal (United States)
The World War I Victory Medal (known prior to establishment of the World War II Victory Medal in 1945 simply as the Victory Medal) was a United States service medal designed by James Earle Fraser of New York City under the direction of the Com ...
as he was posthumously commissioned an officer in the United States Army with a date of rank which fell during the eligibility period of the medal.
In popular culture
In 1972, Bullard's exploits as a pilot were retold in a biography, ''The Black Swallow of Death'' by Patrick Carisella and James Ryan. He is also the subject of the nonfiction young adult memoir ''Eugene Bullard: World's First Black Fighter Pilot'' by Larry Greenly.
The 2006 movie '' Flyboys'' loosely portrays a fictionalization of Bullard, called 'Eugene Skinner'.
In 2012–2014, the French writer Claude Ribbe
Claude Ribbe (born 13 October 1954) is a French writer, activist and filmmaker.
Early life and education
Ribbe was born in Paris and is alumnus of the Ecole normale superieure.
Career
Ribbe has specialised in the history of colonialism in the ...
wrote a book on Bullard and made a television documentary.
In the 2012 movie ''Red Tails
''Red Tails'' is a 2012 American war film directed by Anthony Hemingway in his feature film directorial debut, and starring Terrence Howard and Cuba Gooding Jr. The film is about the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African-American United States ...
'', the fictional Col. A.J. Bullard (played by Terrence Howard
Terrence Dashon Howard (born March 11, 1969) is an American actor. Having his first major roles in the 1995 films ''Dead Presidents'' and '' Mr. Holland's Opus'', Howard broke into the mainstream with a succession of television and cinema roles ...
), a thinly disguised representation of the World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
African American Tuskegee Airmen
The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of primarily African American military pilots (fighter and bomber) and airmen who fought in World War II. They formed the 332d Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group (Medium) of the United States Army ...
's main commander, Lt. Col. (later Gen.
The Book of Genesis (from Greek language, Greek ; Hebrew language, Hebrew: בְּרֵאשִׁית ''Bəreʾšīt'', "In hebeginning") is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its Hebrew name is the same as its i ...
) Benjamin O. Davis Jr.
Benjamin Oliver Davis Jr. (December 18, 1912 – July 4, 2002) was a United States Air Force (USAF) general and commander of the World War II Tuskegee Airmen.
He was the first African-American brigadier general in the USAF. On December 9, 1998, h ...
, is given that surname in honor of Eugene Bullard.
In 2020 the progressive rock/metal project Telergy Telergy is a progressive metal/rock music project based in New Hampshire, United States, formed by singer and multi-instrumentalist Robert McClung in 2009. Telergy has had a number of well-known guest musicians, such as Dee Snider, Joe Hoekstra, T ...
released the album ''Black Swallow'' which portrays the life of Eugene Bullard.
Gallery
File:Eugene Bullard in Legionnaire Uniform.jpg, Bullard in his Legionnaire uniform, between 1914 and 1917
File:Bullard.jpg, Bullard in 1917 beside a Nieuport while with Escadrille 93
File:Bullard pose.jpg, Bullard in January 1918
File:Eugene Bullard in the French Air Service.jpg, Bullard beside a Caudron trainer
File:Eugene Bullard group photo.jpg, Bullard in a group photo
File:Eugene Jacques Bullard group photo.jpg, Bullard in a group photo
File:Bullard display.jpg, Bullard exhibit at the National Museum of the United States Air Force
File:Eugene Bullard's awards.jpg, Bullard's awards
File:Bullard décorations 1.png, Bullard's decorations
See also
* Moroccan Division
*Escadron de Chasse 2/30 Normandie-Niemen
Fighter Squadron 2/30 Normandie-Niemen (Escadron de Chasse 2/30 Normandie-Niemen) is a French Air and Space Force (Armée de l'air et de l'espace) fighter squadron which flies the Dassault Rafale C from BA 118 Mont-de-Marsan Air Base. During ...
- SPA93.
*Bessie Coleman
Bessie Coleman (January 26, 1892April 30, 1926) was an early American civil aviator. She was the first African-American woman and first Native American to hold a pilot license. She earned her license from the '' Fédération Aéronautique I ...
*Allan Bundy Allan Selwyn Bundy (1920 – 9 December 2001) was the first Black Canadian combat pilot.Thomas Toliver Smith (14 January 2016)Allan Bundy ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''.
Born in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Bundy was a talented athlete who excelled i ...
References
Further reading
*Carisella, P. J., and James W. Ryan. ''The Black Swallow of Death: The Incredible Story of Eugene Jacques Bullard, the World's First Black Combat Aviator''. Boston: Marlborough House; distributed by Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1972.
*Cockfield, Jamie. ''All Blood Runs Red ''. American Heritage, Vol. 46, No. 1, February–March 1995.
*Greenly, Larry W. ''Eugene Bullard: World's First Black Fighter Pilot''. Montgomery, Alabama: NewSouth Books, 2013.
*Gordon, Dennis. ''The Lafayette Flying Corps: The American Volunteers in the French Air Service in World War I''. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Military/Aviation History Pub, 2000.
*Harris, Henry Scott. ''All Blood Runs Red: Life and Legends of Eugene Jacques Bullard: First Black American Military Aviator''. NOOK Book (eBook): eBookIt, 2012.
*Jouineau, André. ''Officers and Soldiers of the French Army 1918: 1915 to Victory''. Paris: Histoire & Collections, 2008.
*Lloyd, Craig. ''Eugene Bullard: Black Expatriate in Jazz Age Paris''. Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Press, 2000.
*Mason, Herbert Molloy Jr. ''High Flew the Falcons: The French Aces of World War I''. New York: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1965.
* Ribbe, Claude ''Eugène Bullard: récit''. Paris, Le Cherche Midi, 2012.
*Sloan, James J. ''Wings of Honor, American Airmen in World War I: A Compilation of All United States Pilots, Observers, Gunners and Mechanics Who Flew against the Enemy in the War of 1914–1918''. Atglen, Pa: Schiffer Military/Aviation History Pub, 1994.
External links
James Eugene Bullard
Base des Personnels de l'aéronautique militaire, Secrétariat Général pour l'Administration, Ministère de la Defence, France
Eugene Bullard (1895-1961)
New Georgia Encyclopedia
Eugene J. Bullard
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
Eugene Jacques Bullard
U.S. Air Force Museum
American Volunteers in the French Foreign Legion, 1914–1917
*
'The First Black Fighter Pilot', by Jack Doyle, Jan. 23, 2016
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bullard, Eugene
1895 births
1961 deaths
Deaths from stomach cancer
Deaths from cancer in New York (state)
People from Columbus, Georgia
African Americans in World War I
African-American boxers
American people of Haitian descent
American people of Muscogee descent
French people of African-American descent
French people of Haitian descent
French military personnel of World War I
Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur
Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France)
Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France)
Lafayette Escadrille
Soldiers of the French Foreign Legion
Burials at Flushing Cemetery
American male boxers
Boxers from Georgia (U.S. state)
African-American aviators
African-American Catholics
French Army personnel of World War II
20th-century African-American sportspeople
French spies