The Story of Leon Gilbert

Posted October 27th, 2009 by OldWarrior

1LT 24 Infantry Regiment Badge.pngLeon Aaron Gilbert Jr was a soldier in the 24th Infantry Regiment during the Korean War. ILT Gilbert was court martialed for disobeying a direct order by his commander. His court martial caused a storm of protest against racial discrimmination in the war. It was followed by mass court martials of entire all black units for various reasons.

1LT Gilbert’s wounded commanding officer ordered him to attempt to attack a machine gin position which would have resulted in massive casualties. LT Gilbert’s version of the story is that he was attempting to explain to his commander that to attack the position was tantamount to committing suicide when he was court martialed on the spot. His original sentence was death which was commuted to 20 years by then President Truman. He ended up serving 5 years for battle misconduct. 

This is a memory that is not good but it is a memory nonetheless. It probably isn’t one that you would place on a Korean War Ring. There are different versions of this incident and many others during the Korean War. It is good to perserve true events and the military ring is one of the best ways to do so.

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