William G. Dabney

William Garfield Dabney (born November 24, 1924 in Altavista, Virginia) is an African-American resident of Roanoke, Virginia who served in World War II. He was awarded the Legion of Honor (Ordre National de la Légion d'Honneur) for his actions during the invasion of Normandy.

Early life

"Bill" Dabney was the youngest of nine children, and lived on the family farm near Altavista, Virginia. When he was nine years old, his mother, Eleanor, died, and he went to live with his grandmother in Roanoke, Virginia.

World War II

He enlisted in the US Army in 1942 while still only 17 years old and before he graduated from high school, and his Army serial number began with the number "1", which indicated he enlisted, rather than drafted. The other soldiers teased him about enlisting, and every time he complained about something, the other troops said he did not need to be there - he had volunteered.[1]

He was a corporal in the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, "the only all-black unit in the D-Day landings on Omaha and Utah, the two beachheads assigned to American forces."[2] The barrage balloons were on long cables that would be caught by the wings or propellers of German airplanes, and if the planes pulled the balloons into contact, explosives on the helium balloons would destroy the aircraft. On D-Day, three German fighters were downed by barrage balloons as they tried to strafe the American soldiers on the beach.[2]

Post-war life

After the war, Bill Dabney returned to a still segregated Roanoke, where he graduated from high school and then earned an electrical engineering degree. But discrimination prevented him from following his trade, so he became a carpet layer and ran his own business for 40 years.[3]

In 1951, he married Beulah; they had three sons: Vincent, Michael and Marlon.[4]

William G. Dabney sat for an interview and gave an oral history of his life and his experiences to The National WWII Museum in 2013. His interview was digitally recorded, and a transcript is also available online.[5]

Honors

Dabney, "the 320th's last known survivor," was awarded the French Legion of Honor in Normandy, France, on June 6, 2009, the 65th anniversary of D-Day.[6]

In recognition of his services during World War II, William Dabney was also given the key to the City of Roanoke, Virginia.[7]

References

  1. ↑ Hervieux, Linda. Forgotten: The Untold Story of D-Day's Black Heroes, at Home and at War. 2015. Pages 121-123.
  2. 1 2 Brian Knowlton (June 5, 2009). "Forgotten Battalion's Last Returns to Beachhead". The New York Times.
  3. ↑ Bamat, Joseph. "The neglected story of African Americans on D-Day" June 4, 2014.
  4. ↑ Hervieux, Linda. Forgotten: The Untold Story of D-Day's Black Heroes, at Home and at War. 2015. Page 262.
  5. ↑ "William G. Dabney".
  6. ↑ "France Honors D-Day Vet from an All Black Unit." June 5, 2009.
  7. ↑ "William Dabney World War II veteran receives key to the city". Roanoke Free Press. December 2, 2009.
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