who was eugene bullard how did he make history
why was he famous in europe yet unknown in his own country
hello i'm colin heaton former soldier marine corps scout sniper history professor historian and book
author and we will answer these questions and other issues on this segment of forgotten history
eugene bullard was born on october 9 1895 in columbus georgia to william bullard a former
slave and josephine bullard his father was born on a property owned by a wily bullard
a slave owning planter in stewart county georgia eugene's early youth was unhappy he suffered the
trauma of watching a white mob attempt to lynch his father over a workplace dispute
despite this event 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
eugene heard the stories from his father about how the french did not have the racist policies
it was in fact illegal and that there all men were equal eugene made several attempts to run
away from home one of which resulted in his being returned home and beaten by his father
but in 1906 at the age of 11 bullard ran away for good stopping in atlanta he joined a british clan
of gypsies known as the stanleys and traveled with them tending their horses and learning to ride
it was the stanleys who told him how the racial barriers did not exist in britain either
since the stanleys were not returning to the united kingdom bullard found work with the
turner family in dawson georgia because of his hard work as a stable boy and being able to ride
he was asked to be their jockey in the 1911 county fair races
in 1912 he finally stowed away on a ship the marta russ a german freighter moored in norfolk virginia
bound for hamburg germany he disembarked the ship in aberdeen scotland when it pulled into port
from there he went to glasgow then on to london and worked as a boxer and slapstick performer
in belle davis's friedman pikaninis a black entertainment troupe
while in london he caught the eye of a then famous boxer named dixie kidd who trained him he saw his
talent and eugene became a formidable lightweight and then a middleweight boxer after several
months of successful boxing matches in london in 1913 bullard went to france for a boxing match
he did quite well settling in paris he became so comfortable with french customs that he decided
to make a home there he later wrote quote it seemed to me that french democracy influenced
the minds of both black and white americans there and helped us all act like brothers end quote
world war one began in august 1914 so bullard enlisted in the french foreign legion while
serving with the 170th infantry regiment which was part of the first moroccan division
he distinguished himself in many ways the 170th was nicknamed
les or in english the swallows of death such was their fearsome reputation
in combat bullard fought in the battle of verdun where he was seriously wounded in march of 1916.
he was taken from the battlefield essentially on to recuperate while on leave in paris bullard
better friend two thousand dollars that despite his color he could enlist in the french flying
service bullard's determination paid off and in november 1916 he entered the aeronautic military
due to his service in the legion he was called le rondelle noir in french meaning black swallow
bullard began flight training in tours in 1916 and received his wings in may 1917.
he was assigned to eska drill spa 93 then later transferred to escrow drill spa 85
in september 1917 where he remained until he left the aeronautic military
in november 1917 while a bullet was flying a spade seven he claimed two aerial victories a barker
tri plane and a thousand d3 but neither victory could be confirmed at the time with some accounts
later after the war eventually verifying one of those victories probably the fouls
despite seven the aircraft he flew first flew in april 1916 and was one of the most successful
fighters of world war one it was a single seat biplane that was sturdy and had a good climbing
rate to twelve thousand feet and good diving characteristics the early models were powered
with the 150 horsepower hispano suiza 8a engine which provided 119 miles per hour
later spads were upgraded to the 180 horsepower and then 200 horsepower engines
giving an extra 10 miles per hour although less maneuverable than the lightweight newport 17
currently in existence it was very stable as a gun platform and the new port was eventually phased
out in favor of the spad 8 when it arrived during the war approximately six hundred spads were built
during his flying days bullard had an insignia on his bad seven
which was a heart with a dagger running through it and the slogan
all blood runs red reportedly bullard also flew with a mascot a rhesus monkey named jimmy
bullard was one of the few black combat pilots during world war one
along with william robinson clark a jamaican who flew for the royal
flying corps domenico mandeli from italy and ahmet ali chalichten of the ottoman empire
after the united states entered the war in 1917 bullard tried to join the u.s air service but he
was not accepted ostensibly because he was an enlisted man with the rank of corporal
and the air service required pilots to be officers and hold at least the rank of first lieutenant
however the real reason was because of the racial prejudice
so bullet returned to the aeronautics military but he was soon kicked out after a confrontation with
the french officer the details being unknown but there was an assault charge that was later
dismissed he returned to the 170th infantry regiment until his discharge in october 1919.
after the military eugene bullard worked in a nightclub called zelis in the montemartra district
of paris then he owned a nightclub which he named le grand duke which was an american style bar he
also owned one similar to that called le escodrill he operated an athletic club and was a trainer for
boxers panama al brown and young perez during this time he married a french woman marcel destroman
a part-time jazz drummer himself he became friends with some of the notables of his day such as
poet langston hughes later he met and became best friends with jazz great louis armstrong
he also knew author f scott fitzgerald became friends with the first world war 43 victory french
ace charles nungesser also he became friends with artist salvador dali and pablo picasso
and became very close to author ernest hemingway and the american black singer josephine baker
the political intrigue in the 1930s saw bullard involved in espionage activities
against supporters in france of the nazis before the war the french were still being infiltrated
by german spies and the germans through their diplomatic service would gather information
and bullard was also very fluent in german as well as french so he would listen at the tables
as his customers dined and discussed without their realizing he could understand every word they said
and he passed this information information on to the french intelligence ministry
bullard despite only having a fifth grade education was a well-read and self-educated man
which is why the french intelligence services interviewed him due to his fluency in languages
when the war came to france in 1940 he enlisted in the french army his previous combat record being
outstanding he was assigned as a machine gunner in the 51st infantry regiment however he was soon
severely wounded by an artillery shell shrapnel hitting his back and legs and fearing capture and
also in great pain he made his way to spain then portugal and eventually back to the united states
upon arrival bullard spent some time in a new york hospital but he never fully recovered from
his wounds moreover he found that the fame that he had enjoyed in france had not followed him
to the united states nearly destitute he worked as a perfume salesman a security guard and later
as an interpreter for louis armstrong while on tour but his back injury severely restricted him
in 1945 he attempted to regain his nightclub in paris but it had been destroyed during the
war but he did receive a financial settlement from the french government and was able to buy
an apartment in harlem in new york city bullard then worked as a security guard and longshoreman
and he took up the cause of civil rights in the summer of 1949 he was involved in
an altercation with the police under racist mob at a paul robeson concert in peekskill new york
in which he was beaten by police severely these events left bullard deeply disillusioned with
the united states and he returned to france but he was unable to resume his former life there
but during his lifetime the french showered bullard with honors and in 1954 he was one
of three men chosen to come to france to relight the everlasting flame at the tomb
of the unknown soldier in paris on december 22nd 1959 he was interviewed on the nbc television show
today show by dave garroway bullard wore his elevator operator uniform
during the television interview afterwards he received hundreds of letters from viewers
and became the most famous employee at rockefeller center in october 1959 he was
made a knight of the legion of honor the highest ranking order and decoration bestowed by france
it was the 15th decoration given to him by the french government eugene jacques bullard
was the first military african-american pilot to fly in combat and the only black american
pilot in world war one but he never flew for the united states eugene bullard son of a former slave
an entertainer musician boxer infantry commando combat fighter pilot businessman
civil rights fighter and man of the world died of stomach cancer on october 12 1961.
he was buried with full military honors in the french war veterans section of flushing cemetery
in the new york city borough of queens in 1989 he was posthumously inducted into the inaugural class
of the georgia aviation hall of fame on august 23 1994 bullard was posthumously commissioned
a second lieutenant in the united states air force on october 9 2019 the museum of aviation in warner
robins georgia erected a statue in bullard's honor bullard was immortalized in documentaries and some
films even a book by ernest hemingway the 2006 movie fly boys loosely portrayed bullard but not
without some accuracy eugene bullard was a very unique person a supreme intellect who was a victim
of circumstances and sadly not recognized for his bravery and his abilities by his own country
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