Houston Riots of 1917

The 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment was a unit of “Buffalo Soldiers” – Black enlisted men, commanded by White officers. At Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas, are 17 headstones in a row. They are unusual markers in what they don’t show. There is a story behind these 17 headstones. It is a story of racial tensions that boiled over into one of the most notorious mutinies in American military history. It is the story of the largest mass court martial and executions in the history of the U.S. Army. As a result of the first hurried executions, the Army ordered all future death sentences to be reviewed before they could be carried out., forever changing military justice. On Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022, VA and Army leaders will unveil a historical interpretative sign at Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery that tells the story of these soldiers.