Eugene Bullard
| Eugene Jacques Bullard | |
|---|---|
Bullard in his uniform as a Caporal.
|
|
| Nickname(s) | Black Swallow of Death (l'Hirondelle noire de la mort) |
| Born |
October 9, 1895 Columbus, Georgia, United States |
| Died | October 12, 1961 (aged 66) New York City, United States |
| Buried at | Flushing Cemetery (40°45′6″N 73°47′58″W / 40.75167°N 73.79944°WCoordinates: 40°45′6″N 73°47′58″W / 40.75167°N 73.79944°W) |
| Allegiance |
 France
|
| Service/branch |
 French Foreign Legion170th French Infantry Regiment  French Air Service
|
| Years of service | 1914–1919, 1940 |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
| Awards |
Légion d'honneur Médaille militaire Croix de guerre Croix de guerre Croix du combattant volontaire 1914-1918 Insigne des blessés militaires Médaille Interalliée 1914–1918 Médaille commémorative de la guerre 1914-1918 Médaille commémorative de la guerre 1939–1945 Insignia for the Military Wounded |
Eugene Jacques Bullard (9 October 1895 – 12 October 1961), born Eugene James Bullard, was the first African-American military pilot. His life has been surrounded by many legends. However, Bullard, who flew for France, was unquestionably one of the few black combat pilots during World War I, along with the Ottoman Empire's Ahmet Ali Çelikten.
Bullard was born in Columbus, Georgia, the seventh of ten children born to William (Octave) Bullard, a black man who was from Martinique, and Josephine ("Yokalee") Thomas, a Creek Indian. His father's ancestors had been enslaved in Haiti by French refugees who later fled during the Haitian Revolution, which abolished slavery. Bullard's ancestors left the Caribbean and reached the United States and took refuge with the Creek Indians.
Bullard was a student at the Twenty-eighth Street School from 1901 to 1906. As a teenager, he stowed away on a ship bound for Scotland, hoping to escape racial discrimination. (He later claimed to have witnessed his father's narrow escape from lynching). Bullard arrived at Aberdeen and made his way south to Glasgow. On a visit to Paris, he decided to settle in France. He became a boxer in Paris and also worked in a music hall.
World War I began in August 1914, and on October 19, 1914, Bullard enlisted and was assigned to the third Marching Regiment of the Foreign Legion as volunteers from overseas were then allowed only to serve in the French colonial troops.
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 a second Champagne offensive (25 September – 6 November 1915) along the Meuse river. 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 and also served with the 170th French Infantry Regiment (French: ) other known as « hirondelles noires de la mort ». The 2nd Marching Regiment of the 1st Foreign Regiment and the 2nd Marching Regiment of the 2nd Foreign Regiment were serving as part of the 1st Moroccan Division. Commanded initially by Hubert Lyautey, a 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 tirailleurs. 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 and officers, and ended with 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 2eEtranger were merged into one unit – the Régiment de Marche de la Légion étrangère R.M.L.E, which in 1920 became the 3rd Foreign Regiment of the French Foreign Legion. Bullard participated in the combats on the Somme, Champagne, and Verdun where he was severely wounded on March 5, 1916.
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