top of page
Search

Sigma Men at Fort Des Moines: Leaders, Scholars, Soldiers

Updated: Jun 11

In 1917, Fort Des Moines became a national milestone as the country’s first and only World War I officer training camp for African American men. Among those who answered the call to Fort Des Moines were courageous leaders from Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.


Two remarkable members who trained at Ft. Des Moines were:


Colonel Howard D. Queen

From a teenage enlistee in the 10th Cavalry’s “Buffalo Soldiers” at Fort Huachuca, Queen later joined Phi Beta Sigma at Howard University’s Alpha Chapter. After training at Fort Des Moines, he was commissioned and served with the esteemed 92nd “Buffalo” Division—surviving the Carrizal Massacre in Mexico and leading Black infantry units (the famed Harlem Hellfighters among them) through World Wars I and II. He ultimately became one of the few Black full Colonels in WWII and authored the foreword to The Invisible Soldier, ensuring the stories of Black soldiers endured.


Major Milton Taylor Dean

Born in 1880 in Shreveport, Louisiana, Dean enlisted in the 9th Cavalry and rose to Regimental Sergeant by 1915. After commissioning at Fort Des Moines—named one of the top three Black officers in the U.S. Army during WWI—he earned the French Croix de Guerre. Dean later taught ROTC at Howard University and Dunbar High School, shaping future generations of leaders.



Phi Beta Sigma’s Broader Legacy at Fort Des Moines

  • 28 Sigma brothers entered training at Fort Des Moines; 22 received commissions.

  • Three Sigma officers made the ultimate sacrifice in battle.



Phi Beta Sigma’s presence at Fort Des Moines demonstrates the power of collective action—where intellectual, military, and moral leadership converged. In living the fraternal ideals of scholarship and service, these men helped shape the Black American military legacy and inspired allied racial equity.


Join us in honoring these trailblazers and ensuring their contributions are never forgotten.


📅 Fort Des Moines Historic Marker Unveiling

🗓️ Saturday, June 14, 2025

📍 Fort Des Moines Historic Site


Sources:

  1. Fort Des Moines Exhibit Honors African-American Men Who Served in WWI. (2019, May 17). Des Moines Register. Retrieved from https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/local/community/2019/05/17/fort-des-moines-exhibit-honors-phi-beta-sigma-soldiers/3703628002/

  2. Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. (n.d.). History. Retrieved June 11, 2025, from https://www.phibetasigma1914.org/history/

  3. Spiller, R. E., et al. (Eds.). (1991). The Invisible Soldier: The Experience of the Black Soldier, World War II. Wayne State University Press. [Referenced in discussion of Col. Queen’s foreword contribution.]

  4. Phi Beta Sigma members Willard Hut, Kevin Christian, Keith King, and William Bass

ความคิดเห็น

bottom of page