“Joseph, Louis, Fortunate (Fernando), Frank, and August DeGrace made history for the city of Brockton. According to the City of Brockton Facebook page: “Before joining the military, these Cape Verdean descendants worked in Bridgewater brickyards. They were raised in Bedford and moved to Bridgewater to live with a sister after their mother passed in 1937. After serving in the military, Joseph and Louis became Brocktonians.
In 2003, Enterprise News interviewed the brothers about their experiences. Joseph explained, “The government censored letters home to keep our locations mostly unknown. You could tell them you were feeling good, but that’s about all. We didn’t even know where our ships were most of the time.”
But it was in Norfolk, VA, where Joseph faced the worst time of his entire life—not just his military life. Norfolk was where he first encountered segregation.
Until President Harry Truman’s Desegregation Order in 1945, denying African American seamen service on ships was standard practice. Joseph was one of the few African Americans assigned to a ship due to kitchen duty. Joseph explained, “We had to carry a gun in our apron pocket” after a superior had ordered Joseph to buy a gun and keep it on him for protection against attack by white shipmates and fellow seamen.
“They used to make life miserable for us… German prisoners were treated better than we were. They ate with the white service members. We had our own table where the black sailors ate,” explained Joseph.
Despite the racism they encountered, the brothers honored America with their service.”
