BENEATH THE WREATHS AT NEW TRINITY: Honoring Black Boy Soldiers of World War I at New Trinity Cemetery.

BENEATH THE WREATHS AT NEW TRINITY: Honoring Black Boy Soldiers of World War I at New Trinity Cemetery.

Children of War. Sons of Courage.

Haltom City, Texas — Our Black boy soldiers of World War I carried burdens no child should ever bear. They marched, labored, and served with courage far beyond their years. At New Trinity Cemetery, they now rest beside more than 500 Black military veterans whose sacrifices helped shape this nation—even as that same nation denied them dignity, equality, and honor in return.

On December 13, 2025, during the solemn Wreaths Across America ceremony at historic New Trinity Cemetery, a long-buried truth emerged from beneath grass, stone, and silence: among those laid to rest here are Black boys—some as young as twelve years old—who served during World War I between 1917 and 1919.

As volunteers moved reverently through the military rows, retired veteran Jack Webb of American Legion Post 655 shared overlooked history with Pastor Kyev Tatum of New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church. Beneath one wreath lay Private Arthur Williams, Company C, 325th Service Battalion, Quartermaster Corps. His headstone bears quiet witness to his life:

August 11, 1905 – September 21, 1955

When Pastor Tatum calculated the dates, the truth struck with sobering force. Arthur Williams was only twelve years old in 1917, the year the United States entered the Great War. As nearby headstones were examined, the realization became unavoidable—other Black boys had also served during the war years of 1917 to 1919, their stories buried by segregation, neglect, and historical erasure.

These were not men seasoned by age or experience.

These were boy soldiers.

Children wearing uniforms tailored for grown bodies.

Children absorbed into a segregated military that denied them dignity, equality, and often even the means to defend themselves.

Children placed directly in harm’s way by a nation that refused to recognize them as full citizens.

Though Black Americans were permitted to serve beginning in 1917 under the Selective Service Act, they were overwhelmingly assigned to labor and service battalions, subjected to racial hostility, and denied equal protection under military law. What remains largely unknown—and rarely taught—is that underage enlistment was a grim and widespread reality of World War I. Across Allied forces, boys as young as twelve to fifteen lied about their age or were pushed through recruitment systems desperate for manpower.

This tragedy crossed borders and nations. Sidney Lewis of the British Army enlisted at twelve and fought at the Battle of the Somme at thirteen. Historical evidence strongly suggests that Black boys were also swept into this global catastrophe, their vulnerability compounded by racism, segregation, and invisibility. In the United States, some Black teenagers—and in rare cases even younger boys—served during the war’s final years, often hidden within labor units where records were incomplete or never preserved.

For Black boys, the cost was especially severe.

Many never returned home.

Those who did returned to segregation, silence, and a nation that offered no parade, no public honor, and no equal recognition of their sacrifice.

“These were not men soldiers—these were boy soldiers,” said Pastor Kyev Tatum.

“They were forced to serve without dignity, equality, or protection. Too many died. Too many returned to no acknowledgment of their patriotism. If this nation would not honor them in life, we are committed to honoring them in death.”

In response, New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church, in partnership with the Texas Buffalo Soldiers Association and American Legion Post 655, will lead a historical exploration and documentation initiative to identify Black child soldiers and veterans buried at New Trinity Cemetery—restoring their names, their stories, and their dignity to the public record.

This sacred responsibility now belongs to us all.

YOU ARE INVITED

140th Anniversary Kickoff of New Trinity Cemetery (1886–2026)

MLK Day of Service Work Day

New Trinity Cemetery

4001 Beach Street, Haltom City, Texas 76117

Saturday, January 17, 2026

10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

This gathering commemorates the 140th anniversary of New Trinity Cemetery, a sacred place born of faith, resistance, and love. When no white cemetery would accept her Black husband, Rev. Greene Fretwell—a formerly enslaved man and pastor of Trinity Chapel Methodist Church—Mother Francis Fretwell raised funds to purchase land so Black families could bury their loved ones with dignity.

In 1889, trustees of Trinity Chapel Methodist Church purchased two acres for worship and burial. Services began under a brush arbor, followed by the construction of a frame church. By the 1920s, burials expanded onto what became New Trinity Cemetery, with additional land designated in 1931 as People’s Burial Park. Together, these sacred grounds stand today as New Trinity Cemetery.

Pastor Kyev Tatum and the Texas Buffalo Soldiers invite families, veterans, students, faith communities, historians, and civic leaders to gather for this MLK Day of Service as we honor the men, women, and children veterans laid to rest here.

This will be a day of remembrance, restoration, and reverence—to tend sacred ground, preserve forgotten graves, and speak aloud the names of those who served in silence.

Our Black boy soldiers of World War I carried burdens no child should bear and served with courage far beyond their years. Alongside them rest more than 500 Black veterans whose sacrifices helped shape this nation, even as that nation denied them dignity in return.

They deserve more than wreaths once a year.

They deserve truth.

They deserve honor.

They deserve remembrance.

Come help us honor them. Contact Pastor Tatum at 817-966-7625, kptatum1@gmail.com, or visit www.newmountrose.com for details on the 2026 MLK Day of Service.