12. 13. 15. THEY BORE THE BURDEN, YET THEIR LEGACY WAS UNCERTAIN. UNTIL NOW. Honoring Fort Worth’s Black Children of World War I. Historic New Trinity Cemetery | MLK Day of Service — January 17, 2026 Haltom City, Texas | Semiquincentennial Kickoff.

12. 13. 15. THEY BORE THE BURDEN, YET THEIR LEGACY WAS UNCERTAIN. UNTIL NOW. Honoring Fort Worth’s Black Children of World War I. Historic New Trinity Cemetery | MLK Day of Service — January 17, 2026 Haltom City, Texas | Semiquincentennial Kickoff

HALTOM CITY, TEXAS - World War I was a grown man’s war—forged in steel and trenches, measured in trauma, and remembered through loss.

Yet among those called to serve were children. 12. 13. 15.

They were Black boys from Fort Worth, Texas—many under the age of fifteen—sent into a global conflict before their childhood had ended, before their voices had fully settled, before their lives had fully begun.

At an age when boys should have been learning their letters, walking Fort Worth streets, helping their families, and imagining who they might become, David Washington, Willie Cobb, and Arthur Williams were compelled to shoulder the physical and emotional weight of war. Along with other Fort Worth children like them, they entered military service at ages 12, 13, and 15, navigating fear, exhaustion, and rigid discipline in a segregated Army that demanded their labor while denying their humanity.

They bore the burden of war long before they were ready to carry it.

Their hands moved supplies.

Their backs built camps and roads.

Their labor ensured that American combat units could move, eat, fight, and survive.

And when the war ended, their youth was gone—

while their freedom remained delayed.

Pvt. David Washington

Company D, 332nd Labor Battalion

Quartermaster Corps (QMC) | World War I

Born: August 21, 1902 — Fort Worth, Texas

Age at service: Approximately 15 years old

Born into Jim Crow Fort Worth, David Washington entered a city shaped by segregation and survival. Still a boy, he was pulled from childhood into the discipline and demands of military life.

Serving in Company D of the 332nd Labor Battalion, Quartermaster Corps, David became part of the Army’s unseen backbone—moving supplies, constructing facilities, and sustaining operations that made war possible. Though barred from combat and advancement because of race, his labor was indispensable to the nation’s cause.

Died: December 8, 1955 — Age 53

Laid to rest at Historic New Trinity Cemetery, Haltom City, Texas.

Pvt. Willie Cobb

435th Reserve Labor Battalion

Quartermaster Corps (QMC) | World War I

Born: April 22, 1904 — Fort Worth, Texas

Age at service: Approximately 13 years old

Willie Cobb was barely a teenager—still a Fort Worth boy—when the responsibilities of war replaced the protections of childhood.

As a Private in the 435th Reserve Labor Battalion, Quartermaster Corps, Willie was sent wherever the Army’s needs were greatest. His work—emergency supply handling, construction, and logistical support—was exhausting, dangerous, and essential. Like many Black boys from Fort Worth, he labored without recognition or assurance that his sacrifice would ever be named.

Died: July 21, 1953 — Age 49

Buried at New Trinity Cemetery, among fellow Fort Worth veterans whose service was long overlooked.

Pvt. Arthur Williams

Company C, 325th Service Battalion

Quartermaster Corps (QMC) | World War I

Born: August 11, 1905 — Fort Worth, Texas

Age at service: Approximately 12 years old

Arthur Williams was only twelve years old—a Fort Worth child by every measure—when he was absorbed into the machinery of war.

Serving in Company C of the 325th Service Battalion, Quartermaster Corps, Arthur provided continuous operational support through food distribution, camp maintenance, and equipment handling. His service reflects the Army’s reliance on Black boys for endurance and obedience, while denying them protection, recognition, and equality.

Died: September 21, 1955 — Age 50

Interred at Historic New Trinity Cemetery, Haltom City, Texas.

Closing Reflection

How does a Fort Worth child process the stress of war?

How does a boy from this city carry responsibilities meant for men?

These children did—without counseling, without protection, and without the promise of freedom when they returned home. They left Fort Worth to serve a segregated nation overseas, only to return to segregation in the city they still called home.

Their resting place at New Trinity Cemetery stands as sacred witness:

Fort Worth sent its children to war—children under fifteen—

and for generations, their sacrifice went unnamed.

Until now.

⸻

In Sacred Remembrance

David Washington.

Willie Cobb.

Arthur Williams.

Children of Fort Worth, Texas.

Children of World War I.

Soldiers of the Quartermaster Corps.

Forever remembered at Historic New Trinity Cemetery.

These Fort Worth children of war will be formally honored on

MLK Day of Service

Saturday, January 17, 2026 | 10:00 AM

New Trinity Cemetery | Haltom City, Texas

Their lives call Fort Worth to remember.

Their memory calls the nation to reckon.

Their sacrifice calls us all to act.

This is remembrance restored.

This is history reclaimed.

This is Fort Worth speaking its truth.