Fort Des Moines honors only WWI Black officer training site with new historic marker – The Des Moines Register

Don North, a retired Army veteran and member of the historically Black fraternity Kappa Alpha Psi, found a diamond in the Black history timeline from over a century ago.
Back in 1917, 1,200 African Americans willingly left their homes to undergo training at Fort Des Moines — the first and only training site for Black officers during World War I. Many of those soldiers went on to become officers and fight in the war.
To honor those Black soldiers and the land they graced, a team of veterans led by North will unveil a historic marker at the Fort Des Moines Museum, 255 E. Army Post Road, at 1 p.m. Saturday, June 14. The event is free and open to the public.
“It basically turns out that a lot of this information has not been hidden. It just hasn’t been exposed and brought to the surface so that we could tell our story,” said North, who lives in Georgia. “And that’s what we’re doing.”
“When you gave African Americans a chance, they did their best.”
During a time of racism and segregation, then-President Woodrow Wilson approved Black soldiers to train as officers. National leaders recruited at all four Black fraternities at the time, drawing 1,200 college graduate trainees. Washington, D.C.-based Howard University offered its ground for training, but government officials believed the remote base in Iowa was a better location.
The men were sworn into the Provisional Army Officer Training School by Col. Charles C. Ballou on June 17, 1917. On Oct. 15, the fort graduated 639 men, including 106 captains, 329 first lieutenants and 204 second lieutenants.
A lover of Black history, North, a 20-year veteran, heard about the Fort Des Moines story and quickly assembled a team of people throughout the country. They put a plan together for the ceremony and presented it to the State Historical Society of Iowa. North received the green light for the $10,000 project in August 2024.
He expects a great draw for the unveiling ceremony with a heavy presence of fellow Black veterans and fraternity members. Several political figures will be in attendance as well, including Des Moines Mayor Connie Boesen, North said.
“I’m a retired Air Force officer, so this event means a lot to me,” said Octavious Clark, fellow Kappa Alpha Psi member and contributor to the event. “That’s why I’m coming up to pay homage to these wonderful people that’s being honored.”
Clark, who served in both the Navy and the Air Force, said he’ll make the trip from his home in Winter Park, Florida, to be present for the unveiling ceremony. He assisted North in spreading the news by providing him with a list of Black chapters in the southern province of Kappa Alpha Psi that includes the states of South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Florida.
“To give so much to America during World War I, when America didn’t want them or their service; you weren’t even considered a full citizen at that time, but they went out and became involved in the war effort,” Clark said. “So I feel this is very, very important to keep the history that we have alive.”
The Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps was held at Fort Des Moines during World War II, which produced two of the highest-ranking Black women at the time, Majs. Charity Adams and Hariett Waddy. Adams eventually worked her way up to lieutenant colonel.
Fort Des Moines was a pioneering event for both Black history and war history. The historical marker will only add to the rich history of Iowa’s capital city.
“Back before 1917, the U.S. Army refused to recruit any Black officer candidate,” North said. “They literally said that they were not intelligent enough to lead or command soldiers in combat. They said that Black airmen candidates weren’t intelligent enough to fly our friends.
“And so both of these theories were fought by the heroics and the bravery that these young men in World War I showed and displayed.”
Chris Meglio is a reporter for the Register. Reach him at cmeglio@gannett.com.