3. Medgar Evers
Medgar Evers was a famed civil rights activist, who embarked on a fulfilling career as the NAACP’s first field secretary. His main work involved desegregating colleges in Mississippi, a noble feat that he’s now remembered for. Sadly, his efforts led to his assassination in 1963, as turbulent times surrounding the fight for racial equality was raging.
Before these civil issues came to pass, however, Evers was a soldier in the U.S. Army. Enlisting in 1943, he served as part of the 325th Port Company in Europe, a segregated unit of black soldiers. Evers not only delivered crucial supplies during the Normandy invasion, but he took action on the front lines with a supply convoy that hauled fuel and other provisions to General George Patton’s tank units throughout France.