The Great African American Generation

The Great African American Generation. [Veterans Memorial Park]. , This monument pays tribute to all of those Polk County African Americans who served in World War II. Their service to the country would continue long after the battlefields of World War II grew silent. , , More than one and a half million African Americans served in the United States armed forces during World War II. As members of the US military this great African American generation frequently encountered unequal treatment and limited opportunities for promotion and transfer. Despite the challenges Polk County African Americans joined the war effort serving in combat and combat support units both overseas and in the United States. Jordan “J.J.” Corbett was one of them. Enlisting in 1943 and serving in the “Triple Nickle” 555th parachute infantry battalion nicknamed the “Smoke Jumpers”. These soldiers conducted dangerous missions parachuting out of planes to extinguish forest fires. , , Another world war two veteran was Lemuel Geathers who after graduation as valedictorian of all-black Jewett High School in 1943 joined the U.S. Navy at age 19 he became one of the first African Americans to be trained by the Navy as an electrician. Following the war J.J. Corbett joined millions of fellow Americans from “The Greatest Generation” achieving success in multiple careers and became a leader in his community. Lemuel Geathers earned a degree from Florida A&M University under the GI Bill and became an educator and businessman in Polk County. Later becoming Winter Haven’s first African American Mayor. . This historical marker was erected in 2021 by Polk County Veterans Council and the Lakeland Chapter of the NAACP. It is in Lakeland in Polk County Florida