Celebrating Colonel Charles Young and the American Legion Post named in His Honor

Happy Black History Month and belated Happy Valentines’ Day. Of course, being part of an African American-owned and operated newspaper organization, we get no push-back from our Publisher and owner if we say we want to write about Black History 12 months a year. During the month designated as “Black History Month,” we like to do some special kind of reporting. Therefore, I am pleased today to shine the spotlight once again on the distinguished, brave, bold, highly intelligent, and dashing Colonel Charles Young, who was a living legend in his time. His name should be known worldwide and certainly here in America amongst all people, not just African Americans. He indeed was a hero in so many ways.
When I was in my early twenties, I was first introduced to the Colonel Charles Young American Legion Post by the late Pennsylvania State Representative David P. Richardson. I was a young reporter, fresh out of college, still wet behind my ears. State Rep. David P. Richardson told me to “follow him.” He promised to introduce me to all the right people in Black Philadelphia who were about positive things and building up the community. Whenever Rep. Richardson was scheduled to attend events in his district, he would call me and let me know and encourage me to meet him there.
One such place he told me to come, was this place called the “Colonel Charles Young Post.” That was back in 1979. Little did I know that the Post would come to hold an important place in my heart. The first time I went there, it was Veterans Day so there was a parade that concluded outside in front of the Post. There were some speeches, elected officials and other dignitaries, and, of course, a host of Veterans on hand to share in the day. But I still didn’t know about this man, Colonel Charles Young. Brief remarks were made about Colonel Young during the Veterans Day Ceremony, but I needed to know more.
As the offspring of a 25 year enlisted Army man, me being an Army Brat and born on an Army base (Fort Benning, Georgia), I’ve always had a big heart for people who have been brave enough to serve our country in times of peace or war. So for me to have interest in Colonel Charles Young was a no-brainer. Colonel Charles Young was something else.
He was born to enslaved parents, Gabriel & Arminta Young, on March 12, 1864, in May’s Lick, Kentucky. In 1881 at the age of 17, he graduated with academic honors from an integrated high school. After high school, he taught at an African-American elementary school in Ripley for two years. He had a strong desire to further his knowledge and education and was lucky enough to get guidance and mentoring from renowned African-American abolitionist John Parker. In 1883, Charles Young’s father encouraged him to take the entrance examination to the United States Military Academy at West Point. He scored the second-highest on the exam, however because of the color of his skin, he was not selected to the Academy that year. When the candidate ahead of him dropped out of West Point, Young was finally allowed to enter West Point the following year. He became only the ninth African American to attend the Academy and only the third to graduate–at that time.
As a cadet, Charles Young continued to be faced with the same racial insults and social isolation from instructors and other cadets daily as had those before him. Despite all of that, he hung in there and ultimately was awarded his diploma and commission in the summer of 1889.
Because military leaders would not allow an African-American officer to command white troops, the Adjutant General’s Office waited three months after Young’s West Point graduation before giving him an assignment. He was assigned to the newly commissioned 2nd Lieutenant to the 9th Cavalry at Fort Robinson, Nebraska. After a year, marked by isolation and hostility, Young transferred to Fort Duchesne, Utah, where the command and fellow officers welcomed him.
Between 1889 and 1907, Young served in the 9th Cavalry at western posts and rose to the rank of captain. He also taught military science, served as a military attaché, and fought with distinction in the Philippine-American War, winning the praise of his commanders for his troops’ courage and professionalism in and out of combat. In the Fall of 1894, Charles Young received a detached service assignment, and he was sent to Wilberforce, Ohio. Young was to take over the planning and eventual teaching of the new Military Sciences & Tactics courses at Wilberforce University. Young also helped establish the Wilberforce University marching band. Music played an integral part of Young’s life, so it was no wonder that he enthusiastically helped to create the university marching band since he had helped to teach and direct the band at his previous duty station in Fort Duchesne. Lieutenant Young remained at Wilberforce as a professor until early 1898 when the war with Spain had begun with the infamous sinking of the battleship U.S.S. Maine in Cuba. While Young did not re-join his troopers of the 9th Cavalry, he did get appointed as Major and Commander of the Ninth Ohio Battalion, U.S. Volunteers.
Lieutenant Charles Young became one of the distinguished professors at the university around the turn of the century, which included W.E.B. DuBois, who would become a close life-long friend of Charles Young. By April of 1898, Young would be on the move, away from Wilberforce as he mustered up and trained men for potential combat action in Cuba. However, Young had established himself at the university and in the city of Wilberforce, and he frequently returned between his duty stations and assignments to visit and to purchase properties that he would call “home” for the rest of his life.
In the Summer of 1903, Captain Charles Young would become the first African-American national park Superintendent when he and his troops were tasked to manage and maintain Sequoia National Park in northern California. Because the U.S. Army was tasked with protecting the national parks in these early years, the Army would send troops to manage, maintain and patrol them. Young and his troopers arrived in Sequoia National Park in the summer of 1903 and proceeded to construct roads and trails that other troops were unable to do in the years before them. As the leader of his troops, Young would inherit the title of Acting Superintendent of Sequoia National Park that year. He incorporated the local townsfolk to assist his troop’s efforts, and he and his troops’ accomplishments from their summer of hard work were lauded by many throughout the area.
Fast Forward to the year 2022: Tyrone Rucker is the current Commander of the Charles Young Post. Sworn in, in September of 2021, he commented, “I am proud to serve at this historic American Legion Post. We stand today because of strong Black leaders like Colonel Charles Young. I was in the military in the ’60s and ’70s. Back then, they used to do the parade down Sharpnack Street, and my brother and I would drive some of those vehicles down that street in the parade. That’s what first drew me over to the Colonel Charles Young Post.
The purpose of the American Legion Post is to assist Veterans in getting reacclimated back into society in their hometown. We used to offer round-robin discussions where Veterans would sit with other Veterans and have open, honest conversations–so they could assist each other. If a Veteran wants to have an activity such as a baby shower for a family member or a retirement party, they were welcome to host their event(s) at our Post. Of course, the pandemic shut all operations down for a few months. We’re glad to be back up and running, and slowly but surely, people are returning to come out and enjoy our facility and private club. Special programs to help uplift our fellow Veterans are starting to be scheduled again. The only reason we stopped was out of concern for everyone’s health and to comply with what our Governor was asking us to do and not do.”
Commander Rucker says during normal times, members of the Colonel Charles Young American Legion Post get involved with a lot of community service projects and they look forward to getting back to that. They are known for hosting food giveaways in the Germantown area. They host clothing drives, where they encourage people who have “gently used clothing” that they no longer want to donate those clothes at the Post. Members from the Post, in turn, deliver the clothing to area homeless shelters. Every year during the Christmas holidays, they assist the U.S. Marines Toys for Tots Program by collecting new toys for children and donating them to the Toys for Tots effort. There’s a variety of other projects and programs that the men and women Veterans of the Colonel Charles Young Post lend their energy to.
The Colonel Charles Young American Legion Post# 682 is the oldest Post in the City of Philadelphia that was originally opened for African Americans. It is now a Post that welcomes members of all racial backgrounds. Commander Rucker stated, “We don’t turn anybody away, as long as you’ve been in the military. Sometimes we have Veterans who come in with an “undesirable discharge.” We try to assist them in upgrading their discharge paperwork so they can get a “desirable discharge or an honorable discharge.
You must be a member to come and enjoy the social atmosphere at the Post. You have to have been in the Armed forces to become a member. To be an associate member, you have to be invited in by an official member of the Charles Young Post. To come in for just an afternoon or evening, you must come in with a member of the Post.
The Colonel Charles Young Post is located at 159 East Sharpnack Street in the East Mount Airy section of Philadelphia. It is a nonprofit organization that was founded, to support and assist men and women of color, who are Veterans who served this country. The phone number at the Post is 215-849-9135. Normal hours of operation for the Charles Young Post are 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Closed on Mondays and Thursdays.