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Canadian War Hero Recognized
Jeremiah "Jerry" Jones was posthumously recognized for his heroics at the Battle of Vimy Ridge during World War I. His grandson, Roger B. Jones, worked in conjunction with Rear Admiral Paul Maddison, Cmdr. Maritime Forces Atlantic/Joint Task Force Atlantic to establish the award.
When African Canadian men attempted to volunteer for military service in WW1, they were refused on the grounds that it was "a white man's war". With the exception of a few men, such as Jerry, the majority of Black Soldiers who did succeed to enlist, were relegated to construction battalions.
Jerry Jones not only managed to fight for Canada during WW1, he did so with distinction and was nominated for the Distinguished Conduct Medal. Unfortunately, racist attitudes at the time precluded his receiving the medal. 93 years later on February 22, 2010, The Defence Minister, Peter MacKay rectified this with the posthumous awarding of the Canadian Forces Medallion for Distinguished Service to Private Jones.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremiah_Jones
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