92nd Infantry Division
August 20, 2005 -
As a World War II veteran, Chase is of the last generation of Buffalo Soldiers, the all-black regiment of the segregated Army.
Chase, now 85, lives quietly in St. Augustine South. It's the same house he bought when he and his wife, Nellie, became the first black couple in the neighborhood in 1978.
He's quiet about his achievements. "He never wants to make a fuss about it," Nellie said. They've had six children together, and their house is covered in framed photos of three generations.
A few black and whites, placed on top of the china cabinet in their home, show a young man, holding a radio in one hand and a M-1 in another.
Chase remembers those days vividly, though he's now white-haired, ailed by an aching back and shrapnel in his jaw. Just looking at his pictures, Chase can tell the story.
Born in Jacksonville in 1920, Chase grew up in "ignorant times." "In 1942, Uncle Sam pointed his finger at me," said Chase, talking about the day he was drafted.
As a black man in a segregated army, Chase joined the 92nd Infantry Division, also called the Buffalo or black division. His regiment was the 365th. All the commanders, staff officers and most of the company commanders were white. All the enlisted men were black.
Even while serving his country, he was looked down upon by whites, he said. "We did field training in Louisiana," said Chase. "They didn't like Negroes down there." In 1943, he sailed for 21 days to Italy. "That's when we hit the ground running," Chase said.
Working as a radio operator, Chase saw action all the way through Italy. He remembers the sound of the screaming meemie rockets, the weight of his pack, and taking baths with his helmet by rivers.
He also remembers that racism somehow found its way over the ocean. "They called the whites Americano. They called us Americano Negro," he said of the Italians. "We couldn't just be Americano."
But just like any other soldier, Chase fought his way through Italy with his M-1, taking part in the assault on the Gothic Line. His division fought alongside white divisions.
"They accepted you, but we couldn't be together," he said. "If they met you on the street, they probably wouldn't talk to you. But on the front line, we all had a job to do."
That job earned him the Combat Infantry Badge, which is given to infantry soldiers who come under hostile fire. His duty was up in 1945, and we went back to a country that welcomed him with less than open arms.
"When I got back, it was 'Go to the back of the bus,' " he said. "You couldn't even vote. It didn't change anything for me, as far as how people treated me."
Chase and the other black soldiers stood in the shadows as white soldiers got hero's welcomes. "It was their war. It was their show," he said. "They got parades and everything. We couldn't even be in the parades. But I couldn't let it get the best of me."
He put the war behind him -- "water under the bridge" -- and started work as a funeral director in Connecticut. He came down to Florida to retire. Chase said that although the army is now integrated, he's sure there's still some racism that goes on. "We have a long way to go," he said. But he still carries a motto he learned from the days of segregation. "Always treat others how you want to be treated," he said. "And treat them that way first."
