Portrait of Sgt. Leon Bass, a member of the all African American 183rd Army Unit
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Sergeant Leon Bass

Portrait of Sergeant Leon Bass during World War II. As an 18-year-old, he volunteered to join the US Army in 1943. Leon and other members of the all African-American 183rd unit witnessed Buchenwald several days after liberation. After the war, he became a teacher and was active in the civil rights movement.

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African Americans liberating units US Army
  • US Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Leon Bass
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