Arab Americans – Arab American War Veterans

Arab American Kayyed Hassan leads a parade honoring Arab Americans who's served in the U.S. Military. Photo courtesy of Kayyad Hassan

Why its important to document the service of Arab Americans

December 17, 2020 rayawv1953 0

Why its important to document the service of Arab Americans By Ray Hanania Arab Americans are discriminated against in America. We are signed out for […]

Why its important to document the service of Arab Americans
Why its important to document the service of Arab Americans By Ray Hanania Arab Americans are discriminated against in America. We are signed out for political discrimination, racial discrimination and societal discrimination. We are often portrayed as being unpatriotic and marginalized. We are excluded from the fundamental foundations of society and denied the privileges of being citizens of this country even though we are citizens. There have been members of the Arab American community who have served in the American military since before the American Civil War. We collect these stories that have been previously posted and that we have rights to republish, and we include original content submitted by relatives of veterans or veterans themselves. Arab Americans have served in defense of this country in World. War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the wars in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Kuwait and in the fight against the ISIS terrorists. We have fought proudly, and patriotically and yet our patriotism is often challenged and denied. We are Americans in every aspect, similar to individuals of other races, ethnicities and national origin, and yet we are denied basic fundamental rights that include, for example, our share of Federal Government program support. That support comes not only from having served in the military but also being included in the U.S. Census. Unfortunately, because of racism and xenophobia, Arab Americans are excluded from the U.S. Census and we are denied Federal program support. That support includes hundreds of millions of dollars that are divided up among other ethnic and racial groups including African Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans, Native Americans and many, many more. In the posts, you will be able to read about the history and experiences of many of the Arab Americans who served in the various branches of the U.S. Military including the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Marines, the U.S. Navy and in other branches including the reserve and national guard. We have held every rank from he lowers to the highest. We have won medals of honor and have been honorably discharged. Our bravery has been affirmed in records but never showcased because of the racism that exists in this society. One reason Arab Americans who have served in the military and who are veteran fight so hard to insist upon our recognition is to demonstrate that we are equal to everyone in this country. We deserve respect and we deserve recognition. And, we deserve to tell our individual stories. Don’t allow the racism that is fundamental to American society to prevent you from telling your story or the story or your relatives who served int he military. Whether you are now active duty or have served in active duty, or in the reserves or the national guard, you have a right and even an obligation to share that story not only for yourself but for your community and to also make America a stronger and more righteous nation. We support America’s freedoms and we have sacrificed our lives to defend that freedom. We fought the Nazis in Europe and the Japanese in the Pacific. We defended American interests in the Middle East where our ancestors originate doing so knowing that we are helping to preserve human rights in the Arab World. We are Christian and we are Muslim. And we come from 22 Arab countries including Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Libya, Yemen, Algeria and more. If you served in the U.S. Military or if your relatives served in the U.S. Military, make sure to submit your story or your relative’s stories and photos so we can share them here. Email them to rghanania@gmail.com. Don;t let the fundamental racist hatred that plagues American prevent you from helping to eradicate that racism and make American a better country’s he country of freedom and human rights that it strives to be. (Ray Hanania is an award winning former Chicago City Hall reporter who served in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War with honor and distinction. Hanania is currently a columnist and correspondent for several American and Middle East newspapers. Visit www.Hanania.com for information on his writings, his radio shows and his podcasts.)

George John Hanania, US 5th Army WWII
George John Hanania, US 5th Army WWII George John Hanania was born in Jerusalem on Nov. 11, 1909. He was one of the first Arab Americans to immigrate and settle in Chicago, in the mid-1920s. He followed his brother, Mousa (Moses) who had settled in Chicago around 1922. His father, Hanna Mousa (John Moses) Hanania, lived in the Romema Quarter of Old Jerusalem on Jaffa Road. Hanna Mousa worked as a traveling salesman and sold goods at the Centennial Celebration in New York and at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Most of his recent trips, though, were to Cairo, Egypt. His wife was Katreena Jyries Cattan. George had five brothers, two older brothers, Yusef (Joseph) and Mousa (Moses), and three younger brothers, Khamis, Farid and Edward. He had two sisters, Ellen and Helen. The family was related to Jyries Hanania, the founder of Al-Quds newspaper in the mid-19th Century and to Judge Hanania Hanania, a Palestinian Magistrate in Jerusalem. George obtained a typical education as a Palestinian Arab. He attended the Ratisbon’s School (1912-1914), and then the American Mission School (1915-1917). He also attended Eccles des Freres and then St. George High schools (1914-1920). He entered college in 1923 attending the Palestine Patriarchal University (1923-1926) where he began his studies of law. Because of the influence of the British and their control of Palestine through a “Mandate,” the English language was taught as a second language to nearly all Palestinian Arabs. French was the second most popular language taught in schools supported by Christian missions from the West. Yusef and George worked at the Jerusalem Post Office. George was a Postal Clerk Grade V Posts and Telegraphs, employed from June 23, 1920 until August 31, 1926. If his birth certificate is correct (being born in 1909) George would have been 11 years old when he started at the post office. I believe his date of birth as registered on his entrance papers to the United States is incorrect, and he was probably born between 1901 and 1904, making him 16-19 years old when he first started working for the British Government Postal Service. Yusef was able to secure a fulltime position working in the Jerusalem Post Office, and he was able to help his brother George obtain part-time work there, too. There is correspondence between George and the Director of the Government of Palestine in charge of various employment positions indicating efforts were made to secure jobs for other members of the family, but to no avail. Four specific events, most dealing with the poor employment conditions in Palestine in the mid-1920s, influenced the decision by George Hanania to leave Palestine and immigrate to the United States. George’s brother Yusef drowned at the Jerusalem Quarry in April 1926, at a time when Arab and Jewish relations were simmering politically. Jewish, Muslim and Christian by-standers hearing Yusef’s cries for help did not respond. Jews thought he was Muslim. Muslims thought he was Jewish. Christians thought he was not Christian. The event typified the growing animosity that existed in Palestine between Arabs and Jews who had conflicting interests there. Deteriorating relations between Jews and Arabs culminated in riots in 1929 and again in 1936 when Arabs protested British policies favoring large immigration quotas for European Jews. George’s older brother, Mousa, had already left Palestine to come to the United States several years earlier. Mousa found full time work as a cook in a suburb of Chicago at the Rolling Green Country Club, located in Arlington Heights. A short newspaper article published at the time reported that the country club had been robbed and that a significant amount of money had been taken from the employees, including Mousa, who lost some $800, a sizeable amount of money back then indicating that he was doing very well financially. After Yusef’s death, George and his siblings found it difficult to obtain work. George, who was working part-time, tried to find another position with the British Mandate government for himself and for his sister, Ellen. Applications he had submitted to the Department of Health were turned down. His sister, Ellen, also tried and failed to find work. Finally, George discovered that the British Mandate Government supervisors at the Jerusalem Post Office did not encourage his efforts to complete his education and they either refused or could not accommodate his need for a change in working hours. A request he made to alter his hours or receive permission to be absent from work specifically to attend Law College classes was turned down by his supervisor at the Post Office. George decided to join his brother, Mousa, in the New World, America, “the land of the free.” He was given a Laisser Passer document that permitted his immigration to the United States. It was his only document that identified him as a Palestinian. George arrived in New York City on October 4, 1926, arriving on board the S.S. Sinaea passenger ship, under the raised arm of the Statue of Liberty. He always recalled it as an inspiring site. He quickly took a train and arrived in Chicago’s Union Station where he was met by his brother. The month long trip was trying and expensive, requiring him to spend much of his savings earned working in Jerusalem. Aboard the ship were many other immigrants, Arabs and Jews. While in the United States, between 1926 and 1929, George worked at the Fenske Brothers Center (on North Clybourne), the Astor Street Theater and the LaSalle Street Theater. Eventually, he secured a decent paying job at the Rolling Green Country Club, in Arlington Heights, where he worked with his brother, Mousa. They worked together from 1930 through 1940. In 1934, George was granted naturalization and awarded his US citizenship. Sometime after World War II broke out with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, both he and his brother enlisted in military service. George had just started a job as an accountant at the Sinclair Oil Company …
New Jersey Syrians who served during World War II
New Jersey Syrians who served during World War II The North Jersey News in Patterson published a wonderful story about Syrian Americans who’s served in the U.S. Military during World War II. Syrian American veterans from Paterson, NJ, who served and lost their lives in World War II, including John Raad, for whom an American Legion Post was named. For this story, I captured some of the history and setting for the Syrian community at the time. Please read and share. Click here for the link.
George Ezzat Mohammed
George Ezzat Mohammed George Ezzat Mohammed is an Army Veteran, he served in a small town in Germany called Neu-Ulm from 1954-1956. His rank was Private First Class. Mohammed was assigned to the Artillery Regiment during the occupation of Germany after World War II. He mostly patrolled the Czechoslovakian border. Mohammed was also a Sharpshooter and received a Good Conduct Medal. Mohammed was born in Pittsburgh, PA in 1932, his parents were both born in Palestine. His Father was born in Ein-Arik, Palestine and emigrated to America in 1914. His mother was born in Beitunia, Palestine and emigrated to the United States in 1930.
James Jabara, U.S. Air Force, WW II
James Jabara, U.S. Air Force, WW II James “Jabby” Jabara (10 October 1923 – 17 November 1966) was the first American and United States Air Force jet ace in history. Born in Oklahoma, he lived in Kansas where he enlisted as an aviation cadet at Fort Riley after graduating from high school. Jabara attended four flying schools in Texas before he received his pilot’s wings and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. Jabara flew two tours of combat duty in Europe during World War II as a North American P-51 Mustang pilot, and scored 1.5 air victories against German aircraft. Jabara flew his first jet aircraft in 1948, the USAF Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star before transitioning to the USAF North American F-86 Sabre. Jabara used this aircraft to shoot down multiple Soviet-built MiG-15 jets during the Korean War. He achieved his first confirmed air victory of the war on 3 April 1951. A month later he scored his fifth and sixth victories, making him the first American jet ace in history. He eventually scored 15 victories, giving him the title of “triple ace”. Jabara was ranked as the second-highest-scoring U.S. ace of the Korean War. He received the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, and the British Distinguished Flying Cross for his accomplishments in combat. Jabara next held a series of commands at various Air Force bases across the United States. He flew the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter and later the Convair B-58 Hustler. In 1966, while on leave from service in Vietnam, Colonel Jabara was traveling with his family in two cars to their new home when his daughter crashed the car she was driving and he was riding in, killing them both. They were buried together at Arlington National Cemetery. In recognition of his contributions to military aviation, an airport outside of Wichita, Kansas was named in his honor. Each year the United States Air Force Academy alumni association bestows the Jabara Award upon an Academy graduate whose aerospace accomplishments demonstrate superior performance. Jabara was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, of Lebanese descent; his father, John, and mother came from Marjayoun, a town in Southern Lebanon. Jabara joined the Boy Scouts, eventually becoming an Eagle Scout. At an early age, he was set on becoming a pilot, “I used to read articles about [Eddie] Rickenbacker and all these novels you read about air combat, and I guess from the sixth grade it was my ambition to be a fighter pilot.” He worked at his parents’ grocery store and graduated from Wichita North High School in Wichita, Kansas in May 1942. Standing five feet, five inches (165 cm) tall, Jabara was short for a potential fighter pilot (and was reportedly required to wear corrective eyewear), but this did not prevent him from immediately enlisting as an aviation cadet of the United States Army Air Corps at Fort Riley, Kansas. In an attempt to improve his eyesight for flying, he ate 20 carrots a day in the mistaken belief that this would improve his vision. After attending four flying schools in Texas, he received his pilot’s wings and a commission as second lieutenant at Moore Field, Texas in October 1943. Jabara with his wife, Nina, had four children: James William (b. 1949), Carol Ann (b. 1950), Cathy (b. 1952), and Jeanne (b. 1957) Bio courtesy of Wikipedia
Muna Nur, Arab medic, U.S. Army
Arab medic spends her career mending fellow Soldiers, preconceptions (Profile published by the U,.S. Army. By Sgt. Ken Scar) PARWAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan (Sept. 13, 2012) — Staff Sgt. Muna Nur leaves a lasting impression on those who meet her. Born in Somalia, her feisty attitude is a testament to her six-year military career that includes two tough deployments to Iraq and a third, current one to Afghanistan, where she is the noncommissioned officer in charge of the Troop Medical Clinic, 10th Sustainment Brigade, Task Force Muleskinner. “I was born in Somalia, so I’m a child of war, I guess,” she said. “When I was 2 months old, because of the war, my mom moved us to Kenya until I was 5, and then to America, where we finally settled in Minnesota. I consider myself an American, even though I wasn’t born there.” On a typical shift in the walk-in clinic on Bagram Airfield that she manages when she’s not on missions outside the wire, she can be seen ribbing her medics good-naturedly like a stern mother. “I run a tight ship,” she said, furrowing her brow toward everyone in the waiting area to light-hearted laughter. Nur has worked her way to a position that suits her well, but things have not always run so smoothly for her. She is a proud Muslim, a trait that has created difficulties for her in the past — especially after 9/11. “9/11 created such an awkward position for my family,” she said. “My mom is not totally religious, but she wears the scarves over her head, and she is very fair-skinned, so she looks Arab. I just remember all the comments.” She trails off, hesitant to get too specific and dredge up old wounds. “I said to myself, ‘Do I want people to think my family is full of terrorists?,” she recalled. “Do I want people to view my religion like we’re all terrorists?’ I wanted to fight back, so that’s one of the main reasons I joined (the Army).” The decision to become a medic was a simpler one: “I wanted to help people.” Being female and a Muslim could have been a double-whammy for someone joining the Army, whose population is historically composed mostly of men and Soldiers who believe in some form of Christianity, but the discrimination she experienced in the civilian world was much worse than what she has experienced as a Soldier. She credits the Army’s emphasis on cultural training for that. “I think the majority of Soldiers are trained to differentiate between terrorists and what Islam is,” she said. That’s not to say she has never heard inconsiderate comments, but as a medic who is often the only female out on a mission, she knows how to brush off the harsh words and posturing of some her less-sensitive colleagues. “My first tour of Iraq was very difficult for me,” she said. “Treating Soldiers who just got hit, I heard the backlash, but now I don’t take it as an attack against Muslims in general — or me. I take it as an attack against terrorists.” Dealing with traditional Afghan prejudices is another thing she has learned to deal with gracefully. “Most (Afghans) are illiterate,” she explained. “They don’t read the Quran. It’s taught to them. So for me, as a Muslim woman who reads the Quran and has my own interpretation, it can be a battle.” “You have to have a thick skin,” she added, smiling. “You have to know what right looks like and be tolerant. You can’t go around telling people their religion is wrong or they believe in false prophets. How would you feel if I condemned you to hell because you’re not a Muslim? I don’t believe in that.” “More than anything, she educates us,” explained Air Force Senior Airman Natasha Whitten, one of Nur’s medics. “Like when the Qurans were burned (in February), she let us know why people were so upset and what would have been (the proper thing to do).” As far as being a female in a war zone, Nur marvels at the fact there is any debate at all that she or any of her female comrades belong in combat. Every medic in her unit rotates from working in the clinic to rolling with combat logistical patrols that travel to smaller combat outposts and bases all over Regional Command-East on the most dangerous roadways in theater. Out of the 42 medics for whom she is responsible, 10 of them are female. “If we took all our females off the road, the missions wouldn’t happen,” she said. She personally goes on an average of three missions per month, so she will likely rack up nearly 50 missions outside the wire on her current deployment. “She is dedicated to what she does,” said Sgt. Maj. Janice Glaze, operations sergeant major for Task Force Muleskinner. “She really has concern for Soldiers, and I would speak to her courage. As a medic, she treats the Soldiers (who) encounter improvised explosive devices. She sees the wounds, so she knows what can happen when you go outside that wire — and yet she is never hesitant to go on those missions.” “Once you’re outside the wire, anything can happen,” Nur said. “I want the world to know that my medics go out there and have to be combat Soldiers, whether they’re male or female.” “When you go out (on the convoys), there’s no separation. We all sleep in the same tents, or the same trucks,” she said.” “We are already in combat,” said Air Force Staff Sgt. Anahi Pelayo, also one of Nur’s medics, referring to the debate over whether women should be in combat positions. “We (female medics) are not necessarily behind the weapons, but we take care of everyone else (who) is.” “I love the action, and I love being out. But I always say that I like to stay unemployed on missions,” Nur said.
Philip “Hi Jolly” Tedro (Tadros), U.S. Civil War
Philip “Hi Jolly” Tadros, U.S. Civil War Hi Jolly or Hadji Ali (Arabic: حاج علي‎, translit. Ḥājj ʿAlī; Turkish: Hacı Ali), later known as Philip Tedro (born ‘Ali al-Hajaya c. 1828 – December 16, 1902), was an Ottoman subject of Syrian and Greek parentage,[1] and in 1856 became one of the first camel drivers ever hired by the US Army to lead the camel driver experiment in the Southwest. Hi Jolly became a living legend until his death in Arizona. Once, insulted because he had not been invited to a German picnic in Los Angeles, he broke up the gathering by driving into it on a yellow cart pulled by two of his pet camels. He was born as Philip Tedro in Smyrna around 1828, to a Greek mother and a Syrian father who was a Christian Arab. As a young adult, he converted to Islam. After going to Mecca to perform the hajj (pilgrimage), he called himself Hadji Ali. He reverted to Philip Tedro in later life. An Ottoman Turkish citizen of Greater Syria, Hadji Ali worked as a camel breeder and trainer. He served with the French Army in Algiers before signing on as a camel driver for the US Army in 1856. Ali was one of several men hired by the United States Army to introduce camels as beasts of burden to transport cargo across the “Great American Desert.” Eight of the men – including Ali – were of Greek origin. They arrived at the Port of Indianola in Calhoun County, Texas on the USS Supply. The book Go West Greek George by Steven Dean Pastis, published in both Greek and English, specifically identifies all eight men. These pioneers were Yiorgos Caralambo (later known as Greek George), Hadji Ali (Hi Jolly, a.k.a. Philip Tedro), Mimico Teodora (Mico), Hadjiatis Yannaco (Long Tom), Anastasio Coralli (Short Tom), Michelo Georgios, Yanni Iliato, and Giorgios Costi. The Americans acquired three camels in Tunis, nine in Egypt and 21 in Smyrna: 33 in all. Ali was the lead camel driver during the US Army’s experiment with the U.S. Camel Corps in using camels in the dry deserts of the Southwest. After successfully traveling round trip from Texas to California, the experiment failed, partly due to the problem that the Army’s burros, horses, and mules feared the large animals, often panicking, and the tensions of the American Civil War led to Congress not approving more funds for the Corps. In 1864, the camels were finally auctioned off in Benicia, California, and Camp Verde, Texas. Ali was discharged from the Quartermaster Department of the U.S. Army at Camp McDowell in 1870. He next ran a freight service between the Colorado River and the mining establishments further east, using the few camels he had purchased. His business was unsuccessful, however, and he released his camels into the desert near Gila Bend. He became an American citizen in 1880, and he used his birth name of Philip Tedro (sometimes spelled Teadrow) when he married Gertrudis Serna in Tucson, Arizona. They had two children. In 1885, Ali was again hired by the U.S. Army in Arizona, and worked with pack mules for Brig. Gen. George Crook during the Geronimo campaign. In his final years, Ali moved to Quartzsite, Arizona, where he mined and occasionally scouted for the US government. He died in 1902 and was buried in the Quartzsite Cemetery. In 1935, Arizona Governor Benjamin Moeur dedicated a monument to Hadji Ali and the Camel Corps in the Quartzsite Cemetery. The monument, located at his gravesite, is a pyramid built from local stones and topped with a copper camel. The monument is the most visited location in Quartzsite. The plaque on the monument reads: THE LAST CAMP OF HI JOLLY BORN SOMEWHERE IN SYRIA ABOUT 1828 DIED AT QUARTZITE DECEMBER 16, 1902 CAME TO THIS COUNTRY FEBRUARY 10, 1856 CAMELDRIVER – PACKER SCOUT – OVER THIRTY YEARS A FAITHFUL AID TO THE U.S. GOVERNMENT ARIZONA HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT 1935 (Bio courtesy of Wikipedia)