New Memoir, BLACK WARRIORS, is Released

Numbering 4,000 select officers and men, Combat Team 370 was part of the all-Black 92nd Infantry Division, the only all-Negro division to fight in Europe during World War II. In "Black Warriors: The Buffalo Soldiers of World War II" (published by iUniverse), author Ivan J. Houston recounts his experiences, when, as a 19-year-old California college student, he entered the US Army and served with the 3rd Battalion, 370th Infantry Regiment, 92nd Division of Gen. Mark Clark's US Fifth Army from 1943 to 1945.

Drawn from minute-by-minute records of the unit's activities compiled by Houston during his deployment in Italy, this account describes both the historic encounters and the achievements of his fellow black soldiers during this breakthrough period in American military history. It tells of how the Buffalo Soldiers fought alongside other American troops, including Japanese Americans and soldiers from Great Britain, Brazil, South Africa, and India.

Years later, Houston would have a reunion with a member of the Italian resistance he fought alongside with named Bruno Tintori. He had become a highly regarded contemporary artist, and his and Houston's meeting is described thus: "Bruno Tintori's expression of gratitude for what the Buffalo Soldiers had done for Italy, fighting in the rugged North Apennine Mountains and freeing them from the yoke of Fascism and Nazism, will always be remembered. To the Italians we were first class. To the Italians we were heroes."

With photos and maps included, "Black Warriors: The Buffalo Soldiers of World War II" provides a compelling, firsthand account of the segregated Buffalo Soldiers' experiences while they fought not only the power of the Nazi war machine but also racism and the widely held belief they were not up to the task. Their achievements prove otherwise.

"Black Warriors: The Buffalo Soldiers of World War II"
"Memories of the Only Negro Infantry Division to Fight in Europe during World War II"
By Ivan J. Houston, with Gordon Cohn
Softcover | 5.5x8.5in | 244 pages | ISBN 9781936236404
e-book | 244 pages | ISBN 9781936236411
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author
Ivan J. Houston was born in Los Angeles, California. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of California at Berkeley. He has received an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from La Vern University. Professionally, he is a Chartered Life Underwriter, a Fellow of the Life Management Institute and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries. Houston was Chief Executive Officer of Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Company from 1970 until 1990, an organization his father cofounded. In that capacity Golden State rose to become the 3rd largest black life insurance company in the nation with more than $4 billion of insurance in force. He was also a member of the board of directors of some of the nation's leading corporations including Pacific Telesis Group (now part of AT&T), First Interstate Bank (now Wells Fargo) and Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corporation. For 14 consecutive years, he was listed in Ebony Magazine as one of America's most influential black leaders. During World War II, Houston served as a combat infantryman with the all black 92nd Infantry Division in Italy. In that capacity, he was awarded the Combat Infantryman's Badge and the Bronze Star for heroic or meritorious achievement in action. He was also awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received in enemy action. He ended the war as his battalion's sergeant major. In retirement, Houston has published a book based on his combat activities in Italy. It is "Black Warriors: The Buffalo Soldiers of World War II". A second book on the rest of his life is in the works. Houston's spouse, Philippa, passed in March 2011. He is still surrounded and supported by his son, Ivan A., daughters Pamela Chretien and Kathi Berryman, 2 grandsons, 1 great granddaughter and 1 great grandson.

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