Nelson Henry

Nelson Henry
Henry in 2019
Born
Nelson Henry Jr.

(1923-06-15)June 15, 1923
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedMay 9, 2020(2020-05-09) (aged 96)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Branch
 United States Army
Service years
1942–1945
Rank
Private first class
Conflicts
World War II
EducationTemple University
Drexel University
Lewis Katz School of Medicine
SpousesLydia Pritchett
(m. 1940s; died 2016)

Nelson Henry Jr. (June 15, 1923 – May 9, 2020) was an American private in the United States Army.

Life and military career

Henry was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Nelson Sr., a postmaster, and Lucille Henry. He attended Lower Moreland High School, graduating in 1940. After graduating, he attended Lincoln University, a historical black university in Lower Oxford Township, Pennsylvania.[1][2] While attending Lincoln, he played American football;[3] he was listed as an end on the Lions' 1941 roster.[4] His education was interrupted when he enlisted in the United States Army in 1942.[1][2]

During his military service, Henry served in a training program as a junior officer, and held the rank of private first class. On October 17, 1945, he was discharged from the Army.[2] According to The Columbian, he was given a blue discharge because he was "black".[5] During the late 1940s, he appealed numerous times to have his discharge changed, but his appeals failed.[6] He attended Temple University, earning his bachelor's degree in psychology.[1] He also attended Drexel University, earning his mechanical engineering degree, and attended the Lewis Katz School of Medicine, graduating in 1976.[7]

In 2019, after a successful appeal, the United States Army's Board for Correction of Military Records changed Henry's blue discharge to an honorable discharge.[6][8][9]

Personal life and death

Henry married Lydia Pritchett in the 1940s. Their marriage lasted until her death in 2016.[1]

Henry died from complications of COVID-19 at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on May 9, 2020, at the age of 96.[1][2][10] After his death, in June 2020, he was posthumously awarded an honorary doctorate from Lincoln University.[11]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Genzlinger, Neil (July 1, 2020). "Nelson Henry Dies at 96; Fought to Correct Military Slight". The New York Times. Retrieved July 13, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Burney, Melanie (May 11, 2020). "Nelson Henry Jr., World War II vet who fought racism in Army, dies at 96". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved July 13, 2026.
  3. ↑ Burney, Melanie (May 3, 2019). "WWII vet wants Army to upgrade discriminatory discharge to 'honorable,' nearly 75 years after expelling him". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved July 13, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Football roster". The Lincolnian. Oxford, Pennsylvania. October 4, 1941. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "WWII veteran calls honorable discharge from Army 'a miracle'". The Columbian. June 4, 2019. Retrieved August 11, 2026.
  6. 1 2 Burney, Melanie (June 4, 2019). "World War II veteran calls it 'a miracle': Honorable discharge from Army to correct an 'injustice,' nearly 75 years later". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved July 13, 2026.
  7. ↑ "A WWII veteran's fight to receive an honorable discharge". Temple University. November 9, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2026.
  8. ↑ Burney, Melanie (May 21, 2019). "Army agrees to expedite appeal for WWII veteran, 95, seeking honorable discharge". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved July 13, 2026.
  9. ↑ Burney, Melanie (September 5, 2019). "A Philly World War II veteran just got an honorable discharge". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved July 13, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Nelson Henry Jr., honorably discharged after nearly 75 years, dies of coronavirus at 96". Today. July 5, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2026.
  11. ↑ Burney, Melanie (June 26, 2020). "Lincoln University will award an honorary degree to a Black World War II veteran who battled racism". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved July 13, 2026.
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