Hero #1 Henry O. Flipper

I write a lot of critical stuff on my blog, so to have some balance I've decided to write posts of people I think are heroes. Though he's not the first person I've thought of as a hero, Henry O. Flipper is the first person I'd like to write about.

Born as a slave in 1856, Henry Ossian Flipper was the first African-American to graduate from West Point. Admitted in 1873, he graduated in 1877 at the tail end of the Reconstruction era, and endured abuse from his white classmates. Nevertheless, he found time to tutor others.

He served in the Army in a variety of roles, including engineer, post quartermaster, and commissary officer. In 1881, Flipper was accused of embezzlement after over $3,700 sum of money was found missing. Though not guilty of the theft, he was found guilty of conduct unbecoming an officer because of his cover-up, and discharged.

Flipper didn't just give up, though. He went on to become a great civilian engineer and expert in Spanish and Mexican land law, publishing a book on the subject in 1895. He worked to clear his name until his death in 1940; in 1976 his family succeeded in getting the Army to commute his dismissal to an good conduct discharge.

[Source1] [Source2]