Civil War hero Sgt. William H. Carney

The Medal of Honor was awarded to U.S. Army Sgt. William H. Carney, Company C, 54th Massachusetts Colored Infantry Regiment, for Gallantry at Fort Wagner, S.C., July 18, 1863, issued in 1900. (Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Carl J. Cruz Collection)

Of the 3,498 service members who have received the Medal of Honor throughout U.S. history, only 88 have been black.

In recognition of African American History Month, we’re sharing the stories of the brave men who so gallantly risked and gave their lives for others, even in times when others weren’t willing to do the same in return.

We’ll start with the first black recipient of the award: Army Sgt. William H. Carney, who earned the honor for protecting one of the United States’ greatest symbols during the Civil War — the American flag.

Carney was born into slavery in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1840. His family was eventually granted freedom and moved to Massachusetts, where Carney was eager to learn and secretly got involved in academics, despite laws and restrictions that banned blacks from learning to read and write.

Carney had wanted to pursue a career in the church, but when the Civil War broke out, he decided the best way he could serve God was by serving in the military to help free the oppressed.

In March 1863, Carney joined the Union Army and was attached to Company C, 54th Massachusetts Colored Infantry Regiment, the first official black unit recruited for the Union in the north. Forty other black men served with him, including two of famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass’ sons.

Within a few months, Carney’s training would be put to the ultimate test during the unit’s first major combat mission in Charleston, South Carolina.

On July 18, 1863, the soldiers of Carney’s regiment led the charge on Fort Wagner. During the battle, the unit’s color guard was shot. Carney, who was just a few feet away, saw the dying man stumble, and he scrambled to catch the falling flag.

Despite suffering several serious gunshot wounds himself, Carney kept the symbol of the Union held high as he crawled up the hill to the walls of Fort Wagner, urging his fellow troops to follow him. He planted the flag in the sand at the base of the fort and held it upright until his near-lifeless body was rescued.

Even then, though, he didn’t give it up. Many witnesses said Carney refused to give the flag to his rescuers, holding onto it tighter until, with assistance, he made it to the Union’s temporary barracks.

Carney lost a lot of blood and nearly lost his life, but not once did he allow the flag to touch the ground. His heroics inspired other soldiers that day and were crucial to the North securing victory at Fort Wagner. Carney was promoted to the rank of sergeant for his actions.

For his bravery, Carney was awarded the Medal of Honor on May 23, 1900.

Carney’s legacy serves as a shining example of the patriotism that Americans felt at that time, despite the color of their skin.

As for the 54th Massachusetts Colored Infantry Regiment in which Carney served? It was disestablished long ago but reactivated in 2008. It now serves as a National Guard ceremonial unit that renders honorary funerals and state functions. It was even invited to march in President Barack Obama’s inaugural parade.

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Medical debt is a big burden for people nationwide.

People don’t choose to go into medical debt. It’s not like buying a car or a home or using your credit card to buy clothes or a dinner out. Medical debt almost always happens because someone becomes unexpectedly sick or injured in an accident. Medical debt is forced on Americans because we’re currently the only industrialized country in the world that doesn’t offer a Medicare for All type system for everyone.

The repercussions can be devastating. When medical debt is reported on credit reports, it can be much harder for someone to secure employment or housing. It’s likely to increase interest rates or make it harder to get other credit to buy a car or a home. And perhaps worst of all, unpaid medical debt can have the effect of making people avoid needed medical care in the future.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) estimates at least $88 billion in medical debt appears on American credit reports. They believe the total amount of medical debt may be even higher.

To make it worse, information about medical debt is often plagued with inaccuracies and errors due to the complexity of medical billing. In fact, many consumers do not find out about an erroneous medical bill in collections before being denied a mortgage, car loan, or credit card based on their consumer report.

Now, the CFPB has issued a new regulation to stop Experian, TransUnion, Equifax, or any other reporting agency from using medical debt in credit scores.

Medical debt will not even appear on consumer credit reports at all. And, debt collectors will be barred from using medical devices as loan collateral protecting consumers from having their wheelchairs or prosthetic limbs repossessed if the debt goes unpaid. (Yes, this actually happens!)^[1]

Here’s the deal, before the CFPB can implement the new regulation, they have to show board support during the official public comment period.

Big Pharma, Wall Street and Health insurance companies are doing everything they can to stop this from happening. That’s why we have to step up now.