James Thompson and his fellow soldiers from the 24th Infantry Regiment fought North Korean troops from the Yalu River to the Pusan Perimeter more than 70 years ago. but also battled racism and prejudice from their own side as members of one of the Army’s segregated “Buffalo Soldiers” units.

Mr. Thompson, a New Jersey resident, spent more than 20 years in the Army and later had a long career in law enforcement. But he is most proud of his time in Japan and Korea as a Buffalo Soldier in the early 1950s.

The Buffalo Soldiers were from four segregated regiments: the 9th and 10th Cavalry and the 24th and 25th Infantry, which served in the American West after the Civil War and later fought in places like Cuba and the Philippines. Their officers were initially white although, in Mr. Thompson’s time, more Black officers had leadership roles.

The 24th Infantry Regiment, also known as “Deuce Four,” didn’t get the same logistics support as the white units, and their combat victories in Korea were rarely publicized. 

In September 1950, two months after the start of the war, their division commander, Major General William B. Kean. asked for the regiment to be disbanded. Gen. Kean said the 24th Infantry Regiment was “untrustworthy and incapable of carrying out missions expected of an infantry regiment,” according to the Army’s history of the unit.

In recent years, military historians have pointed to systemic racism in a segregated military, lackluster training, and incompetent unit leadership as the likely culprits for any struggles the 24th Infantry might have had.

The 24th Infantry soldiers weren’t allowed to go to Tokyo for R&R like their white counterparts. They were the last unit to get winter gear, which resulted in several cases of frostbite during the winter in Korea.

Decades later, the disrespect given to his regiment still stings, Mr. Thompson recalled.

“We had nobody desert and nobody dropped their weapons and ran,” he said in an interview with The Washington Times. “We’re the only unit that overran two POW camps. They didn’t write about that because we were colored troops.”

Mr. Thompson, 93, was already a seasoned soldier when the 24th landed in Korea. He had served a couple of years of occupation duty in Germany and Japan after World War II.

The 24th landed in the port city of Busan - then known as Pusan - South Korea in July 1950. The soldiers were then loaded onto a train and sent north. The soldiers were handed grenades and ammunition and told they soon would be going into battle.

“We started moving real fast. We would take the objective, secure the town, and then move out,” Mr. Thompson remembered. “We fought like everybody else. Our scouts went out and they captured some of the enemy.”

The 24th Infantry fought throughout Korea, from the defense of the “Pusan Perimeter” to the breakout and pursuit of the retreating North Korean Army and then the Chinese counteroffensive that pushed the U.N. forces back to a position near the current Demilitarized Zone that still divides the Korean peninsula.

“The enemy kept trying to surround us but we fought our way back,” Mr. Thompson said. “The 24th Infantry Regiment did not throw their weapons down. They did not run.”

He was hit with shrapnel on April 11, 1951, and evacuated to the rear. Mr. Thompson remembered the date because it was the same day President Harry S. Truman sacked General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, the commander of forces in Korea.

Mr. Thompson was sent back to the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center for treatment of his combat injuries. He was released from the hospital about a month later and asked to return to his unit in Korea. 

“That’s when they told me the 24th had been deactivated. I said ‘Never mind,’” Mr. Thompson said. 

Mr. Thompson remained in the Army and in 1960, was sent to Vietnam as an adviser to South Vietnamese troops. His 12-month tour there happened five years before the first U.S. combat units were sent to Southeast Asia.

“We would take [the South Vietnamese troops] out on patrol and make sure they lived and came back,” Mr. Thompson said. “Then, I wanted just to get the hell out of Dodge.”

Mr. Thompson will be in Washington on Veterans Day weekend to present the story of the 24th Infantry Regiment in Korea to the 27th annual conference of the American Veterans Center. The group’s mission is to honor the sacrifice of America’s veterans through oral history preservation, educational programs, and civic events.

“It was the best unit I ever served with. We were brothers,” Mr. Thompson said of his time with the 24th Infantry.

Last year, now Senator-elect Andy Kim, New Jersey Democrat, introduced the Buffalo Soldiers Congressional Gold Medal Act while he was in the House of Representatives. He said the Buffalo Soldiers worked tirelessly to tear down barriers for future generations. Their bravery in combat deserves recognition with the highest honor Congress can bestow. 

“Everyone in America should learn about the Buffalo Soldiers. Their decades of service through numerous conflicts began during a time when racism and segregation were barriers and a constant threat,” Mr. Kim said. “I hope this recognition can show our country’s gratitude for their service.”