About the Magazine
On April 1, 2023, Mossy Point Publishing, LLC officially launched The Hellfighter: The Online Journal of African American Military History. Named in honor of the brave men of the 369th Infantry Regiment, the legendary Harlem Hellfighters, the digital magazine is published four times a year and is packed with multiple, carefully planned sections related to African American military history. Articles written by well-established and published military historians, interviews/oral histories, and book/movie reviews are some of what is found in each issue.
Our Mission:
At The Hellfighter: The Online Journal of African American Military History, our mission is to shine a light on the brave and heroic deeds of African Americans who served honorably in the United States military, deeds that for far too long have been in the dark.
Our Vision:
To be the absolute, go-to authority on African American military history.
Our Motto:
No longer shall they be invisible.
The contents of each issue of The Hellfighter are anchored around two to three feature articles that cover a wide range of topics related to African American military history. They could be about a group of people, such as the women of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, who were the first battalion of African American women to serve overseas during the Second World War, or individuals, such as Lieutenant Colonel Charity Adams-Earley, the commander of the 6888th and the first African American woman to be commissioned an officer in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), which later became the Women’s Army Corps (WAC). Features covering the rich history and extraordinary service records of famous African American military units, such as the 761st Tank Battalion and the 370th Infantry Regiment, could also found within the pages of the magazine. Occasionally, readers could find off-the-wall but entertaining gems as well, such as an examination into the representation of African American soldiers in graphic novels about the Second World War.
From time to time, a section of The Hellfighter is dedicated to interviews with authors of books about African American military history. A section dedicated to oral histories given by African American veterans is also in the magazine, as well as a section for veterans to reflect back on their lives and military service entitled A Letter to Myself.
A Quote of the Quarter (quotes related to African American military history) and a Question of the Quarter (African American military history trivia) are included in each issue of The Hellfighter. A Book of the Quarter (the review of a book about African American military history), the Movie of the Quarter (the review of a movie or documentary related to African American military history), and a section entitled History in the Making (about African American military history being made today) are all also included in the magazine.
The Profiles in Courage section of The Hellfighter examines the lives of African Americans who went beyond the call of duty, some making the ultimate sacrifice, and were awarded the Medal of Honor. So far, the magazine has profiled Sgt. Henry Johnson (First World War), Sgt. Cornelius H. Charlton (Korean War) and Pfc. Milton L. Olive, III (Vietnam War). The fourth edition of the magazine highlighted the bravery and sacrifice made by Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn C. Cashe (Iraq War).
There are plans to include a section called the Artist’s Corner in The Hellfighter. A call to artists will be sent out for works inspired by African American military history. Each submission will have a chance to be included in future issues of The Hellfighter.
Internships in the field of military history are hard to come by. The Hellfighter wants to help remedy that by offering internships to select high school and college students (both undergraduate and graduate). Working remotely and for credit, their main responsibilities will be conducting research and proofreading articles (both feature and sidebars). They will also be actively involved in other aspects of the publication, including helping to create and send out newsletters. They may even have a chance to be published in the magazine!
Other than their military history and publication tasks, the interns will also be given tasks to help them grow in both their personal and professional lives. From time to time, they will be required to take small but effective free courses in resume building, interview techniques, leadership skills, and more. Sadly, when our interns leave us to move on to the next and bright chapter in their lives, they will not only be better military historians but better, well-rounded citizens.
The name of the internship program will be The Pfc. Jimmie Lee Finklea Memorial Internship In Military History and is scheduled to launch during the summer of 2024.