Lemuel A. Penn Lieutenant Colonel, United States Army |
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| On
July 11, 1964 while driving through Madison County, Georgia, Lemuel Penn,
a black United States Army Reserve officer, was killed by a shotgun blast
from a passing car. Penn had been on annual summer active duty at
Fort Benning and was returning to his home in Washington, D.C.
The driver of the car from which the blast occurred signed a statement admitting his role and identifying two members of the Klan -- Howard Sims and Cecil Myers -- as being the ones who actually fired the shots that killed Penn. Sims and Myers were subsequently tried in state superior court, but an all-white jury found them innocent. Federal prosecutors subsequently charged Sims and Myers with violating Penn's civil rights. A federal district court jury found them guilty, and the two served about six years in federal prison. PENN, LEMUEL A
Photo Courtesy of Ron Williams Page Added: 19 February 2000 Page Updated: 28 October 2000 Updated: 14 June 2003 Updated: 11 September 2004 |
Bronze Star Medal
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