Charles Gillette Young

Charles Gillette Young’s Personal Narrative was derived from information found in public records, military personnel files, and local/state historical association materials. Please note that the Robb Centre never fully closes the book on our servicemembers; as new information becomes available, narratives will be updated to appropriately represent the life story of each veteran.

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Military Honor(s):

Distinguished Service Cross

Citation: The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to First Lieutenant (Infantry) Charles G. Young, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 368th Infantry Regiment, 92d Division, A.E.F., near Binarville, France, September 27 - 28, 1918. While in command of a scout platoon, First Lieutenant Young was twice severely wounded from shell fire, but refused medical attention and remained with his men, helping to dress their wounds and to evacuate his own wounded during the entire night, and holding firmly his exposed position covering the right flank of his battalion.

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Life & Service

  • Birth: 14 March 1892, Manor, TX, United States
  • Place of Residence: Washington, DC, MD, United States
  • Race/Ethnicity: African American
  • Death: 28 December 1968 Houston, TX, United States
  • Branch: Army
  • Military Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Company: [K], [I]
  • Infantry Regiment: 368th
  • Division: 92nd
Personal Narrative
Early Life (Pre-War): Includes general parent information, sibling information, education Toggle Accordion

Charles Gillette Young was born on 14 March 1892 in Manor, Travis County, Texas to Edith Ennis (1869-1945) and William Young (1870-1900), the elder sibling to Eloise (1894-1947). After William Young’s death in 1900, the family lived with Edith Ennis Young’s sister, Octavia Ennis Thornton (1869-?) in Manor. In the early 1910s, Young was a boarder in Austin; by the end of the decade, he lived in Washington, DC (326 D St. SE), working as a messenger for the U.S. Department of Public Health.

Service: Includes a summary of transfers, rank change(s), training, enlistment, and discharge locations Toggle Accordion

Young’s enlistment date is unknown, as is any information related to Officer Training School; he was assigned as 1st Lieutenant to Company K, 368th Infantry Regiment, 92nd Division. 1st Lt Young and Co. K left Hoboken, New Jersey on 15 June 1918 aboard the U.S. Army Transport Ship George Washington. Young received the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions on 27-28 September 1918 near Binarville, France,

“The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to First Lieutenant (Infantry) Charles G. Young, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 368th Infantry Regiment, 92d Division, A.E.F., near Binarville, France, September 27 – 28, 1918. While in command of a scout platoon, First Lieutenant Young was twice severely wounded from shell fire, but refused medical attention and remained with his men, helping to dress their wounds and to evacuate his own wounded during the entire night, and holding firmly his exposed position covering the right flank of his battalion.”

The extent of his wounds are unknown. Young was assigned to Company I when he returned to the United States aboard the U.S. Army Transport Ship USS Leviathan in February of 1919. Young was Honorably Discharged on 11 March at Camp Bowie, Texas, supposedly as “the first negro officer to be discharged from the demobilization center”.

Later Life (Post-War): Includes post-war education, occupation, marriage(s) and/or children, location and date of death Toggle Accordion

After his discharge, Young returned to the DC-area; he was married and widowed once before 1933- his spouse’s name is unknown. Young married a second time, to Bettie Tannar Lowe (1886-1968), also a widower, on 27 December 1933 in Fairfax, Virginia. In the 1940s, the couple lived in Washington, DC (1812 Rosedale St.), where Young worked as a clerk; they remained in the same home into the 1950s, with Young working as an ‘Assistant Administrator’ for a ‘Govt. Hospital’. The couple moved to Houston, Texas in the 1960s, residing at 3405 Oakdale Street- Young was widowed a second time in June of 1968.

Young died at Riverside General Hospital on 28 December 1968 due to heart disease; he and his second wife are buried at Paradise North Cemetery, Houston, Texas.