# Was there any alphanumerical designation for Black labor battalions in World War I? Was there any military alphanumerical designation for non-White soldiers?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-any-alphanumerical-designation-for-black-labor-battalions-in-world-war-i-was-there-any-military-alphanumerical-designation-for-non-white-soldiers/997192>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 6, 2024, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-any-alphanumerical-designation-for-black-labor-battalions-in-world-war-i-was-there-any-military-alphanumerical-designation-for-non-white-soldiers/997192 "2024-02-06T16:13:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
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**Author:** ![Octagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/2acd7d/32.png) [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2024, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-any-alphanumerical-designation-for-black-labor-battalions-in-world-war-i-was-there-any-military-alphanumerical-designation-for-non-white-soldiers/997192/1 "2024-02-06T16:13:27Z")

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Was there any alphanumerical designation for Black labor battalions in World War I? Was there any military alphanumerical designation/category for non-White soldiers ? I couldn’t find any online.

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**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2024, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-any-alphanumerical-designation-for-black-labor-battalions-in-world-war-i-was-there-any-military-alphanumerical-designation-for-non-white-soldiers/997192/2 "2024-02-06T16:27:19Z")

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Yes. Look for Stevedore battalions as well:

> **[Stevedore operations, American Expeditionary Forces](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevedore_operations,_American_Expeditionary_Forces)**
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> Stevedore operations were established by the United States Army to provide movement of supplies through ports in support of the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I. The first American stevedores in France were civilians. Stevedores were originally organized into regiments, and were among the first troops sent to France. Three regiments and two separate battalions were deployed, and were later reorganized into separate battalions and transferred from the Army Service Corps to the Tr...

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**Author:** ![Octagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/2acd7d/32.png) [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2024, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-any-alphanumerical-designation-for-black-labor-battalions-in-world-war-i-was-there-any-military-alphanumerical-designation-for-non-white-soldiers/997192/3 "2024-02-06T16:47:06Z")

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Thanks Dorjan.