Cunningham, Earl Garfield, 1911-1983.

Earl Garfield Cunningham (1911-1983) was an African American Lieutenant who served with the 371st Infantry in Italy from October 1944 to the end of 1945. While in Italy, he participated in the campaigns of North Apennines and Po Valley.

Earl Garfield Cunningham, an African American born on June 3, 1911, in Egypt, Mississippi, was a resident of New York City when drafted into the United States Army in 1941. After rising through the ranks to First Sergeant, he attended Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia, and was commissioned as Second Lieutenant on November 21, 1942. From October 1944 to the end of 1945, he served in Italy with the 371st Infantry and participated in the campaigns of North Apennines and Po Valley. He was commissioned as First Lieutenant before his honorable discharge from the Army in 1946.