U.S. Census Bureau Black History Month Feature for Feb. 19

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily Black History Month feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090226/CENSUSLOGO)

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19: FREDERICK BRANCH

Profile America for the 19th day of Black History Month. When retired Marine Corps Captain Frederick Branch died at the age of 82, he was given a full military burial at Quantico National Cemetery in Virginia. Some of those attending the services had never met Branch, but had a seen a photo of his wife, Peggy, pinning on his second lieutenant's insignia in late 1945 — the first African-American to wear the uniform of a Marine officer. Branch, who overcame many hurdles to be commissioned, has been permanently honored with a building named after him at the Officer Candidate School in Quantico. There are 2.3 million black military veterans in the U.S. This special edition of Profile America is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau, conducting the 2010 Census beginning April 1st.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Facts for Features, CB10-FF.01

Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look under the "Newsroom" button).

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau