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His birthplace is named after a fictional Native American heroine from an early-19th century novel. However, William Henry Micou grew up to have many adventures of his own — all of them real — on his way to becoming an American hero.
And Wednesday, Micou, a World War II veteran who served in the Army and achieved the rank of corporal, is celebrating his 99th birthday.
“I’m almost 100 years old,” the native of Attala County, Mississippi, said with a hint of amazement in his voice on Monday afternoon from his home in Farmington Hills. “God is keeping me here for some reason. I don’t know what it is, but I’m still here.”
Micou’s life was filled with meaning and a heightened sense of purpose when he was drafted at the age of 18. A reading of his “draft card” on Tuesday showed that when Micou registered with his local draft board, he stood about 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighed approximately 134 pounds, which proved to be more than big enough to serve his country admirably. Micou was on the beaches of Normandy during D-Day, as more than 150,000 Allied forces staged an assault on German troops during the largest seaborne invasion in history on June 6, 1944.
In the months following, there was still important work to do as the Allied forces moved through Europe after breaking out from the Normandy beaches. Micou made a vital contribution to the effort as part of the famous Red Ball Express, a truck convoy that carried supplies to Allied forces daily.
According to an article posted on the National World War II Museum’s website titled “Keep‘em rolling: 82 Days on the Red Ball Express,” 75% of the Red Ball Express drivers were African American servicemen like Corporal Micou. And while most of the men did not have experience driving trucks before the war, from Aug. 21, 1944, through the end of November of that year, more than 412,000 tons of fuel, ammunition and equipment had been transported to 28 different divisions. Once precious supplies were delivered, the Red Ball Express also was tasked with bringing back dead and wounded soldiers, including German prisoners.
TIME magazine hailed the Red Ball Express as part of “The Miracle of Supply” that sustained American forces stationed thousands of miles from North America. But on Monday, Micou made it clear that he and his fellow Black servicemen fought another type of battle — against discrimination — in the military, which still pains him.
“We were treated differently,” Micou repeated a few times as he explained the segregation he experienced while serving his country in France.
As Micou spoke, it slowly became apparent that much of his pain from what he described as “rough” treatment has been absorbed by his son Herb, who through social media and face-to-face interactions, has done his best to make people aware of the contributions of his father and other Black soldiers. Herb Micou also revealed that his father faced discrimination after the war while seeking employment in Michigan.
“When my father and uncle left Mississippi, they went to Chicago and they both went to trade school,” the 76-year-old Herb Micou, a retired school administrator, said. “My dad went to school to learn bumping and painting and my uncle went to school as a tradesman. They both got their certificates and were guaranteed jobs here in the state of Michigan, in either Garden City or Livonia. But when they got here, there were no jobs for Mr. (James) Adams and Mr. Micou. You know why? They weren’t white.”
In need of work in a new locale, Herb Micou says his father and uncle first found railroad jobs before landing jobs with Kaiser-Frazer, which made cars at Willow Run. Ultimately, the two men would find long-term employment with another automaker, Ford Motor Co., where William Micou worked for 30 years, first in the welding department at the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne and then as a welding inspector at the Ford Wixom plant.
While working in the plants, Herb Micou says his father took great pride in all the vehicles his employer produced, particularly the 1955 Ford, which he owned. Along with taking care of cars, Herb Micou said gardening and fishing have been other activities that have brought his father joy through the years.
And it is Micou, the total man — which has also included being a devoted husband to his late wife, Mable, and father to Gerald Gaston and Herb and Robert Micou — that Raeda Dabaja, executive director of the Michigan Veterans Foundation, said she would be honored to celebrate in the near future. Like the servicemen that were behind the Red Ball Express, Dabaja and her team take pride in the unsung service they offer, including providing transitional housing, meals, clothing, health care services, life skills, employment training and more to veterans in need.
“It would be awesome if his family could bring Corporal Micou to our facility (4626 Grand River) on Veterans Day, so we can honor him and present him with a special plaque and learn more about his life,” an enthusiastic Dabaja said Tuesday afternoon. “But for now, we say ‘Happy birthday from the Michigan Veteran Foundation and all of the troops we represent.’ And we sincerely thank him for his service.”
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