Abdur-Rahim Rasheed

Abdur-Rahim Rasheed was known as James Henry Lambert Jr at the time he served. He served during the Cold War from January 1961 until December 1963. Rasheed served in the US Army, 7th Army Headquarters, Adjutant General’s Corp. He was working at the 7th Army Headquarters as a Clerk Typist.

Before he enlisted, Rasheed moved from New Jersey to California with his family. He worked as a mail carrier before enlisting in the army at age of 21. Rasheed enlisted at Fort Ord in California, and it took two weeks before he started his eight-week boot camp, where he gained 50 pounds! The location of Fort Ord was in the mountains of California, so he experienced cold weather during his boot camp. After his eight weeks were over, Rasheed was sent to Fort Dix in New Jersey, where he would depart via ship to Europe.

Rasheed’s journey to Europe was nine days long, and they encountered a storm. He discovered the difficulties of eating on a ship with the rocking motion. Rasheed and other men would perform drills during the journey to keep them sharp, and to have them be prepared in the event of an accident. They arrived in England without going ashore. Then they traveled to Germany, where Rasheed would get on a train and travel to Stuttgart, Germany where the 7th Army Headquarters were located.

During his journey to 7th Army Headquarters, Rasheed was surprised at the remains of World War II, Germany’s excellent transportation system and the clean towns and cities. The Berlin Wall was going up when he arrived.

During his time in Germany, Rasheed was able to travel to Berlin. He would have to go through multiple Russian checkpoints and make sure to carry his papers. Rasheed could not wear his uniform, stating “you didn’t want to be identified – wanted to blend in.” He toured both West and East Berlin, the West was a facade of buildings, while East Berlin was in pretty good shape. Rasheed was allowed to take pictures but only in the Western portion.

Rasheed and others were not on alert all the time, not until the Cuban Missile Crisis took place. They were on alert 24/7, which meant making sure borders to the countries behind the Iron Curtain were guarded. Their position made them the most vulnerable, so their presence was important, as well as making sure no one crossed. But from time to time, there would be some accidental crossing. Being on alert also meant that they were all ready to go to war at a moment’s notice.

Rasheed’s job was as a Clerk Typist. The 7th Army Headquarters oversaw the receiving of important messages and ensuring those messages got to who they were meant for. These messages were carried by mail carriers who were escorted by armed guards to ensure those messages got to where they needed to be and nowhere else. Rasheed worked seven days a week during this time.

The only times Rasheed received leave in Germany was on a couple of occasions, and they were usually of significant meanings. One was on the day of Martin Luther King’s famous speech, where he and 4,000 others marched in Frankfurt, both Americans and Germans. Rasheed then realized the importance of Dr. King’s speech, and how it reached people beyond just America – all over the world. The other instance was when Rasheed and three other men, one American, and two Germans, went to Germany’s countryside. They went to talk to each other, got to know one another, and talked to many families in the German countryside. Rasheed really enjoyed it!

Rasheed is a man of color; he touched on treatment of minorities during his time in service. He himself did not experience discrimination or have any bad experiences during his time served.

Rasheed came home on ship in 1963 and was discharged from service right when he got off the boat, at Fort Hamilton, New York. He was very happy to be home and went back to working as a mail carrier for four months. Rasheed got married and worked in Newark Public Service for 31 years. He did use his GI benefits to go to college. Rasheed did not become a part of any veteran organizations. He did receive one medal during his time of service for Sharpshooting with the M-13 rifle.