Please click here to view a student eulogy for Armstead at the Albert G. Horton Memorial Veterans Cemetery in 2025: https://youtu.be/KJo6jJ4lj2I.

Biography - Part 2

Military Experience
Raymond Armstead’s military career was marked by dedication and outstanding service. He enlisted in 1953 after leaving high school and completed basic training at Parris Island, South Carolina. He quickly distinguished himself throughout his military career, earning three promotions to corporal within just three years.

During his service, Armstead was stationed at multiple bases across the country. At Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, he received high conduct ratings and was commended for his exceptional performance. Later, he was transferred to Clarksville, Tennessee, where he served as a rifleman and guard. Following this, he was stationed in Puerto Rico for two months where he trained for amphibious assaults. His final assignment brought him back to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, where received infantry training to operate as part of a fire team. There, he also gained valuable experience as a squad leader.

Armstead’s dedication earned him several honors, including the United States Marine Corps Certificate of Good Conduct, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Good Conduct Medal.

Originally enlisted for eight years (1953–1961), Armstead sought an early release to further his education. With strong endorsements from his commanding officers, who praised his exemplary service, he was honorably discharged in 1957. That fall, he enrolled at Virginia State College (now Virginia State University), a Historically Black College. In 1959, he was transferred to the standby reserve until his contract ended in 1961.

During his military career, he was promoted to corporal; however, a promotion to sergeant was well within his reach. His commanding officers allowed him to take the necessary assessments to become a sergeant. However, before putting in his request to leave the military, he was passed over for promotion. Considering that he completed all the requirements and had glowing reviews, this is quite odd. His daughter remembered this moment and attributes this event to one source, racism.

Veteran Experience
Raymond Armstead was discharged from active military service on September 6, 1957, which officially marked a new beginning in his life. Armstead pursued a degree in education at Virginia State College in 1959. He earned an associate's degree in engineering. With two years of college under his belt, he decided to take his degree to Norfolk Shipyard.

Armstead worked at the shipyard until 1976. According to his daughter, he left because he felt his career was still limited by discrimination. Instead Armstead started his own company, Economy Woodwork, where he repaired and reconstructed buildings around the Norfolk area.

Armstead became a family man and raised his children emphasizing the importance of an education and hard work.

Commemoration
Raymond Armstead died on August 31, 2019 at the age of 86. He is buried at the Albert G. Horton Memorial Veterans Cemetery in Suffolk, Virginia.

Bibliography
Primary Sources

The '53 Wildcats. Armstrong High School: 1953. Digital images. https://ancestry.com.

“Andrew ‘Peanut’ Armstead Jr.” Richmond Times Dispatch [Richmond, VA], July 26-27, 2008. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/timesdispatch/name/andrew-armstead-obituary?id=7025698.

“Henrico County Fire Chief Burnett Started Career 25 Years Ago Feeding Horses.” The Richmond News Leader [Richmond, VA], October 4, 1955. Newspapers.com (761198055).

John Cunningham…Tackled by Raymond Armstead. Photograph. Richmond Times-Dispatch [Richmond, VA], November 25, 1951. Newspapers.com (828508299).

Raymond N. Armstead. U.S. Marine Corps Muster Rolls, 1798-1958. Digital images. https://ancestry.com.

Raymond Nevarro Armstead. North Carolina Marriage Index, 1741-2004. Digital image. https://ancestry.com.

Raymond Nevarro Armstead. Official Military Personnel File, Department of the Navy, National Archives and Records Administration - St. Louis.

Raymond Nevarro Armstead. Virginia Marriage Records, 1936-2014. Digital image. https://ancestry.com.

Raymond Nevarro Armstead. Virginia Divorce Records, 1918-2014. Digital image. https://ancestry.com.

Raymond N. Armstead. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995. Digital images. https://ancestry.com.

Richmond Virginia. Map. 1940. Historic Prince William, Inc. Accessed November 12, 2024. https://www.historicprincewilliam.org/county-history/maps/richmond1940.html.

Stacie Armstead. Zoom interview with the author. February 5, 2025.

Virginia. Richmond. 1940 U.S. Federal Census. Digital image. http://ancestry.com/

Virginia. Richmond.1950 U.S. Federal Census. Digital image. http://ancestry.com/

"Wildcats Set for Opener with Phelps." Richmond News Leader [Richmond, Virginia], September 27, 1951. Newspapers.com (760797672).

Secondary Sources

Chan, Wilfred. “‘I Thought They’d Kill Us’: How the US Navy Devastated a Tiny Puerto Rican Island.” The Guardian, May 1, 2023. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/30/vieques-puerto-rico-us-navy-base-training.

“History.” Armstrong High School. Accessed November 12, 2024. https://ahs.rvaschools.net/about-us/history.

“In Memory of Raymond Nevarro ‘Ramon’ Armstead.” Graves Funeral Home. Accessed November 15, 2024. https://gravesfuneral.frontrunnerpro.com/book-of-memories/3960460/Armstead-Raymond/obit.php?printable=true.

“Jim Crow to Civil Rights in Virginia.” Virginia Museum of History & Culture. Accessed November 15, 2024. https://virginiahistory.org/learn/jim-crow-civil-rights-virginia.

“Mapping Inequality: Redlining in New Deal America.” University of Richmond. Accessed November 12, 2024. https://dsl.richmond.edu/panorama/redlining/.

McGowan, Elizabeth. “In Richmond, A Struggle Over The Future Of A ‘Harlem Of The South,’” WHRO Public Media, July 16, 2024. https://www.whro.org/virginia-center-for-investigative-journalism/2024-07-16/vcij-reconnect-richmond.

“Our History.” Norfolk Branch NAACP. Accessed November 15, 2024. https://www.norfolkbranchnaacp7098.com/about.

“Raymond N. Armstead.” Find a Grave. Updated January 21, 2020. Accessed November 15, 2024. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/206431182/raymond-n-armstead.

“Raymond N. Armstead.” Veterans Legacy Memorial, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Accessed November 15, 2024. https://www.vlm.cem.va.gov/RAYMONDNARMSTEAD/97b2cd.

“Reverend Joan G. Armstead.” Manning Funeral Home. Accessed November 15, 2024. https://www.manningfh.com/obituary/6030667.

“Timeline of Housing Events.” Virginia Memory, Library of Virginia. Accessed November 12, 2024. https://www.virginiamemory.com/online-exhibitions/exhibits/show/mapping-inequality/mapping-inequality-timeline.

“Tredegar Iron Works.” American Battlefield Trust. Accessed March 19, 2025. https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/tredegar-iron-works.

Wintersmith, Saraya. “Armstrong High Time Capsule Takes Alumni, Students Back in History.” Richmond Free Press [Richmond, VA], April 6, 2018. http://richmondfreepress.com/news/2018/apr/06/armstrong-high-time-capsule-takes-alumni-students-/.

This profile was researched by Allison Arnett, Camden Fowler, Cole Fricke, David Hong, and Reagan Wall, mentored by Grafton High School teacher Mr. Andrew Abeyounis, as part of a Veterans Legacy Grant Program led by National History Day in the 2024/2025 academic year.

This profile was funded by a grant from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The opinions, findings, and conclusions stated herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.

Biography - Part 1

Early Life
Born in Richmond, Virginia, on August 11, 1933, to Andrew and Jeanette Armstead, Ramon Armstead was the oldest of four children, with two sisters and a brother. Growing up, he learned the importance of family responsibilities while taking care of his younger siblings. His family faced economic challenges, which meant that he took on many different household responsibilities at a young age. 

Armstead grew up in a segregated Richmond, Virginia, where racial discrimination was the norm. His family, like many other Black families, experienced redlining, which is a discriminatory housing policy that restricted Black residents to certain neighborhoods with fewer resources and economic opportunities. 

He attended Armstrong High School, one of the few schools for Black students in Richmond at the time. There he played multiple sports, including track, baseball, and football. During his junior year, he earned the nickname “Bull Moose” due to his impressive strength, determination, and passion. He did not graduate from high school and, in 1953, left after being a student for three years. However, in 1956, he did pass the United States Federal Institute test in the military which functioned as the equivalent of a General Education (GED) test and graduation from high school.

Homefront
While Armstead served in the Marine Corps, his hometown underwent rapid change. In the late 1950s, construction of Interstate 95 (I-95) began and had a detrimental effect on the area. The construction ran through predominantly Black neighborhoods in Richmond, separating families and forcibly relocating many people. The negative effects of this construction mainly targeted African Americans and people living in financially struggling areas, which reflected the rejection of other cultures in the country during Armstead’s enlistment. Additionally, segregation was still rampant and African Americans were treated poorly, despite many fighting for the country.

Like most cities at the time, Richmond was a center of manufacturing. Companies based in Richmond that produced artillery and naval shells in previous wars, like Tredegar Iron Works, continued supporting the military through armaments. There was a setback though, when a devastating fire demolished much of Tredegar Iron Works in 1952. The fire chief later recalled that the fire burned so hot that “it bent railroad tracks like pieces of wire.” However, production of armaments persisted until 1957 when they were sold to Albemarle Paper Company.

Yearbook photograph of the Armstrong High School football team. Armstead (#87) is seated in the first row, fifth from the left. Armstrong High School, 1953. Ancestry.

An African American football team photograph.

The 1960 Richmond city directory lists Armstead as a student. He graduated in 1960 with an associates degree in engineering at Virginia State College. Ancestry.

Raymond Armstead is listed as a student in a 1960 city directory.

Certificate of Armstead’s promotion to corporal. May 1, 1956. Portions have been redacted for privacy purposes. Official Military Personnel File.

Raymond Armstead's certificate recognizing his promotion to corporal.

Raymond Armstead making a tackle on the Armstrong High School football team. Richmond Times Dispatch, November 25, 1951.

Armstead tackling an opposing player in a football game.

An aerial view of the Virginia State College where Armstead attended school starting in 1957. Virginia State University Special Collections and Archives, 1936.

An ariel view of Virginia State College, now Virginia State University, in 1936

Raymond Armstead wearing his Korean War Veteran hat. Graves Funeral Home.

Raymond Armstead, sitting in a power chair, wearing a "Korean War Veteran" hat.

Ramon N. Armstead's grave at the Albert G. Horton Memorial Veterans Cemetery, in Suffolk, Virginia, March 28, 2025.

Armstead's grave with the inscription, "beloved husband, father, and friend."

Raymond Armstead. Official Military Personnel File. 

A young African American man wearing glasses and a Marine Corps dress shirt and tie.

RAYMOND N ARMSTEAD

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