Harsh. Unjust. Immoral. These words all represent the resentment that African Americans faced while serving in the Army during the Civil Rights Movement. “Army Strong” turned into “Army Divided” when black soldiers fell victim to segregation in the army. They were forced into black-only troops, or stuck with the lowly jobs that no white man wanted. Army cooks, quartermasters, and grave diggers were primarily black men at the time. Unfair bullying and harassment plagued these soldiers just because of their pigmentation. In most cases, black men and women enlisting into the Army didn’t get in. In fact, during the duration of World War ll, two and a half million African Americans enlisted to join the army, yet only one million were accepted. Even then, they rarely saw battle. Many of them felt as though they were working for a “Mock Democracy” that did not care for people of their race. However, the few that were allowed into battle fought with such valor and courage that no one could deny how much of an asset they were. Black soldiers in the army back then were determined to not only fight through wars, but also to fight through the segregation they faced each and every day. Although many white soldiers treated them as half-citizens, they acted like true Americans in standing up for what they believe in.
Sometimes words can be the most powerful tool in the world. For Clarence E. Adams and another black soldier, this couldn't be more true. In an effort to put an end to segregation in the Army, an unknown black soldier wrote to Truman K. Gibson, a lawyer widely known for helping to end segregation in the Army, about his life in the segregated armed forces. At one point, he had tried to switch posts from a racist town in Louisiana to a more accepting town in the North, as all members of the armed forces have a right to request. Upon asking, the service woman refused to talk to him, saying that "Negroes are not served here. This post-exchange is for white soldiers. You have one near your regiment. Buy what you want there". Things like this also happened to Clarence E. Adams who wrote a similar letter to a newspaper editor, Carl Murphy. Their words had the power to start a movement making people realize that segregation is unacceptable and should be stopped.
THE START OF THE MOVEMENT
African-Americans vs. German prisoners of war. Big difference right? You would expect Africans would have better treatment and more freedom, but that was not a reality. That was just a fantasy African-Americans had while dreaming on their lumpy, small beds in bad conditions. Even though blacks fought for the same thing and wore the same uniform as white’s, their actions were more restricted around their own military camps. German POWs had more freedom. The army was very divided, Black officers had to sit with other blacks, and not mix in with white officers. They also had different post exchanges, recreational facilities, and social events than white men. These were almost never equal. Finally, in 1941 the 366th Infantry Regiment was formed, which was an all-black troop complete with black officers. Around 1944, The US War Department got rid of segregation in facilities on US Army stations, and African volunteers started to be integrated with with white troops to fight the Germans. Even though they started winning, new integration policies were not added, but this was a start towards the movement.
Even at a young age, it should have been very natural for Harry Truman to favor slavery. Raised in Missouri, he grew up in a place where segregation was widely accepted. At the beginning of his political career, Truman was somewhat a racist. Like most politicians, he paid the ten dollar fee to join the Ku Klux Klan- an organization that opposes African-Americans as part of the American community. Later in his career as a Senator, something changed his opinion which caused Truman to believe that all men, no matter what color, are equal. When President Roosevelt died, the Constitution stated that the vice president, Harry Truman, needed to step up and take his position. In 1946 Truman created a Civil Rights committee who examined violence against African Americans in America. The group had lots of people known as liberals who Truman believed would “shock” America by their report on the African’s status. This final report wanted the government to end segregation once and for all. This committee believed everyone should have the same voting rights, interstate traveling rights, and the same treatment in the armed forces. By 1948 President Truman was running for his second term of office. July 26th, he issued two Executive Orders which banned segregation in the army, guaranteeing fair employment practices. The law took time to take effect, but even during the Korean War, the integration was more clear. Compared to World War II, the number of African- American front line troops increased noticeably. After going through many obstacles, Harry Truman made America a better for place for everyone of all color.
The Korean War was a time of division between countries. Despite that, black and white soldiers were able to shine through the separation surrounding them to become united. How did this happen after all the segregation in the Army? At the beginning of the war, blacks were not sent into battle even though segregation was lawfully supposed to be stopped in the military. However, the Korean War quickly became very dangerous, and many U.S. white Army soldiers perished. Soon, black U.S. Army soldiers started to be called into the battle to support the whites. They quickly were integrated into the battle and fought side by side as equals with white soldiers. By the end of the war, black and white soldiers had solidified their bond and went on to create an army of unity, not segregation, although there was still a bit of segregation from long-held beliefs that blacks are lesser humans.
After years of fighting bloody battles, it would seem as though all of our Army-related racial problems would've been solved. Well, that isn't exactly what happened. Because of prejudice in the 1900s, racial abuse will always be a part of the United States, most people believed that all racial issues in the Army had been solved, and everyone was now equal, but African Americans in the Army feel differently. According to the Pentagon’s data, 71 percent of racial issues were filed by African Americans, while the other people of different races in the army only have 29 percent combined. As time goes on, the percentage of complaints from Africans has increased by about eleven percent in the last two years. Racial issues might have gone into hiding for a few years, but now they’re back and becoming stronger than ever.