Really fight. I couldnt going, i didnt realize at that time, because of the color of my skin. The story of africanamericans in world war ii is indeed a legacy of patriotism and valor. In 1941 americans looked at their world and saw war everywhere. Across the atlantic adolph hitlers german troops occupied nearly every inch of europe from france to russia to the baltic sea and in north africa. In the pacific, the Japanese Army and navy had already captured parts of china, manchuria, korea, and a number of nearby islands. Pearl harbor would soon stun the United States into war. Monday morning, the first thing i did, was go down to the Army Recruiting station to enlist in the service of my country. I was told there was no quota for black troops. Youve got to remember that this country was very discriminatory, segregated, and there was no change. First of all, black sailors, as sailors per se, other than as mess attendants or stewards, werent permitted into the navy. Given the fact that i was in the segregated army, that made no difference. I joined the army to fight for the country, for my country, because i was born and raised and nurtured by this country and i saw no reason to slack off because of being segregated or being in an interracial society. They were regulated by firmly held beliefs. Blacks should be organized in segregated units. Blacks should be used only in Service Units. Blacks should not command whites. The motivation was basic. Black male of color, i felt that if i fought for my country, shed my blood if necessary, and i come back home, i would be treated as an equal. I earned it. In a sense, i really believe there were two wars. One was the war against the axis and the germans and the other was the war against segregation. Africanamericans would fight, bleed and die in world war ii to free people around the world. Their performance on the battlefield would change the American Armed forces forever. And their bravery would pave the way for the modern Civil Rights Movement that would emerge after the war. One battle would take much longer to win. It would take more than 50 years for america to fully recognize the heroism of its black war fighters. More than 50 years, ago an unspeakable tyranny over the world. An overwhelming numbers, he answered the call to war. As millions of these where americans, and many of these americans were black. In a second world war, more than 1 million African American men and women served on land, at sea, and in the air. They served to ensure that the freedom for which they fought abroad would not be denied at home. The program youre about to see is a chronicle of their service. In no way can it measure up to the determination and patriotism of these extraordinary men and women, for the struggle stands as a model of courage and character. As you watch the scenes unfold, you will get a glimpse of a magnificent hard trending effort for freedom and justice. Today, the triumphs of these africanamerican men and women, our Lasting Legacy for every soldier, sailor, airman, marine, coast guard men and merchant marine who served in world war ii. But even more, what they gave, what they suffered, and what they accomplished, its a shining example to free men and women everywhere. Black americans have always fought for this country. In the american revolution, 5,000 fight for freedom. The war of 1812, thousands more serve on land and at sea. The civil war. Africanamericans fight for freedom and dignity. The ninth and 10th calvary regiments open up americas western frontier as the Buffalo Soldiers. And the 24th and 25th infantry helped Teddy Roosevelts rough riders at a crucial moment for the battle of san juan hill. 400,000 africanamericans served in world war i. Two old black combat divisions were activated, the 92nd and 93rd infantry. But it is under the command of the french army that black american infantry would prove their medal on the battlefield. [explosions] for their bravery france awards black soldiers its highest medal and the United States awards black soldiers from both units the distinguished service cross. Despite their bravery, the number of black soldiers in the army are severely reduced during the period between world war i and world war ii. In 1940, there were only 4,451 africanamericans in the United States army. Five were commissioned officers and 11 warrant officers. The rest were enlisted men. Mostly in service and supply units. There were no black marines and only a few mess stewards in the navy and coast guard. By the mid 1930s the world veers towards war again. Africanamericans still must fight for the right to do their part. At west point, the armys military academy, the color barrier remains difficult to crack. Benjamin o davis jr. Graduates from west point in 1936. Hes the first africanamerican to graduate from the point in the 20th century. Not one social word was spoken for davis in his four years at west point. The reserve officer training corps, rotc, allowed some africanamerican College Students to become officers. Meanwhile, africanamerican organizations and news papers petitioned president franklin d. Roosevelt and his administration for dignity and equality in the armed forces. There is a grave apprehension among negroes, lest the existing and adequate representation and training of colored persons may lead to the creation of labor battalions and other forms of discrimination against them in the event of war. September 1940. Congress passes the Selective Service and training act. The first number is serial number 158. It promises that black americans will be represented in the armed forces in proportion to the general population. But, the marine corps isnt accepting blacks. The Army Air Corps isnt accepting blacks. The navy is, but only as mess attendants. The army takes africanamericans, but only as replacements for its all black units. On the home front, blacks faced discrimination in the expanding defense industry. Africanamerican organizations continued to protest. A. Philip randolph sets a july 1 date for a march on washington. To stop the march president roosevelt offers a compromise. He issues executive order 8802, which establishes the president s committee on fair employment practices. The order promises to end discrimination at factories producing for the national defense. Six months later, the United States enters world war ii. 1941, a date which will live in infamy. The v for victory becomes the double v for black americans. Victory over fascism, victory over racism at home. The double v becomes a rallying cry for africanamerican participation in Americas Armed forces and on the home front. Some day youll come along. From black entertainers joining the War Bond Campaign rallies to farm workers, to workers on the assembly line, africanamericans helped boost morale and supply Americas Armed forces. We did what we did because we were there and we had to do it. We had over 50,000 black soldiers, and they were from the port of embarkation where all the goods come in, into the jungles where we were. Africanamericans were sent to build roads and air strips for future battles. One of the worlds most formidable Construction Projects is the lito road, running from a city in china to china, over the himalayas and through the jungles. The ledo road would be more than a thousand miles long. We would surprise the gurkas supply the people in burma and we supplied the chinese. Of 15,000 troops who built the road 60 are africanamericans. The 1823rd engineer bat battalion begins work. Others soon joined them. Freight trains pull into a transfer shed located near the point of origin of the ledo road. A detachment of negro engineers began work on the road in december 1942. In this headquarters area the negro units handled every phase of the operations incident to move vital replacements along the ledo route. On january 12, 1945, the first convoy of soldiers traveled the ledo road. When the first convoy rode over the completed road 25 months later a negro was driving the lead vehicle. In driving, instead of shifting automatically, double clutching, when you start going up the mountains, you dont have time to double clutch, if you have a loaded truck, so you fly clutch it, so you slip past the gears. Youre rough on the truck but you got to your destination safely. On the other side of the world, africanamerican troops battled frigid arctic temperatures and blinding snow to build the alcan highway. Some had never drove a bulldozer or a big heavy truck. Never drove a road grater, but they learned how to do the work themselves. The terrain was very rough. It was unstable, the truck would vibrate which made it difficult for the bulldozers. The temperatures varied anywhere from 32 below zero down to 65 below zero. Bulldozer would freeze on the ground. Trucks would freeze to the ground. Once you cut the motor off you couldnt get any of them started. On the alaskan highway, black troops were housed in perennial cloth tents while the white soldiers were in decent huts and housed at some of the army bases. What protected the black soldiers inside of the tents was about an inch thick, which acted as insulation. From april 1942 until july 1943, blacks soldiers work on the 1600mile highway that will link alaska, canada, and the United States to supply allied forces. It was a great accomplishment. It was a great feat. Some compare it with building the panama canal. Planes, the first russianbound planes the United States got 8,000 planes to russia by way of the alaskan highway. Africanamerican soldiers also built air fields that paved the way for the liberation of europe. Hard work, sweat and tears, and the thing with this, you dont go home until you finish. You get it finished, and then you go home. The tuskegee experiment was designed to fail. I was not going to fail. The officer in charge told me, he said, we dont have any colored in the Army Military or air corps. There are other places for you and well not have any. The basis for their refusal was a staff report which had determined, i use that word euphamistically, that colored people did not have the intelligence, come, or even the coordination to fly fighter aircraft. There were a couple of young black men in the chicago area who felt so strongly about wanting to fly military aircraft, that they rented an old lincoln age biplane and flew it to washington to show that blacks did not have the opportunities to fly military aircraft. They were met by then senator harry truman. His statement was, if you guys have the guts to fly that all the way from chicago to washington, then ill see that you get what youre asking for. Mrs. Roosevelt went down to tuskegee, and she went to the dismay of the secret service and everybody, she went for a ride with chief anderson and when she went back to washington, within a short time, the tuskegee experiment was begun. The War Department announces plans for the formation and training of an all black pursuit squadron. An airfield to train the pilots is built in tuskegee, alabama. The first class consisted of 13, 12 students and one military officer, then captain davis, who later became the commander. I was transferred from the base of Tuskegee Army airfield to command the 99th in august of 1942. We were very much interested in flying. I think that everybody felt that this was an opportunity because they had not had the advantage of such training before. We had come to the realization that it would not come easy, that we would have to be almost twice as good as the other people if we were to succeed, but admonished ourselves and admonished our comrades, that this would not only be for us but it was for a whole race of people. In april 1943, the 99th flight pursuit squadron leaves for north africa. The commander has no combat experience. The 99th is stationed at cape bond attached to the 33rd Fighter Group. Trained for pursuit, the 99th ironically flies Bombing Missions in north africa and sicily through the summer of 1943. They had great problems in 1943 because the commander of the 33rd group was a devout segregationist and he did everything he could to keep the unit segregated. They were on a didnt part of the airfield. They werent invited to join officers club. They were kept segregated in every way, shape or form. Probably the worst thing the commander did to them is that in their First Combat Missions he didnt allow a veteran pilot to lead them into combat. In september 1943, the lack of significant fighter engagements endangers the 99thcontinued existence. Davis is ordered back to the states to defend the record. General davis, then Lieutenant Colonel davis, had to fight very hard to keep the unit flying. The air force recommendation, the Army Air Corps recommendation was to abandon the 99th and to stop the training of the 332nd. Lieutenant colonel daviss defense keeps the Tuskegee Airmen flying. With huge losses mounting for the 15th air force, the 332nd Fighter Group moved to italy in april 1944, to begin bomber escort duty. Davis snapped at the opportunity, he had been flying a very obsolete airplane, a b39 air cobra. He was given initially a 47 for about a month and then the p51. Just about every day we were flying top cover for bombers, protecting the bombers from enemy fighters. Now, the bombers, they have to fly straight and level at a certain speed so that the bomberdeer can make sure the bombs fall where they are supposed to. We flew around the smoke to pick them up at the other end. Its a sad commentary when you see those guys coming in there flying like bugs, you see them explode. On mission after mission, bomber crews looked to the 332nd red tail fighter escort for protection. Would you stay with the bombers because that was your primary job, because when the fighters went running off chasing other fighters, to chase german fighters, new german fighters could come in and the bombers would be all by themselves. The 332nd never lost a bomber to an enemy fighter, stretching from may of 1944 to april of 1945. That is a unique record. No white unit, all the rest were white, stayed in the hunt as long as they did, could make that claim. One of the armys best kept secrets was, that there was a black Fighter Group. We had no idea that red tails who had given us the finest escort and who we preferred, were black pilots. Not an idea in the world. The Tuskegee Airmen were a bunch of very courageous able, intelligent, aggressive young africanamericans, who were not going to be stopped by anything and we were some damn good pilots. It was just a feeling of patriotism and the feeling that everyone wanted to help out in the war effort. Africanamerican women also answered the call to service. From europe to north africa to new guinea and here at home they served and worked to win the war. In april 1941, the Army Nurse Corps has 48 africanamerican nurses. By 1944, there would be 220 black army nurses. Africanamerican females and the womens army corps, also had an uphill battle to serve their country. Charity adams commanded the six triple 8 central post of battalion. The whites had been serving overseas for almost two years by this time but for some reason the usual blacks, they make trouble or blacks cant do what others are doing and what not, overseas commanders did not want black women to come over. I guess if there is anything that i remember about world war ii, it was the fact that i was a member of the sixth triple 8 central postal directory. It was the first and the only battalion of black women to serve overseas during world war ii and im very, very proud of that. Stationed in birmingham, england and later in france, the sixth triple 8 processes mail, forwarding eagerlyawaited packages and letters to americans throughout europe. Their job was redirecting mail that had one attempted delivery based on the last address the people back home had but of course in war times you move pretty fast. Our job was not exciting. But it was necessary, because it was necessary for the morale of the troops. Mail met morale. By the wars end, the navy had commissioned six black female officers and had enlisted 70 waves. The coast guard by this time had accepted a few black women in its reserve program, the sparse. For civilian africanamerican women, world war ii brings new challenges and opportunities. 600,000 out of a million africanamericans who entered paid employment during the war are women. Dover, new jersey, they needed more weapons to make more ammunition for our fighting forces, the appeal was to harlem. A former factory worker summed it up best which he declares lincoln made have weak the slaves but hitler was one that got us folks out of the kitchen. You black sob, i never thought i would see one. So i was standing down on the corner of 14th and independence avenue all dressed up in my blues, and i never got so many hate stares in my life. From White Service men who looked at me and said who does he think he is . The navy resists taking blacks except as students. The marine corps remains all white. In 1942, the need for manpower taxed the navy and a mens color line. They secretary of the navy said they couldnt handle it and that was a challenge to me. Thats why i went in. In june 1942, the u. S. Marine corps enlists blacks. From across the country, africanamerican recruits arrive at munford point for boot camp. For many of them, munford point, like other southern bases, is a rude awakening. How in the world did i ever get into Something Like this, a receptionist said you will say yes, sir, no, sir, and you will not move until youre told to do so. Do you understand, boy . I heard what happened to black people or colored people as we were called, south of the Mason Dixon L