Our heroes proved in liberation many of us felt we never would get a chance to really fight. I could not go in, which i did not realize at the time, because of the color of my skin. America, america may god narrator 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, adolf hitlers german troops occupied nearly every inch of europe from france to russia, to the baltic sea and north africa. In the pacific, the Japanese Army and navy already captured parts of china, manchuria, korea and a number of nearby islands. Pearl harbor would soon states into war. Monday morning, the first thing i did was go down to the Army Recruiting station and enlist in the service of my country. I was told there was no quota for black troops. You have to remember this country was very discriminatory, segregated and there was no change. First of all, black sailors as sailors per se were not 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. I saw no reason to slack off because of the segregated or being in a racist society. Narrator africanamericans participation in the armed forces was held by a firmly held belief. Be organized in blacks would not mind segregation. Blacks should be used only in service units. Blacks should not command whites. The motivation was basic. I felt that if i fought for my country, shed my blood as necessary and i come back home, i would be treated as equal. I really believed we fought two wars. One was the war against the axis and the other was the war against segregation. Narrator 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. Their bravery would pave the way for the modern Civil Rights Movement that would emerge after the war, but one bottle would take much longer one battle would take much longer to win. It would take more than 50 years for america to recognize its heroism of its black war fighters. More than 60 years to go, on 60 years ago, on spare cabal unspeakable tyranny threatened the world. Men and women threatened the call to arms. Millions of these were americans and many of these americans were black. In the Second World War, more than one million africanamerican men and women served on land and sea and in the air. Served to ensure the freedoms for which they fought abroad would not be denied at home. The program you are about to see is about their service. In no way can it measure up to the determination and patriotism of these extraordinary men and women. As you watch the scenes unfold, you will get a glimpse of the magnificent, heartrending effort of freedom and justice. Today, the triumph of these africanamerican men and women [indiscernible] our Lasting Legacy for every soldier, sailor, airman, marine, coast guardsmen and merchant marine who served in world war ii. But even more, what they gave, what they suffered and what they accomplished are shining examples for free men and women everywhere. It is very important to note black americans have always fought for this country. In the american revolution, [indiscernible] 0 fight for freedom. The war of 1812, thousands more served on land and at sea. The civil war, african fight for freedom and dignity africanamericans fight for freedom and dignity. The ninth and 10th cavalry regiments opened up americas western frontier as the Buffalo Soldiers. For the 24th and 25th industry, they helped Teddy Roosevelts rough riders at a crucial moment in the battle for the san juan hill. 400,000 africanamericans served in world war i. Two whole black combat divisions were activated, the 92nd and the 93rd infantry. It was under the command of the trench army that black american infantry would prove their method on the battlefield. For their bravery, france awards soldiers its highest medal. The United States awards them the distinguished Service Cross. Despite their bravery, number of black soldiers in the army are severely reduced between world war i and world war ii. In 1940, there were only 4451 africanamericans in the United States army. Commissioned 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 the coast guard. By the mid1950s, the world veers toward war again 1930s, the world veers toward war again. Africanamericans still must fight for the right to do their part. At west point, the armys military academy, the color barrier is difficult to crack. Benjamin o. Davis jr. Graduates from west point in 1936. He is the first africanamerican to graduate in the 20th century. Not one social word was spoken in his four years at west point. The reserve allows some africanamerican College Students to become officers. Meanwhile, africanamerican organizations and newspapers petitioned Franklin D Roosevelt and his administration for dignity and equality in the armed forces. There is a grave apprehension among negros. Training of colored persons may lead to the creation of labor battalions and other forms of discrimination against them in the event of war. Narrator september 1940, Congress Passes the Selective Service and training act. The first number is serial number 158. Narrator it promises that black americans will be represented in the armed forces in proportion to the general population. But, the marine corps is not accepting blacks. The Army Air Corps is not accepting blacks. The navy is, but only as mess attendance. The army takes africanamericans but only as replacements for its allblack unit. On the home front, blacks face discrimination. In the expanding defense industry. Africanamerican organizations continue to protest. A Philip Randolph sets the 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. December 1, 1941, a date which will live in infamy. Narrator the v for victory becomes the double v for africanamericans. Victory over fascism, victory over racism at home. The double v becomes a rallying cry for africanamerican participation in armed forces and on the home front. From black entertainers joining the War Bond Campaign rally to farmworkers to workers on the assembly line, africanamericans help boost morale and help supply Americas Armed forces. We did what we did because we were there and we had to do it. You had over 50,000 black soldiers and they were from where all the goods come in all the way up into the jungles, which is where we were. Narrator early in the world, war africanamerican soldiers , are sent to remote corners of the world to build airstrips for future battles. One of the most formidable Construction Projects is a road running from india to china. Over the himalayas and through the jungle. It would be over 1000 miles long. The indians were fighting around burma where the japanese were fighting at the time. We also supplied american supplies. We also supplied the chinese. Narrator of 15,000 troops who built the road, 60 are africanamerican. The battalion begins work in december, 1942. The eight 49th in the 18 83rd Engineering Battalion and others soon joined the battalion. Freight trains pull into a transfer shed located near the point of origin. A detachment of engineers begins work. In december of 1942. Narrator on january 12, 1945, the first convoy of soldiers travel the road. When the first convoy from india to china road, 25 months over the completed road, 25 months later, a negro was driving the lead vehicle. Driving, instead of shifting automatically, when you start going up the mountains, do not have time to global to double clutch. You slip past the gears. You got to your destination safely. Narrator on the others of the world, africanamerican troops battled a frigid archaic arctic temperatures and blinding snow to build a highway. Some of them had never drove a truck. But they learned how. [indiscernible] it very rough. It was unstable. It would vibrate, which made it difficult. Temperatures were anywhere from 32 below zero to 65 below zero. Trucks would freeze to the ground. Once you cut the boiler off, you any of themt to start. On the highway, black troops were housed [indiscernible] about an inch thick, which acted as installation. Narrator from april 1942 to july 1943, black soldiers work on the 1600 mile highway that would link alaska, canada and the United States to supply allied forces. It was a great accomplishment. It is a great feat. Some compare it with building the panama canal. The first russia bound plane. States gotited state the unid 8000 planes to russia by way of the alaska highway. Narrator africanamerican soldiers also build airfields that pave the way for the liberation of europe. Hard work, sweat and tears. You get it finished and then you go home. The first experiment was designed to fail. I was not going to fail. The officer in charge told me, we do not have any colored in the airport. There the air force. The basis for their refusal was a report which had determined that colored troops did not have the capability, the intelligence, the courage 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 biplane and flew it to washington to focus on the fight that blacks did not have opportunities to learn to fly military aircraft. They were met by then senator harry truman. This statement, if you guys have the guts to fly that thing from chicago to washington, then i have guts enough to see what you are asking for. Misses roosevelt went down to tuskegee on a visit. She went out to moten field and she met chief anderson who was chief pilot of the primary phase of flying. She went to the dismay of secret service. She went for a ride. When she went back to washington, within a short time, the tuskegee experiment was begun. Narrator the War Department announces plans for the formation and training of an allblack pursuit squadron. An airfield to train the pilots was built in teske key alabama. Tuskegee the first class consisted of 13. 12 students and when military one military officer who later became the commander. He was transferred from the base to command the 99th. We were very much interested in flying. I think that everybody felt that this was an opportunity because they did not have the advantage of such training before. We had come to the realization that it would not come easy. 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 was not only for us but a whole race of people. Narrator in april 1943, the 99th flight pursuit squadron leaves for north africa. Lt. Col. Will bend you know dave is jr. Is in command. He has no combat experience. The 99th is stationed at kate bond. At cape bond. Fighter to the 33rd group. The 99th runs missions in north africa and italy. They had great problems in 1943 because the commander of the group was an avowed segregationist. He did everything he could to keep the unit segregated. They were on a different part of the airfield. They were not invited to join the officers club. They were kept segregated in every way, shape and form. Probably the worst thing the commander did for them is in their first combat missions, he did not allow a veteran to lead them into combat. Narrator davids is ordered back to the states to defend the 99ths record. General davis had to fight very hard to keep the unit flying. The air force recommendation was to abandon the 99th and to stop the training of the three 32nd. Narrator lt. Col. Davis defense keeps the airmen flying. With huge losses mounting, the Fighter Group moves to italy in april of 1944 to begin bomber escort duty. Davis snapped at the opportunity. He had been flying an absolute obsolete airplane. He was given the p 47 for a month and in the p 51. And then the p 51. Just about every day, we were flying cover for bombers. The bombers, they have to fly straight and level at a certain speed so that the bomber can make sure the bombs fall where they are supposed to. We flew around the smoke and picked them up at the other end. It is a sad commentary when you see those guys flying like bugs. Narrator mission after mission, bomber crews looked to the 332nd for protection. New german fighters would come in and the bombers would be by themselves. The 332nd never lost a bomber to an enemy fighter in 200 missions. Stretching from may of 1944 to april of 1945. That is a unique record. No flight unit and all the rest of them were white, could make that claim. One of the armys best cap secrets was there was a black army Fighter Group. We had no idea the red tails whose escort we preferred were black pilots. Not an idea in the world. The airmen were a courageous, able, intelligent, young africanamericans who were not going to be stopped by anything and we were some dam good pilots. It was a feeling of patriotism and everyone wanted to help out in the war effort. Narrator africanamerican women also answer 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 of 1941, the Army Nurse Corps had 48 africanamerican nurses. By 1944, there would be 220 black army nurses. Africanamerican females in the Womens Army Corps would have an uphill battle to serve their country. Charity adams committed a postal directory battalion. For some reason, the usual black troops me make trouble may make trouble. Or blacks cannot do what other people are doing. Overseas commanders did not want black women to come over. I guess if there is anything i remember about the Second World War it was the fact i was a member of the six aaa directory. It was the first and only battalion of black women to serve over the seas to serve overseas during the Second World War and im very proud of that. Stationed in birmingham, england, the six 888 processes mail. Their job was redirecting mail that had one attempted delivery based on the last address people back home had. In war times, you move pretty fast. Our job was not exciting but it was necessary. It was necessary for the morale of the troops. Mail met morale. Narrator by the wars end, the navy had commissioned six black female officers. The coast guard had accepted a few black women in its reserve program. For civilian africanamerican women, world war ii brings new challenges and opportunity. 600,000 out of one million African Americans who entered paid employment are women. Needed more workers to make more ammunition for our fighting forces. Narrator a former factory worker summed it up best when she declared lincoln may have freed the slaves but hitlers was the one who got us out of the white folks kitchen. I never thought i would see one. I was standing down on the corner of 14th and independence avenue all dressed up in my blues. I never got so many stairs in my hate stares in my life from white servicemen who looked at me as if to say who does he think he is . Narrator the navy resisted taking blacks. The marine corps remains all white. In 1942, the need for manpower tested the color lines. The secretary of navy said like folks could not handle warfare. That was a challenge to me. That is why i went in. Narrator in june of 1942, the u. S. Marine corps enlists blacks. From across the country, africanamerican recruits arrive for boot camp. For many of them, Mumford Point is a rude awakening. How in the world did i ever get into Something Like this . Our receptionist said you will say yes sir, no sir and you will not move until you are 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 masondixon line but i had no personal experience. My parents who were southerners basically never talked about it. Narrator colonel samuel a woods, Mumford Points Commanding Officer is sympathetic to the challenges faced by recruits. He was in my opinion the fairest white man i have ever met or seen. Almost weekly, he would have us write a letter to washington in which he was complaining about the way we were treated as human beings in north carolina. We did all the things all marines do. Handtohand combat. Using maps, survival training. Anything any other marine got. Narrator in the navy, the number of black enlistees approaches 100,000. The Navy Establishes its First Training Program for black naval officers. I did not know why i was going to be sent there. I did not actually find out why because we had sealed orders. Until we got there and met 15 other young black men to discover that we were the guinea pigs to either prove or disprove the myth that blacks were not capable of serving as officers in the United States navy. Narrator they later became known as the golden 13. The navy trains black cadets in a at great lakes in training station in illinois. We tried to study together, work together, certainly we were trying to be better than the next guy, and i think everybody was very competitive. It was very cooperative and yet competitive. By doing that i think we raised all of our levels of accomplishment. Narrato