Katana VentraIP

Racial segregation in the United States Armed Forces

A series of policies were formerly issued by the U.S. military which entailed the separation of white and non-white American soldiers, prohibitions on the recruitment of people of color and restrictions of ethnic minorities to supporting roles. Since the American Revolutionary War, each branch of the United States Armed Forces implemented differing policies surrounding racial segregation. Racial discrimination in the U.S. military was officially opposed by Harry S. Truman's Executive Order 9981 in 1948. The goal was equality of treatment and opportunity. Jon Taylor says, "The wording of the Executive Order was vague because it neither mentioned segregation or integration."[1][2] Racial segregation was ended in the mid-1950s.[3]

African American Seabees[79]

[78]

On Peleliu, shore party detachments from the 33rd and 73rd CBs received along with the primary shore party, 1st Marine Pioneers.[98] The three Commanders of the 7th Marine Ammo Co., the 11th Marine Depot Co. and the 17th Special CB all received the same commendatory letter. Before the battle was even over, Major General Rupertus USMC wrote to each that: "THE NEGRO RACE CAN WELL BE PROUD OF THE WORK PREFORMED [by the 11th Marine Depot Company/ 7th Marine Ammunition Company/ 17th CB]. THE WHOLEHEARTED CO-OPERATION AND UNTIRING EFFORTS WHICH DEMONSTRATED IN EVERY RESPECT THAT THEY APPRECIATED THE PRIVILEGE OF WEARING A MARINE UNIFORM AND SERVING WITH THE MARINES IN COMBAT. PLEASE CONVEY TO YOUR COMMAND THESE SENTIMENTS AND INFORM THEM THAT IN THE EYES OF THE ENTIRE DIVISION THEY HAVE EARNED A "WELL DONE"."[99][100] The U.S.Navy made an official press release November 28, 1944 of the 17th CB's copy of the "Well Done" letter from the Marine Corps.[101]

Presidential Unit Citations

Ethnic minorities in the US armed forces during World War II

Hispanic Americans in World War II

Military history of African Americans

Military history of Asian Americans

Racism against African Americans in the U.S. military

Bristol Jr, Douglas Walter, and Heather Marie Stur, eds. Integrating the US Military: Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation since World War II (2017)

excerpt

Dixon, Chris. . (Cambridge University Press, 2018)

African Americans and the Pacific War, 1941–1945: Race, Nationality, and the Fight for Freedom

Gropman, Alan L. The Air Force Integrates, 1945-1964 (Office of Air Force History, 1978).

online

Jensen, Geoffrey W. The Racial Integration of the American Armed Forces: Cold War Necessity, Presidential Leadership, and Southern Resistance (University Press of Kansas, 2023) .

online

Maxwell, Jeremy P. Brotherhood in Combat: how African Americans Found Equality in Korea and Vietnam (U of Oklahoma Press, 2018)

online

Nalty, Bernard C. Strength for the fight: A history of black Americans in the military (Simon and Schuster, 1989).

online

Schneller Jr, Robert J. Breaking the color barrier: The US Naval Academy's first Black midshipmen and the struggle for racial equality (NYU Press, 2007) .

online

White, Steven. . 9Cambridge University Press, 2019)

World War II and American Racial Politics: Public Opinion, the Presidency, and Civil Rights Advocacy

Archived October 8, 2016, at the Wayback Machine

"The Army and Diversity", U.S. Army Center of Military History