African Americans Soldiers in WWII

 During WWII and the preceding years, anti-black racism was an endemic part of U.S. society. In many parts of the country, particularly in the Deep South, this racism took political form in the shape of segregation laws and other regulations designed to keep blacks and whites as far apart as possible. Restaurants, stores, schools and even baseball leagues were strictly delineated as either white or black.  These laws were so widespread that even the U.S. military made use of them as a basic part of military life.  White soldiers and black soldiers were divided and each had separate facilities, almost always resulting in sub-par conditions and assignments for black troops. 

Despite these obstacles, however, many African Americans who were in the military during World War II served their country with honor and distinction.  Ignoring the jeers and overcoming the barriers placed in front of them by racism, these men stood out as a symbol of courage and helped pave the way for the eventual integration of not only the Army at the conclusion of World War II, but eventually the rest of society in the United States. Below are three stories of such men:

 Tuskegee Airmen

On March 7^th, 1942, Captain Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. and four other  2^nd lieutenants became the first graduates of the Tuskegee Flying School. Upon graduation, they were assigned to the 99th Pursuit Squadron, an African American air unit that had been activated with a planned total of 33 pilots and 27 planes. Later known as the 99th Fighter Squadron, this group grew beyond its initial expectations to a total of 43 men by the end of 1942 alone.

In April of 1943, the 99th Fighter Squadron arrived in French Morocco for its combat flight training.  These training sessions, however, were greatly hampered due to the fact that the pilots of the 99^th  received little help from the white aviators assigned to the mission. To add to the problems of the Squadron, once in Europe, air bases without segregated facilities would refuse to even allow them to land. Despite these obstacles, however, the black pilots took care of themselves and were prepared to fly in combat missions by the commencement Allied operations in Italy. Cumulatively, the brave men who made up this squadron flew over 500 missions and 3700 sorties during a single year of combat in the Italian Campaign. 

Before the end of the war, the pilots in the 99^th were merged with other all-black air units to form the 332^nd Fighter Group.  The men who made up this unit, based at Tuskegee Airfield, were known as the "Tuskegee Airmen."  Overall, they flew over 1,500 missions and were engaged in 15,533 sorties.  They succeeded in destroying 261 and further damaging another 148 enemy aircraft over the course of all their combat engagements. The Germans they fought knew them as the Black Birdmen, while to the white U.S. bomber crews they protected they were the "Redtail Angels." Fighting bravely and defending their comrades, the 332^nd lost 66 men between 1941 and 1945. For their courage and skill, however, the entire unit received a Presidential Unit Citation near the end of the war for "outstanding courage, aggressiveness, and combat technique" while escorting heavy bombers over Germany. The myth that African Americans were not reliable in combat situations or otherwise unworthy of the respect of their white comrades was forever destroyed by the bravery of these and other African Americans who served their country with distinction and honor during the Second World War.

Dorie Miller, Hero at Pearl Harbor

On December 7^th, 1941, Japan launched a surprise attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor. During the assault, U.S. Navy mess-man Doris (Dorie) Miller helped move his mortally wounded commander to shelter and then proceeded to man a machine gun on the USS Arizona and shoot down roughly six of the Japanese aircraft attacking the base. This feat of military prowess was a particularly notable accomplishment as combat positions were not open to black sailors and Miller had never received formal training with such weaponry. For his courage and ability (and after a lengthy press campaign in his favor), Miller was awarded the Navy Cross by Admiral Chester Nimitz.  Sadly, however, the brave sailor would not live to the see the end of the war.  Miller was one of the more than 600 crewmen killed in November 1943 when the Japanese torpedoed the USS Liscombe Bay. In recognition of Miller's valor, however, the Navy commissioned a destroyer escort, the USS Miller, in his honor on 30 June 1973.

Dr. Charles Richard Drew, Director of First Blood Bank

African-American physician Dr. Charles Richard Drew, the man that had pioneered a system for storing blood resulting in the "blood bank," served as director of the First Plasma Division Blood Transfusion Association for England during World War II. Thanks in large part to his research and expertise in the field of blood transfusions, countless lives were saved during the conflict.  Being a premier leader in his field, Drew was soon appointed the first director of the American Red Cross Blood Bank in 1941.  This institution was again responsible for supplying blood to Allied forces engaged in the war effort. He resigned from this position, however, to protest the organization's November 1941 decision to exclude black blood donors. Nonetheless, his system remained an important part of the Allied medical program for the duration of the war.