thedrifter
02-09-07, 07:44 AM
Guest essay: African-Americans have served honorably throughout history
By JAMES WEGO
Chambersburg Public Opinion
In February each year our attention is called to the subject of black history and the role of African-Americans in U.S. society. It is unfortunate that it is necessary to single out one time for such attention, because the contribution of the African-American community should be an integral and continuous part of the fabric of the total society in every facet of life.
While one can point out that immigrant groups have had to face significant odds in becoming part of the American dream, no group of people has had, and continues to have, such overwhelming impediments and obstacles to full participation in the daily pace of life's activities.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in the effort of the African-American community to serve their country in time of war. Hopefully, the following overview will demonstrate their struggle and the sacrifices that it entailed.
The African-American soldier had to be exceptionally strong, disciplined and brave to survive in the service of our country. ... The African-American soldier has served gallantly and contributed honorably and significantly. In real terms, theirs was always a dual war to fight -- with the enemy on the outside and the enemy on the inside; the latter always active in the form of discrimination and bigotry. ...
Glaring illustrations of their fight are readily available from each war. In the Civil War, African-Americans had to work unceasingly to persuade the federal government to allow them to serve. When they won this battle in late 1862, the struggle was just beginning.
Upon entering the Army and being trained, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment was the first to challenge policy making them "officially" a lesser soldier -- that is, paid at the rate of $7 per month instead of the $13 per month paid to white soldiers.
Their dramatic response to this discrimination was to accept no pay until the differential was removed. In this case, white officers of the regiment joined them in protest.
Perhaps the ultimate example of discrimination and racial insult was that the African-American soldiers who had bled profusely for the Union were denied the right to march in the large celebratory Grand Review of the Union Armies in Washington, D.C., at the end of the war.
In the 1864 Richmond-Petersburg campaign, 6,000 African-American soldiers died. In the battle of New Market Heights outside of Richmond, 1,302 died in 90 minutes, leading the Union attack on heavily fortified Confederate positions. ... They were successful in breaking through and paving the way for Union victory. Their percent of casualties was greater than the percent of U.S. losses on D-Day in World War II.
In World War II, only a few African-American regiments were formed and efforts to enlist were thwarted by a percentage quota on the number of African-Americans to be allowed in the armed forces. Even draftees had to wait because of the limitation. History has documented the vicious and extreme discriminatory laws and practices that these men faced when they left the bases. Perhaps the ultimate degradation was that the white majority made the assumption or conclusion that African-American soldiers would not be brave enough or trustworthy to fight and, therefore, should be assigned to menial labor battalion tasks or as cooks and stewards. ...
In the Korean War, it became much more personal for me. The Marine Corps had only recently been integrated; desegregated is a better term. In the combat zone, there were many instances of African-Americans displaying courage and fortitude in the face of the enemy from outside, the Chinese in this case, and the enemy from within, a few white fellow Marines.
It is important to remember that there were not many African-American Marines at this time. It was not unusual for an African-American to be the only one of his race in a squad of 13. On one occasion, there were some casualties and the men had to be assisted to safety. One African-American Marine, at considerable risk, carried a white Marine to safety and his reward was to later hear some derogatory language used to describe his action.
Yet, on a future occasion, he did not hesitate to again do his duty as he saw his responsibility to a fellow Marine. ...
It was rumored, although undocumented, that a white Marine was hesitant to accept blood plasma because he heard it came from African-American donors. The person who discovered and developed blood plasma was Dr. Charles Drew, an African-American. Just before the U.S. entered World War II, Dr. Drew attempted unsuccessfully to get the U.S.government to initiate a program for the development and use of plasma. He was asked by Great Britain to establish a program, and he did so.
Of course, the U.S. later asked that he develop a program and the resulting blood banks saved countless lives in wars, countless lives in everyday life, and continue to do so.
The state of our country and discrimination against African-Americans was summed up in what happened to Dr. Drew in 1950. He was involved in a serious auto accident in the South. He needed blood desperately and was taken to the nearest hospital. That hospital happened to be for whites only. Dr. Drew was turned away and died before he could be taken to a hospital that served African-Americans.
What a terrible irony and tragedy -- dying at age 46 because he could not get the blood plasma he had discovered.
All recognize that progress in equal opportunity has been made in many areas of everyday life, but so much is yet to be done. There is yet a long walk, I am afraid, before our country will achieve fully the goal of respect, dignity and true equality of opportunity for every citizen.
Every person has the responsibility to work toward this goal, with every ounce of strength in his or her body, through personal action whenever possible. To do any less diminishes the values professed by our nation-at-large and the basic tenets of the Constitution, the rock upon which this democracy was founded. To do any less makes a mockery of the ideal of democracy and its attendant principle of equality.
The world watches to see if democracy and opportunity are universal truths for all persons in the United States. We encourage the world nations to adopt a democratic form of government. How do we respond when they question whether all people in our country are really treated equally? The answer is in our hands!
Ellie
By JAMES WEGO
Chambersburg Public Opinion
In February each year our attention is called to the subject of black history and the role of African-Americans in U.S. society. It is unfortunate that it is necessary to single out one time for such attention, because the contribution of the African-American community should be an integral and continuous part of the fabric of the total society in every facet of life.
While one can point out that immigrant groups have had to face significant odds in becoming part of the American dream, no group of people has had, and continues to have, such overwhelming impediments and obstacles to full participation in the daily pace of life's activities.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in the effort of the African-American community to serve their country in time of war. Hopefully, the following overview will demonstrate their struggle and the sacrifices that it entailed.
The African-American soldier had to be exceptionally strong, disciplined and brave to survive in the service of our country. ... The African-American soldier has served gallantly and contributed honorably and significantly. In real terms, theirs was always a dual war to fight -- with the enemy on the outside and the enemy on the inside; the latter always active in the form of discrimination and bigotry. ...
Glaring illustrations of their fight are readily available from each war. In the Civil War, African-Americans had to work unceasingly to persuade the federal government to allow them to serve. When they won this battle in late 1862, the struggle was just beginning.
Upon entering the Army and being trained, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment was the first to challenge policy making them "officially" a lesser soldier -- that is, paid at the rate of $7 per month instead of the $13 per month paid to white soldiers.
Their dramatic response to this discrimination was to accept no pay until the differential was removed. In this case, white officers of the regiment joined them in protest.
Perhaps the ultimate example of discrimination and racial insult was that the African-American soldiers who had bled profusely for the Union were denied the right to march in the large celebratory Grand Review of the Union Armies in Washington, D.C., at the end of the war.
In the 1864 Richmond-Petersburg campaign, 6,000 African-American soldiers died. In the battle of New Market Heights outside of Richmond, 1,302 died in 90 minutes, leading the Union attack on heavily fortified Confederate positions. ... They were successful in breaking through and paving the way for Union victory. Their percent of casualties was greater than the percent of U.S. losses on D-Day in World War II.
In World War II, only a few African-American regiments were formed and efforts to enlist were thwarted by a percentage quota on the number of African-Americans to be allowed in the armed forces. Even draftees had to wait because of the limitation. History has documented the vicious and extreme discriminatory laws and practices that these men faced when they left the bases. Perhaps the ultimate degradation was that the white majority made the assumption or conclusion that African-American soldiers would not be brave enough or trustworthy to fight and, therefore, should be assigned to menial labor battalion tasks or as cooks and stewards. ...
In the Korean War, it became much more personal for me. The Marine Corps had only recently been integrated; desegregated is a better term. In the combat zone, there were many instances of African-Americans displaying courage and fortitude in the face of the enemy from outside, the Chinese in this case, and the enemy from within, a few white fellow Marines.
It is important to remember that there were not many African-American Marines at this time. It was not unusual for an African-American to be the only one of his race in a squad of 13. On one occasion, there were some casualties and the men had to be assisted to safety. One African-American Marine, at considerable risk, carried a white Marine to safety and his reward was to later hear some derogatory language used to describe his action.
Yet, on a future occasion, he did not hesitate to again do his duty as he saw his responsibility to a fellow Marine. ...
It was rumored, although undocumented, that a white Marine was hesitant to accept blood plasma because he heard it came from African-American donors. The person who discovered and developed blood plasma was Dr. Charles Drew, an African-American. Just before the U.S. entered World War II, Dr. Drew attempted unsuccessfully to get the U.S.government to initiate a program for the development and use of plasma. He was asked by Great Britain to establish a program, and he did so.
Of course, the U.S. later asked that he develop a program and the resulting blood banks saved countless lives in wars, countless lives in everyday life, and continue to do so.
The state of our country and discrimination against African-Americans was summed up in what happened to Dr. Drew in 1950. He was involved in a serious auto accident in the South. He needed blood desperately and was taken to the nearest hospital. That hospital happened to be for whites only. Dr. Drew was turned away and died before he could be taken to a hospital that served African-Americans.
What a terrible irony and tragedy -- dying at age 46 because he could not get the blood plasma he had discovered.
All recognize that progress in equal opportunity has been made in many areas of everyday life, but so much is yet to be done. There is yet a long walk, I am afraid, before our country will achieve fully the goal of respect, dignity and true equality of opportunity for every citizen.
Every person has the responsibility to work toward this goal, with every ounce of strength in his or her body, through personal action whenever possible. To do any less diminishes the values professed by our nation-at-large and the basic tenets of the Constitution, the rock upon which this democracy was founded. To do any less makes a mockery of the ideal of democracy and its attendant principle of equality.
The world watches to see if democracy and opportunity are universal truths for all persons in the United States. We encourage the world nations to adopt a democratic form of government. How do we respond when they question whether all people in our country are really treated equally? The answer is in our hands!
Ellie