Survivors of war have had to endure some of the most perilous conditions in history to fight for their country. Deplorable living conditions, uncertainty at every corner, and the ominous feeling of impending death. Yet even with these egregious conditions, minority soldiers dealt with far worse conditions than white, straight servicemen ever faced. Black soldiers experienced segregation and savage physical assault, while Japanese and gay soldiers often faced isolation and psychological harassment. Each minority serviceman had a unique experience in the military because of their race or sexuality. Further, each minority serviceman endured their conditions for different reasons. Black soldiers experienced targeted violence unlike any other
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Their discrimination began with enlisting. After committing their support to the U.S. army, they were segregated from the majority white soldiers and restricted to non-combat roles (Corbett et. al., 789). As Dempsey Travis, a black solider, recalled, “The army was an experience unlike anything I’ve had in my life. I think of two armies, one black, one white” (Travis, 151). Despite their roles in combat evolving towards that of a white soldier near the end of war, integration never truly occurred. Rather, the racial binary which existed before the war continued to keep social tensions strained. It was often said, “blacks were not to be trusted in combat” (Terkel, 11). This philosophy was never overturned. For white soldiers, the enemy was the men they faced in battle. For black soldiers, the enemy slept among them every night in the same uniform. One critical difference between the experience of black soldiers in contrast with other minority soldiers was the bloodshed they faced only for existing. Alfred Duckett, a black journalist, recollected this murderous attitude toward African-American soldiers after a remark …show more content…
which extends as far as the founding of the nation. While all minority groups encountered undeserved abuse, no population has a history as longstanding as that of African-Americans. Given this prolonged tolerance of mistreatment against them, it is feasible to believe one of the reasons they experienced such extreme discrimination was because their abuse was practically inherent at the time. In the eyes of white soldiers, Black fighters were not soldiers. They were “nonperson[s]” (Travis, 155). However, this history does not embody the entire reason as to why black soldiers experiences were so vastly different from that of other minorities. Another contributing factor could be the media representation of servicemen at the time. In the 1930’s and 1940’s, Americans relied on informal documentaries to be briefed on global activities involving the war (Corbett et. al., 805). Yet, these documentaries only featured white cast members. Famous movies such as those in the Why We Fight series did not feature black soldiers in their heroic representations of the army, despite 1 million African-American’s serving in the war (Corbett et. al., 798). This national media exclusion of black soldiers served could have contributed to the undermining of their importance in the war, thereby justifying their isolation and murder. Furthermore, this media exclusion also extended beyond African-Americans to other minorities serving their country.
Their discrimination began with enlisting. After committing their support to the U.S. army, they were segregated from the majority white soldiers and restricted to non-combat roles (Corbett et. al., 789). As Dempsey Travis, a black solider, recalled, “The army was an experience unlike anything I’ve had in my life. I think of two armies, one black, one white” (Travis, 151). Despite their roles in combat evolving towards that of a white soldier near the end of war, integration never truly occurred. Rather, the racial binary which existed before the war continued to keep social tensions strained. It was often said, “blacks were not to be trusted in combat” (Terkel, 11). This philosophy was never overturned. For white soldiers, the enemy was the men they faced in battle. For black soldiers, the enemy slept among them every night in the same uniform. One critical difference between the experience of black soldiers in contrast with other minority soldiers was the bloodshed they faced only for existing. Alfred Duckett, a black journalist, recollected this murderous attitude toward African-American soldiers after a remark …show more content…
which extends as far as the founding of the nation. While all minority groups encountered undeserved abuse, no population has a history as longstanding as that of African-Americans. Given this prolonged tolerance of mistreatment against them, it is feasible to believe one of the reasons they experienced such extreme discrimination was because their abuse was practically inherent at the time. In the eyes of white soldiers, Black fighters were not soldiers. They were “nonperson[s]” (Travis, 155). However, this history does not embody the entire reason as to why black soldiers experiences were so vastly different from that of other minorities. Another contributing factor could be the media representation of servicemen at the time. In the 1930’s and 1940’s, Americans relied on informal documentaries to be briefed on global activities involving the war (Corbett et. al., 805). Yet, these documentaries only featured white cast members. Famous movies such as those in the Why We Fight series did not feature black soldiers in their heroic representations of the army, despite 1 million African-American’s serving in the war (Corbett et. al., 798). This national media exclusion of black soldiers served could have contributed to the undermining of their importance in the war, thereby justifying their isolation and murder. Furthermore, this media exclusion also extended beyond African-Americans to other minorities serving their country.