American Wars: The Role Of African Americans In The Vietnam War
The Role of African Americans in American Wars
Imagine fighting a war for the freedom of a country in which you yourself were not free. Could you fight for a country that had enslaved you, a place where you have few or no civil rights? Throughout the history of American wars, these were the types of issues that African Americans had to deal with. They were forced, and many times volunteered, to serve, protect, defend, and preserve the freedom of the United States. They went to war for a country in which they were segregated, treated unequally, and in early times, not even considered a person. At first, African Americans joined the military to fight for freedom from slavery. Later, the reason they joined evolved into a battle for equality …show more content…
Many blacks wondered why they were fighting for the freedom of a country so far away when they were not fully free at home themselves. Racial tensions were high during the war. This was the first major conflict in which the military was fully integrated. The attitude that black men were not fit for combat had changed and more African Americans served in Vietnam than had ever served in any other U.S. conflict. They also had much higher casualty rates because many more of them were finding themselves on the front lines of battle. Racism was still prevalent in the Vietnam War. In 1967 many southern draft boards were still made up of all white men. Many blacks felt that they were being targeted for the draft. According to James Maycock, a writer for The Guardian, “of the 246,000 men recruited between October 1966 and June 1969, 41 percent were black although black Americans only represented 11 percent of the population” (Maycock). Some blacks even felt that the draft was an attempt at genocide. The military justice system in Vietnam often showed prejudice against black soldiers. Maycock explains that, “black servicemen were frequently sentenced to longer terms than their white counterparts [for the same crimes]” (Maycock). Racial slurs were often used when referring to black servicemen, and there were many reports of white soldiers discriminating against black soldiers. Maycock gives the example that often “white soldiers refused to pick up exhausted black soldiers in their jeeps” (Maycock). Black culture was also ignored by the military, from their music to their hairstyles. Maycock claims that, “army barbers were not trained to cut black hair, although the merest hint of an afro was penalized, sometime with jail time” (Maycock). Racial tensions increased and race riots broke out on several military bases and naval ships. The army dealt with this issue very
Imagine fighting a war for the freedom of a country in which you yourself were not free. Could you fight for a country that had enslaved you, a place where you have few or no civil rights? Throughout the history of American wars, these were the types of issues that African Americans had to deal with. They were forced, and many times volunteered, to serve, protect, defend, and preserve the freedom of the United States. They went to war for a country in which they were segregated, treated unequally, and in early times, not even considered a person. At first, African Americans joined the military to fight for freedom from slavery. Later, the reason they joined evolved into a battle for equality …show more content…
Many blacks wondered why they were fighting for the freedom of a country so far away when they were not fully free at home themselves. Racial tensions were high during the war. This was the first major conflict in which the military was fully integrated. The attitude that black men were not fit for combat had changed and more African Americans served in Vietnam than had ever served in any other U.S. conflict. They also had much higher casualty rates because many more of them were finding themselves on the front lines of battle. Racism was still prevalent in the Vietnam War. In 1967 many southern draft boards were still made up of all white men. Many blacks felt that they were being targeted for the draft. According to James Maycock, a writer for The Guardian, “of the 246,000 men recruited between October 1966 and June 1969, 41 percent were black although black Americans only represented 11 percent of the population” (Maycock). Some blacks even felt that the draft was an attempt at genocide. The military justice system in Vietnam often showed prejudice against black soldiers. Maycock explains that, “black servicemen were frequently sentenced to longer terms than their white counterparts [for the same crimes]” (Maycock). Racial slurs were often used when referring to black servicemen, and there were many reports of white soldiers discriminating against black soldiers. Maycock gives the example that often “white soldiers refused to pick up exhausted black soldiers in their jeeps” (Maycock). Black culture was also ignored by the military, from their music to their hairstyles. Maycock claims that, “army barbers were not trained to cut black hair, although the merest hint of an afro was penalized, sometime with jail time” (Maycock). Racial tensions increased and race riots broke out on several military bases and naval ships. The army dealt with this issue very