http://beingthechangeiwishtosee.com/814/remember-ww-ii-d-day-veterans/ One Person Can Make a Difference Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:01:32 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 http://beingthechangeiwishtosee.com/814/remember-ww-ii-d-day-veterans/comment-page-1/#comment-550 Albert Hales Mon, 29 Jun 2009 06:58:32 +0000 http://beingthechangeiwishtosee.com/?p=814#comment-550 Yes, We must never forget. And what you warn against believing in ‘the master race’ remains relevant even today. But as I was browsing online to find out more about <a>WWII</a>, I came across an interesting site with an even more interesting point of view. Shmoop provides in-depth information on all sides of the war. And while much has been said and written about the Holocaust and race discrimination, this site offers some telling insights into the racial tension within America at the time. And I quote, “Black inductees found discrimination and segregation prevalent in the armed forces. Military and government officials rejected desegregation, some asserting the belief that blacks were inferior. Segregation policies reflected the notion that blacks did not make adequate leaders and worked best under white supervision. The United States Army enlisted black soldiers into separate regiments; the Navy confined blacks to service roles as cooks, janitors, and waiters; the Marine Corps, for much of the war, excluded blacks altogether. African-American servicemen were sent to segregated training camps, often on military bases in the South where black GIs were harassed. Like World War I, the Second World War, despite all the democratic rhetoric, brought few tangible changes for African Americans. Lawful segregation continued to limit access to public facilities in the South, laws restricting black suffrage remained intact, and the threat of economic reprisal and death at the hands of whites prevented black citizens from owning land and gaining economic independence.” I am including this excerpt here because I feel it is relevant to the struggle you write about and the need to remember. It is important to open one’s eyes to all aspects of the past and learn from our mistakes. Yes, We must never forget. And what you warn against believing in ‘the master race’ remains relevant even today. But as I was browsing online to find out more about WWII, I came across an interesting site with an even more interesting point of view. Shmoop provides in-depth information on all sides of the war. And while much has been said and written about the Holocaust and race discrimination, this site offers some telling insights into the racial tension within America at the time. And I quote, “Black inductees found discrimination and segregation prevalent in the armed forces. Military and government officials rejected desegregation, some asserting the belief that blacks were inferior. Segregation policies reflected the notion that blacks did not make adequate leaders and worked best under white supervision. The United States Army enlisted black soldiers into separate regiments; the Navy confined blacks to service roles as cooks, janitors, and waiters; the Marine Corps, for much of the war, excluded blacks altogether. African-American servicemen were sent to segregated training camps, often on military bases in the South where black GIs were harassed. Like World War I, the Second World War, despite all the democratic rhetoric, brought few tangible changes for African Americans. Lawful segregation continued to limit access to public facilities in the South, laws restricting black suffrage remained intact, and the threat of economic reprisal and death at the hands of whites prevented black citizens from owning land and gaining economic independence.” I am including this excerpt here because I feel it is relevant to the struggle you write about and the need to remember. It is important to open one’s eyes to all aspects of the past and learn from our mistakes.

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