After Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, the United States entered the World War II. The Afro-American population played a very significant role in the outcome of the War as there were whole subdivisions of Afro-Americans in the infantry, air and on ships. The fighters were very skilled and despite the fact that they were not treated well, they assisted in defeating the Nazis and the Japanese. Afro-Americans served both in supply troops and at home.
Tuskegee’s 99th Squadron of Airmen was the first air force of Afro-American pilots that participated in the World War II. On April 24, 1943, the Squadron came to Casablanca, Morocco, which is two years later after activation of the black unit by Congress. Being led by Benjamin Davis, the 99th combated over Pantelleria, near Sicily, on June, 1943. The first victory of the squadron took place one month later thanks to the Charles Hall. The 99th Squadron won the largest amount of medals comparing to all other air units.
The Army Nurse Corps during the World War II accepted a comparatively small amount of Afro-American nurses (479) and doctors. They cared only for the Afro-American troops. The Station Hospital Unit, 25, was the first Afro-American medical unit which went overseas and arrived at Liberia in 1943. The main problem was malaria, nurses and doctors played an essential role in preventing this deceases from spreading.
Desegregation of the military forces took place in 1948. It happened in the context of the Afro-American veterans who were gradually returning from the fighting spots to finish the injustice towards their people. President Truman established Civil Rights Committee which reported in 1947 that there is a high violation of civil rights. Philip Randolf, Afro-American activist, told President to end segregation of the armed forces if he did not want all the blacks to stop fighting at all. Executive Order 9981 forbade any discrimination against Afro-Americans in the military and became a very significant victory against racism in the USA.
References
The World War II Era and the Seeds of a Revolution. September, 2010. Retrieved from HYPERLINK "http://www.pearsonhighered.com/assets/hip/us/hip_us_pearsonhighered/sam plechapter/0205728863.pdf" http://www.pearsonhighered.com/assets/hip/us/hip_us_pearsonhighered/samp lechapter/0205728863.pdf
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