Our heroes proved in liberation many of us felt we never would get a chance to really fight. I could not go in, which i did not realize at the time, because of the color of my skin. America, america may god narrator the story of africanamericans in world war ii is indeed a legacy of patriotism and valor. In 1941, americans looked at their world and saw war everywhere. Across the atlantic, adolf hitlers german troops occupied nearly every inch of europe from france to russia, to the baltic sea and north africa. In the pacific, the Japanese Army and navy already captured parts of china, manchuria, korea and a number of nearby islands. Pearl harbor would soon states into war. Monday morning, the first thing i did was go down to the Army Recruiting station and enlist in the service of my country. I was told there was no quota for black troops. You have to remember this country was very discriminatory, segregated and there was no change. First of all, black sailors as sailors per se were not permitted into the navy. Given the fact that i was in the segregated army, that made no difference. I joined the army to fight for the country, for my country, because i was born and raised and nurtured by this country. I saw no reason to slack off because of the segregated or being in a racist society. Narrator africanamericans participation in the armed forces was held by a firmly held belief. Be organized in blacks would not mind segregation. Blacks should be used only in service units. Blacks should not command whites. The motivation was basic. I felt that if i fought for my country, shed my blood as necessary and i come back home, i would be treated as equal. I really believed we fought two wars. One was the war against the axis and the other was the war against segregation. Narrator africanamericans would fight, bleed and die in world war ii to free people around the world. Their performance on the battlefield would change the American Armed forces forever. Their bravery would pave the way for the modern Civil Rights Movement that would emerge after the war, but one bottle would take much longer one battle would take much longer to win. It would take more than 50 years for america to recognize its heroism of its black war fighters. More than 60 years to go, on 60 years ago, on spare cabal unspeakable tyranny threatened the world. Men and women threatened the call to arms. Millions of these were americans and many of these americans were black. In the Second World War, more than one million africanamerican men and women served on land and sea and in the air. Served to ensure the freedoms for which they fought abroad would not be denied at home. The program you are about to see is about their service. In no way can it measure up to the determination and patriotism of these extraordinary men and women. As you watch the scenes unfold, you will get a glimpse of the magnificent, heartrending effort of freedom and justice. Today, the triumph of these africanamerican men and women [indiscernible] our Lasting Legacy for every soldier, sailor, airman, marine, coast guardsmen and merchant marine who served in world war ii. But even more, what they gave, what they suffered and what they accomplished are shining examples for free men and women everywhere. It is very important to note black americans have always fought for this country. In the american revolution, [indiscernible] 0 fight for freedom. The war of 1812, thousands more served on land and at sea. The civil war, african fight for freedom and dignity africanamericans fight for freedom and dignity. The ninth and 10th cavalry regiments opened up americas western frontier as the Buffalo Soldiers. For the 24th and 25th industry, they helped Teddy Roosevelts rough riders at a crucial moment in the battle for the san juan hill. 400,000 africanamericans served in world war i. Two whole black combat divisions were activated, the 92nd and the 93rd infantry. It was under the command of the trench army that black american infantry would prove their method on the battlefield. For their bravery, france awards soldiers its highest medal. The United States awards them the distinguished Service Cross. Despite their bravery, number of black soldiers in the army are severely reduced between world war i and world war ii. In 1940, there were only 4451 africanamericans in the United States army. Commissioned officers. The rest were enlisted men, mostly in service and supply units. There were no black marines and only a few mess stewards in the navy and the coast guard. By the mid1950s, the world veers toward war again 1930s, the world veers toward war again. Africanamericans still must fight for the right to do their part. At west point, the armys military academy, the color barrier is difficult to crack. Benjamin o. Davis jr. Graduates from west point in 1936. He is the first africanamerican to graduate in the 20th century. Not one social word was spoken in his four years at west point. The reserve allows some africanamerican College Students to become officers. Meanwhile, africanamerican organizations and newspapers petitioned Franklin D Roosevelt and his administration for dignity and equality in the armed forces. There is a grave apprehension among negros. Training of colored persons may lead to the creation of labor battalions and other forms of discrimination against them in the event of war. Narrator september 1940, Congress Passes the Selective Service and training act. The first number is serial number 158. Narrator it promises that black americans will be represented in the armed forces in proportion to the general population. But, the marine corps is not accepting blacks. The Army Air Corps is not accepting blacks. The navy is, but only as mess attendance. The army takes africanamericans but only as replacements for its allblack unit. On the home front, blacks face discrimination. In the expanding defense industry. Africanamerican organizations continue to protest. A Philip Randolph sets the july 1 date for a march on washington. To stop the march, president roosevelt offers a compromise. He issues executive order 8802, which establishes the president s committee on fair employment practices. The order promises to end discrimination at factories producing for the national defense. Six months later, the United States enters world war ii. December 1, 1941, a date which will live in infamy. Narrator the v for victory becomes the double v for africanamericans. Victory over fascism, victory over racism at home. The double v becomes a rallying cry for africanamerican participation in armed forces and on the home front. From black entertainers joining the War Bond Campaign rally to farmworkers to workers on the assembly line, africanamericans help boost morale and help supply Americas Armed forces. We did what we did because we were there and we had to do it. You had over 50,000 black soldiers and they were from where all the goods come in all the way up into the jungles, which is where we were. Narrator early in the world, war africanamerican soldiers , are sent to remote corners of the world to build airstrips for future battles. One of the most formidable Construction Projects is a road running from india to china. Over the himalayas and through the jungle. It would be over 1000 miles long. The indians were fighting around burma where the japanese were fighting at the time. We also supplied american supplies. We also supplied the chinese. Narrator of 15,000 troops who built the road, 60 are africanamerican. The battalion begins work in december, 1942. The eight 49th in the 18 83rd Engineering Battalion and others soon joined the battalion. Freight trains pull into a transfer shed located near the point of origin. A detachment of engineers begins work. In december of 1942. Narrator on january 12, 1945, the first convoy of soldiers travel the road. When the first convoy from india to china road, 25 months over the completed road, 25 months later, a negro was driving the lead vehicle. Driving, instead of shifting automatically, when you start going up the mountains, do not have time to global to double clutch. You slip past the gears. You got to your destination safely. Narrator on the others of the world, africanamerican troops battled a frigid archaic arctic temperatures and blinding snow to build a highway. Some of them had never drove a truck. But they learned how. [indiscernible] it very rough. It was unstable. It would vibrate, which made it difficult. Temperatures were anywhere from 32 below zero to 65 below zero. Trucks would freeze to the ground. Once you cut the boiler off, you any of themt to start. On the highway, black troops were housed [indiscernible] about an inch thick, which acted as installation. Narrator from april 1942 to july 1943, black soldiers work on the 1600 mile highway that would link alaska, canada and the United States to supply allied forces. It was a great accomplishment. It is a great feat. Some compare it with building the panama canal. The first russia bound plane. States gotited state the unid 8000 planes to russia by way of the alaska highway. Narrator africanamerican soldiers also build airfields that pave the way for the liberation of europe. Hard work, sweat and tears. You get it finished and then you go home. The first experiment was designed to fail. I was not going to fail. The officer in charge told me, we do not have any colored in the airport. There the air force. The basis for their refusal was a report which had determined that colored troops did not have the capability, the intelligence, the courage or even the coordination to fly fighter aircraft. There were a couple of young black men in the chicago area who felt so strongly about wanting to fly military aircraft that they rented an old biplane and flew it to washington to focus on the fight that blacks did not have opportunities to learn to fly military aircraft. They were met by then senator harry truman. This statement, if you guys have the guts to fly that thing from chicago to washington, then i have guts enough to see what you are asking for. Misses roosevelt went down to tuskegee on a visit. She went out to moten field and she met chief anderson who was chief pilot of the primary phase of flying. She went to the dismay of secret service. She went for a ride. When she went back to washington, within a short time, the tuskegee experiment was begun. Narrator the War Department announces plans for the formation and training of an allblack pursuit squadron. An airfield to train the pilots was built in teske key alabama. Tuskegee the first class consisted of 13. 12 students and when military one military officer who later became the commander. He was transferred from the base to command the 99th. We were very much interested in flying. I think that everybody felt that this was an opportunity because they did not have the advantage of such training before. We had come to the realization that it would not come easy. We would have to be almost twice as good as the other people if we were to succeed. But admonished ourselves and admonished our comrades that this was not only for us but a whole race of people. Narrator in april 1943, the 99th flight pursuit squadron leaves for north africa. Lt. Col. Will bend you know dave is jr. Is in command. He has no combat experience. The 99th is stationed at kate bond. At cape bond. Fighter to the 33rd group. The 99th runs missions in north africa and italy. They had great problems in 1943 because the commander of the group was an avowed segregationist. He did everything he could to keep the unit segregated. They were on a different part of the airfield. They were not invited to join the officers club. They were kept segregated in every way, shape and form. Probably the worst thing the commander did for them is in their first combat missions, he did not allow a veteran to lead them into combat. Narrator davids is ordered back to the states to defend the 99ths record. General davis had to fight very hard to keep the unit flying. The air force recommendation was to abandon the 99th and to stop the training of the three 32nd. Narrator lt. Col. Davis defense keeps the airmen flying. With huge losses mounting, the Fighter Group moves to italy in april of 1944 to begin bomber escort duty. Davis snapped at the opportunity. He had been flying an absolute obsolete airplane. He was given the p 47 for a month and in the p 51. And then the p 51. Just about every day, we were flying cover for bombers. The bombers, they have to fly straight and level at a certain speed so that the bomber can make sure the bombs fall where they are supposed to. We flew around the smoke and picked them up at the other end. It is a sad commentary when you see those guys flying like bugs. Narrator mission after mission, bomber crews looked to the 332nd for protection. New german fighters would come in and the bombers would be by themselves. The 332nd never lost a bomber to an enemy fighter in 200 missions. Stretching from may of 1944 to april of 1945. That is a unique record. No flight unit and all the rest of them were white, could make that claim. One of the armys best cap secrets was there was a black army Fighter Group. We had no idea the red tails whose escort we preferred were black pilots. Not an idea in the world. The airmen were a courageous, able, intelligent, young africanamericans who were not going to be stopped by anything and we were some dam good pilots. It was a feeling of patriotism and everyone wanted to help out in the war effort. Narrator africanamerican women also answer the call to service. From europe to north africa to new guinea and here at home, they served and worked to win the war. In april of 1941, the Army Nurse Corps had 48 africanamerican nurses. By 1944, there would be 220 black army nurses. Africanamerican females in the Womens Army Corps would have an uphill battle to serve their country. Charity adams committed a postal directory battalion. For some reason, the usual black troops me make trouble may make trouble. Or blacks cannot do what other people are doing. Overseas commanders did not want black women to come over. I guess if there is anything i remember about the Second World War it was the fact i was a member of the six aaa directory. It was the first and only battalion of black women to serve over the seas to serve overseas during the Second World War and im very proud of that. Stationed in birmingham, england, the six 888 processes mail. Their job was redirecting mail that had one attempted delivery based on the last address people back home had. In war times, you move pretty fast. Our job was not exciting but it was necessary. It was necessary for the morale of the troops. Mail met morale. Narrator by the wars end, the navy had commissioned six black female officers. The coast guard had accepted a few black women in its reserve program. For civilian africanamerican women, world war ii brings new challenges and opportunity. 600,000 out of one million African Americans who entered paid employment are women. Needed more workers to make more ammunition for our fighting forces. Narrator a former factory worker summed it up best when she declared lincoln may have freed the slaves but hitlers was the one who got us out of the white folks kitchen. I never thought i would see one. I was standing down on the corner of 14th and independence avenue all dressed up in my blues. I never got so many stairs in my hate stares in my life from white servicemen who looked at me as if to say who does he think he is . Narrator the navy resisted taking blacks. The marine corps remains all white. In 1942, the need for manpower tested the color lines. The secretary of navy said like folks could not handle warfare. That was a challenge to me. That is why i went in. Narrator in june of 1942, the u. S. Marine corps enlists blacks. From across the country, africanamerican recruits arrive for boot camp. For many of them, Mumford Point is a rude awakening. How in the world did i ever get into Something Like this . Our receptionist said you will say yes sir, no sir and you will not move until you are told to do so. Do you understand, boy . I heard what happened to black people or colored people as we were called south of the masondixon line but i had no personal experience. My parents who were southerners basically never talked about it. Narrator colonel samuel a woods, Mumford Points Commanding Officer is sympathetic to the challenges faced by recruits. He was in my opinion the fairest white man i have ever met or seen. Almost weekly, he would have us write a letter to washington in which he was complaining about the way we were treated as human beings in north carolina. We did all the things all marines do. Handtohand combat. Using maps, survival training. Anything any other marine got. Narrator in the navy, the number of black enlistees approaches 100,000. The Navy Establishes its First Training Program for black naval officers. I did not know why i was going to be sent there. I did not actually find out why because we had sealed orders. Until we got there and met 15 other young black men to discover that we were the guinea pigs to either prove or disprove the myth that blacks were not capable of serving as officers in the United States navy. Narrator they later became known as the golden 13. The navy trains black cadets in a at great lakes in training station in illinois. We tried to study together, work together, certainly we were trying to be better than the next guy, and i think everybody was very competitive. It was very cooperative and yet competitive. By doing that i think we raised all of our levels of accomplishment. Narrator black sailors who were in training came there with a purpose, and that purpose was to make sure that people knew that they could sail, that they were qualified to be sailors. The majority of them, i would say 95 of those guys, would have been able to have sailed any place. Narrator the navys uss mason, and the pc 1264, with their predominantly africanamerican crews escort and protect vessels during the war years. Pioneering africanamerican officers and enlisted men also served in the coast guard and merchant marine while protecting our shores and delivering material of war to battlefields around the world. Africanamericans knew nothing about airborne because its a very elite service. Restricted only to whites. Here were going to be the only all black unit, black from top to bottom. Narrator the five 55th parish company, triple nickels, the all black unit is activated at fort benning, georgia. These paratroopers achieve a remarkable record. Not a single refusal to jump. With unit morale high they expect to see combat. You remember at the battle of the bulge, they did great damage to our forces in europe and they were looking for a specialized unit. We spent four weeks in individualized training, jumping every single week, for day and night operations. Narrator instead, they are stationed in pendleton, oregon, to join Operation Fire fly, a mission to protect the coast, including incendiary devices to start forest fires. The triple nickels, nevertheless, proved their ability to perform the task. Their success leads to the groundwork for integration of africanamericans into the highly skilled 82nd airborne division. It was one big noisy mess. Narrator spring, 1944. Allied forces gather in england for the largest amphibious invasion in history. Africanamerican troops are part of the operations that will liberate europe. Quarter master units rush troops to the docks and load precious supplies. Their support is critical to the pending invasion. June 6, 1944. Normandy, france. Dday. The invasion begins. [gunshots] my job was to clean the mines so that the infantry coming aboard wouldnt get caught, wouldnt find themselves in the middle of mines. Narrator at omaha beach, black soldiers of the 320th antiaircraft balloon battalion released balloons to protect ships. Africanamerican medics tend to the men wounded in the bloody battle. The number of casualties at omaha beach was phenomenal. We had never seen that many or even thought there would be that many casualties. I helped, along with other medics, to address and do the best we could with the wounded. Narrator Port Companies arrive in normandy. They work 30, 40, 50hour shifts building docks and unloading supplies that will sustain the allied push toward germany. General George Pattons third army breaks out from the normandy beachhead. [gunshots and blasts] to supply pattons troops in their dash across france, the transportation corps establishes the red ball express. Nearly 70 of the soldiers who man this massive effort are africanamerican. The 469th Quarter Master unit is in charge of 30 truck companies. They deliver food, ammunition, and fuel to the troops, and transport prisoners and casualties to the rear area. These Unsung Heroes of the road live up to their model. Keep them rolling. Keep them supplied. Keep them smiling. They constantly was going all the time. No stopping. Always on call. Any time of day or night. Narrator the red bull express carries 8,000 tons per day for four months, from august to november. They would haul more than 400,000 tons of supplies. By the end of 1944 nearly 480,000 africanamericans are serving overseas. The africanamerican experience, at times, was not nice. I was quite frustrated with what was going on. We had to keep our thoughts and our minds on the big picture instead of worrying about segregation. The regiment really was not as well equipped and as welltrained as it should have been. The 92nd division was named for the Buffalo Soldiers of the ninth and 10th calvary. Narrator the 92nd Infantry Division is reactivated in 1942. Only 20 years after they had carried their battle flag into world war i, proud 92nd would fight racism. In training and on the battlefield. We were victims of being sent to locations where negroes couldnt do any harm to cities they were stationed near. Narrator segregationists Army Policies and white make it difficult to station them. No other single post is available for the 92nd. When the 92rd ships out to the pacific in 1943, the fort opens for the 92nd. All black units and white commanders were southern selected officers and i found personally, and other black men found personally, that men who were generally not from the south were more considerate toward us. More respectful toward us, and we enjoyed serving under them more so than from under the white southern officers. The general feeling of the white leadership in the units that i was in, this is, im speaking of myself personally, they didnt think very much of us. They didnt think we had the intelligence to even pull the trigger and shoot straight. Narrator army practice kept white officers from serving in units where they were junior in rank to any black officers. This created tensions in the 92nd. This Practice Limited the use of black officers and more importantly, restricted their rank. I was angry. It made me feel very, very angry, the fact that my intelligence was insulted every time that i would make a suggestion on a tactic. The black officers were never given any latitude in any command situation at all. I was downgraded because i was black. Narrator the 92nd is commanded by southerner Major General edward m. Maldwin. It is in a climate of ratio mistrust that the 92nd trained for combat. Brigadier general benjamin o. Davis senior on an inspection tour noted that he had overlooked the Human Element in training with no thought to establishing racial understanding. My combat team was one of three combat teams in the 92nd Infantry Division. We were informed after maneuvers by the Division Commander that the Infantry Combat Team would prepare for overseas movement. We were going overseas. We were just going overseas, and we didnt know where we were going. We went into combat with the fifth army. We were attached to the first army division. Narrator the three 70th 370th infantry made combat ready with the best soldiers from the division. Deployed to italy. They joined allied forces fighting along the gothic line stretching from north of mass is a eastward to balonia. [gunshots] narrator the 92nd 370th combat teams fights aggressively and maintains contact with axis forces. [gunshots] narrator after six weeks of allied success the axis force withdraw into the gothic line. The german soldiers in italy were seasoned soldiers. They had come from another front. Namely, i think most of them came from southern france. They knew what they were doing. When you ran up against a bunch of them, you knew you were in a fight. Narrator the rest of the division arrives in late october and november, and goes into the line. 2. 4 inches of rain in 24 hours, ending december 9. The 92nd division, 17 Airline Miles south of balonia. A Field Artillery battalion improvises a ferry across a swollen stream. Narrator the casualties experienced by the 92nd have a devastating effect on unit combat effectiveness. Black replacements are sent into theater with little or no combat training. Many cannot read or write. They are ill prepared for combat. The morale of the black soldiers, the enlisted personnel in the 370th at the time that i joined was very low. Most of these soldiers were draftees, they didnt want to be there and when they got there they were treated very badly. They werent treated like human beings. Narrator despite the handicaps, many units of the 92nd distinguished themselves in battle. Operating in a valley, the two infantrys are particularly effective, seizing ground from german and italian units and beating numerous counterattacks, from the fall of 1944 to the spring of 1945, the 92nd helps to hold the gothic line, but the entire fifth army remains stalled. Elsewhere on the italian front, rain and floods and high winds make allied Defense Operations virtually impossible. Reports from the front say its impossible to exaggerate the harshness of this years italian winter. [gunshots] narrator in april the fifth army begins its final drive through the gothic line. There have been changes. The 92nd is reorganized as an integrated force. Attached are the famed japanese americans, along with the black 370th. They roll up the western italian coast, liberating ports of mass is a and another one. Many africanamericans distinguished themselves in the Italian Campaign but received little recognition. There was a definite program foot to suppress acts of bravery or heroism by black soldiers. I never heard any stories or any comments concerning bravery by black soldiers from any of the white officers. Every time we turned around, you would hear about acts of bravery of the white soldiers. Narrator for the 92nd, world war ii ends on april 30, 1945 when german and italian troops they had fought since august, surrendered. It was exciting. It felt as though they were going to get a chance to see some action. Narrator under the leadership of general mcarthur and admiral nimitz, allied forces undertook a campaign that led to the japanese homeland. Black troops are in the thick of the ferocious fighting. The first africanamerican unit to engage the enemy in Ground Combat was the First Battalion of the 24th infantry, fighting. [gunshots] narrator black Marine Companies are employed to serve alongside white Marine Assault units in what was to become some of the most desperate and heroic fighting. A Depot Company was more or less like a Utility Company. A Utility Company could be used in any capacity, even in front line combat because when the marines went out, Something Like 1000 people got killed in three days fighting. I think they lost approximately 4,000 on hiroshima. They lost thousands at okinawa. When youre on the beachhead and they are dropping those mortars and artillery shells on you thats about as much as front line combat as you can get in. [gunshot] narrator marine Ammunition Companies are on the beach in the invasion carrying ammo. Africanamericans performed much needed Construction Projects on the far flung islands of the pacific, including New Caledonia and new georgia. The invasion of hiroshima depths on the depths, the amphibious vehicles manned by africanamerican army operators. They bring 105 millimeter missiles ashore. I came off with my amphibious loaded with a 105 and seven marines. It was too hard to come in on green the water was real rough. Because, you know youve got to have training, to know how to drive that duck along when the water is rough and your ramp is coming up and down. I tell you, i was scared going in there and scared coming back. All of that flying over the top of you, you dont know whats going to hit you. Narrator onshore black marines face a nightmare of enemy fire with the invasion force. I hear hiroshima with the iwo jima with the 34th marine Depot Company, d plus 3. Thus the night of d plus 3 and they put me and a few other black marines up to hold that line. Kind of scary. Of course, i wasnt afraid because, perhaps i didnt have sense enough to be afraid. I always felt that anything horrible that happened would happen to somebody else, not me. As it grew on and got darker, i realized that i was up on that line by myself. There would be no light so you could see. All around me i could hear japanese talking. You knew that the enemy with you throughout and you wonder with you out there and you wonder whether or not would you be able to get into the beach safely or whether or not perhaps would you have problems getting in. The intensity of the fire on such a small area as that, one could have been killed at any one time or at any one place. [engine sounds] narrator black sailors would also set a standard for valor in the pacific. Aboard the battleship West Virginia at Pearl Harbor Navy a navy mess man an antiaircraft, and engages in attacking japanese planes. Hell go down with his ship later in the war. Another man, alonso swan, shoots down kamikaze planes diving toward his ship the uss intrepid. In all four black sailors are awarded the navys second highest honor, navy cross. Swan will wait 50 years to receive his medal. The legacy of swan and miller is continued during the invasion of okinawa as black naval gunners help to destroy the horde of kamikaze planes. Intent on destroying the fleet. The japanese sent suicide planes to land on okinawa. We saw japanese planes diving into the ships, the navy blew them up in midair. Having to put your life on the line for the country, you feel as if you would have lost your life for good reason or good purpose. Im proud to have been a marine and you will find most black marines think the same way that i do. If this country ever went to war i want to be a definite part of that war. Word came out that they wanted volunteers, colored troops they called us then to volunteer to fight in white units, integrated units. I was told it would be integrated. We got ridiculed quite a bit by the combat troops that came over. We went overseas to help build the airports and so forth for the air force and after they got there, we were constantly ridiculed, you know, as they ridiculed blacks at that time. I liked the action. That outfit didnt have enough action for me. I was in the army and i wanted to see some action. Narrator by december 1944, the army faces a dangerous shortage. Few white combat replacement troops are left in the european theater. [gunshots] narrator when the germans launch a counteroffensive, the need for reinforcements becomes crucial. There is only one place to turn. The all black support units behind the lines. For the first time in the war, the army asks africanamerican soldiers to take their places in combat units with white soldiers. The response exceeds all expectations. Anybody want to sign up for the infantry . I didnt hear any more about it. The next day i went into town, i came back examining people for the infantry. I think the next day they was gone. Narrator almost 5,000 black soldiers volunteered. They know they are trading the safety of duty in the rear to risk their lives on the front lines. When we volunteered to go into combat, we automatically had to give up any rank we had. We had to go in as privates. I was generous. I gave them my stripes. I went to a private for a chance to get shot at. I was just boiling for a fight, ill be frank with you, i was boiling and stewing for a fight. Didnt make any difference to me who i fought. Narrator to limit the effects of personnel losses and service units, only 2,500 black soldiers are taken. In january, they begin infantry training. They sent troops who had been wounded and couldnt go back to their unit, to train us. We received the best training anyone could receive to prepare to go into combat. Narrator six weeks later, 53 platoons of black infantry men led by white lieutenants and platoon sergeants join white infantry and armored units at the front. They told us we were integrated. We were not totally integrated. We became an extra platoon. When we got up there the white soldiers were glad to see us in the beginning. I think they were glad to see anybody coming up there because they were catching hell. We got there in the thick of things and they taught us a whole lot, right quick. Our first initial fire fight was interesting. The colonel came up and we had to take this little town, and the colonel said we might as well try out. All of a sudden everything break loose. Everybody started scattering out. We ran through, and the germans, the lieutenant said, fall back, so i told him, lieutenant, weve come this far, why are we going to go back now four. Why are we going to go back now for . We took time. After that, it was kind of constant. Because they knew we could do the job. I was pretty scared. I really tried to hold myself together but i was really sorry that i volunteered. I really didnt feel good about it at all. Volunteering for this, this hideous duty. If youve never been under artillery fire and air bombardments, you dont understand it. We were under heavy artillery fire and i was so frightened that i grabbed my steel helmet and pulled it down to my feet. Now, this sounds stupid, i know you cant do that, but that is what fear will do to you. Narrator the army calls the platoons an experiment in integration. The relationship between the blacks in the white soldiers, it was very good. It was excellent. More like family. Any time youre in combat youre a family man. Narrator when the war in europe is over, the theater commander tells the black infantry men that integration is over. Some some return home. Others go back to segregated units. All of a sudden one morning, they came up with the truck and picked us up, black soldiers up and carried us back down into france, and assigned us to a black outfit. And i felt rather badly. I said, you mean to tell me this is whats happening to us after the war is over . They are getting rid of us . Narrator the experiment shatters the belief that integrating combat units will cause social dissension. We proved to the world that we could fight. It had already been proven by the ninth and 10th calvary. In fact, we overdid the job because in world war ii, the black newspapers were saying, let our boys fight in. Fight. In vietnam, they were saying let our boys stop fighting because they recognized the fact that combat kills people and we were ready for combat and we were warriors. In the true sense of the word. Any time they had a position they would send for the 761st. We continued and completed 183 days straight of combat duty and the only reason why we didnt do more is because the germans quit. Narrator the 761st tank battalion is activated on april 1, 1942. I went to louisiana, im not bragging about it because it was about the worst that they had in the United States. But that was where the 761st was located. You learned every job. You learned to be a driver, a gunner, a loader, and a gunner. And a tank commander. They were going to make that unit look good no matter what happened, they were going to show people that blacks could fight, drive tanks, and fight against the germans as well as the whites could and in the long run they did a beautiful job of that. Narrator october 10, 1944, the 761st lands at omaha beach. They they are the armys first africanamerican tank battalion committed to combat. They have been sent to help fight the germans elite tank corps. General patton had made a statement that they didnt have to worry about negroes, because it was too technical a piece of equipment and yet when he requested from the department of army to send him the best remaining separate tank battalion left in the United States, who should show up, but the 761st . That is where we all assembled and got visited by general patton. He comes and said, do you know who he was . He says i have nothing but the best and i sent for you. He says dont let me down and dont let your people down. We were pinned down, the first battle run, we had [inaudible] we took those three cities the first day and we unbuttoned, came out, and they almost fell off their feet. To see that we were black. Narrator through november, the 761st battles its way through several cities. This unit had an exceptional record in combat. Narrator december 1944. The battle of the bulge. [gunshots] narrator at bastone, surrounded by germans, the 101st airborne fights for survival. To relieve the 101st, patton rushes elements of his third army north. Serving in support, the 761st blasts its way from the river on december 24 north to belgium, where they arrive on the 30th. We were truly nervous in bassston, because behind every tree was a dead soldier. Enemy or yours. There were groups of american g. I. s massacred, 11 black soldiers from the 333rd field battalion. When the bodies were recovered and it was discovered they had been mutilated, they had bust some of their skulls in with rifle butts, gouged their eyes out with bayonets. We never fought as one unit fought as one unitever altogether. They split us all over the place. That confuse the germans. They didnt know that. We had the speed and the 360 degree traversing of the s, thets turret germans, they had to turn to fire on you. We could just keep going. That is how we were able to outflank them and knock them out. Narrator after the battle of the bulge, units went on to fight in belgium. , and other cities. On march 3, the 761st tank battalion enters germany. The taskeconstituted force and called it task force rhyme, and we tankers were given command of the operation. This was the outstanding, total operation involving all of the battalion. And we broke a hole through the marginal lines. Rhinerhyme plane plane, and into the entire army oppositionith no whatsoever. My men were magnificent. Narrator the 761st captures troops during the Task Force Rhine operation. Attached to the third army, the 761st rights to germany to austria. What surprised me, all these tanks passing through the side, the division. , beat up, the 761st tired, tank battalion to go in and lead the way. Narrator on the journey through germany, the 761st witnessed the horrors of war. The 761st was a sign for the 71st Infantry Division at a time that the division liberated a camp near wels, austria. It was one of those smaller refugee camps, concentration camps. Narrator the 761st meets the unions First Ukrainian front on may 6. My husband, whenever he talks of soldiers, whenever he talks of fine soldiers, of good soldiers, he talks about his soldiers, who were the men of the 761st. [indiscernible] the impact of awarding me the medal of honor, to my thinking, is that somebody wants to salvage their conscience. It should have been done at the time, that these awards were made with the distinguished Service Cross at the time, when these men did their heroic acts. But it was a time of complication. It was a time of trouble between the races. We were a very Different Society in that time. Narrator for more than 50 years following world war ii, no africanamericans are awarded the medal of honor for actions performed during the war. For the medal of honor, you dont have to just be brave. You have to go above and beyond the call of duty. Loose. Hell broke keep themst trying to from coming down. Thats where we had a young lieutenant by the name of john foxx. He was our forward observer. And he asked for fire. Him, the stopn the germans that were coming down. Well, it ought to make the country look a little more closely at what was done by the black soldiers, what was done to the black soldiers. It ought to shed some light in a dark corner of our closet. He was the point man for company a. He led the way coming into dublin. His tank hit a landmine. The medics said man, this is a Million Dollar wound. That meant you could go back home. Youre out of the war. And he said no, they need me here. The next day, when we had to move out, they said be careful when you go over this hill. They told him, back up. Back up. Back up. Do you see them . Yes, i see them but im going to engage. And he did. By that time, big white flash. He got killed. Its very important that it be done now while their comrades, the guys who fought alongside them in world war ii, are still alive. Because the honor and the glory of it reflects on all of them. Company c was given a mission to break through the german lines to get through an objective. We broke through. When we broke through, the germans did not know we were there. During the action of breaking through the lines, we neutralized three machine gun nests, a couple of dugouts. We cut numerous communication lines. Narrator in may 1996, the pentagon forwards the names of seven soldiers to the white house, recommending them for the medal of honor for their heroic actions in world war ii. There were 1,200,000 black in world in uniform war ii, and this is an important symbolic act. But i dont think theres any way, in this day and time, that you can adequately recognize all that they contributed and all that was denied them in terms of medals and honors and promotions. These sort of things, theres no way that you can balance the books entirely. Were half a century down the road. All you can do is this symbolic act, and give to them some glory, some honor. They earned that. And its long overdue. You serve your country, you deserve to be served. It really makes me feel sad. We did our jobs. We fought. But we werent appreciated. Sec. Powell the africanamerican veterans of world war ii served a nation that was not yet ready to serve them. With their double d symbol, they fought against both fascism and racism. They were determined to prove to their fellow americans of that fellow americans that they were equals on the battlefield and were entitled to be there equals at home. We should all be proud of the sacrifices they made on the snowcovered fields of belgium, in the skies over europe, and on the bloody beaches of iwo jima. They wrote a noble chapter in American Military history. Their legacy made my rise in the military possible. I stood on their shoulders. They made america a better place for all of us. They asked for no special recognition. They asked for no tribute. They just wanted to fight for their beloved country and they did. We owe them our thanks. We must continue to carry on their legacy of commitment and courage. [taps playing] narrator First Lieutenant vernon baker. 92nd Infantry Division. First lieutenant john foxx, 92nd Infantry Division. First lieutenant charles l thomas, 614th Tank Destroyer battalion. Staff Sergeant Edward a. Carter, 12th armored division. Staff Sergeant Ruben rivers, 761st tank battalion. Private first class willie james junior, 104th Infantry Division. Private george watson, 29th quartermaster. Pres. Clinton now and forever, the truth will be known about these africanamericans who gave so much so that the rest of us might be free. [america the beautiful playing] purple mountains majesty above the fruited plain now, wait a minute americaing about sweet america god shed his grace on thee he crowned thy good, yes he did, in brotherhood from sea to shining sea america, america, america god shed his grace on thee he crowned thy good he told me he would in brotherhood from sea to shining sea thank you lord shining sea [captions copyright national