Young eventually became executive director of the National Urban League in 1961 and a major player in the civil rights Movement. I grew up with a basic belief in the inherent decency of human beings." "Not just because I saw the problems, but because I saw the potentials, too. "It was my Army experience that decided me on getting into the race relations field after the war," Young said. As a result, he was often called upon to mediate between the two groups. Enlisting in the Army in 1942, he attained the rank of first sergeant in just three weeks, according to His rapid ascent in a segregated unit caused some resentment among his fellow Soldiers and members of his unit's white leadership. Black military members also gained communication, organizational and leadership skills they might have never acquired as civilians, Taylor said. In addition to returning with heightened expectations because of their battlefield sacrifices, many returned with unique perspectives on life and liberty, especially since many had been exposed to Europe and its more tolerant racial climates. It's an obligation."Īfrican-American men and women who served during WWII and the Korean War numbered more than 1.5 million, despite enduring racism and discrimination on the homefront and within the ranks. "The country is then indebted to that person.
"When you go out there on the battlefield and you're fighting for your life and the lives of the people you're serving with, it's a big difference compared to the ordinary citizen who did not serve," said the 91-year-old Petersburg resident. Porcher "PT" Taylor, a combat veteran of WWII and the Korean and Vietnam wars, said risking life and limb for one's country makes a powerful argument for reciprocation. WWII, like all wars before it (and many since), was yet another opportunity to validate their place as American citizens and claim the rights and privileges they were persistently denied. King and the other ministers would not have been able to effectively organize as they did."Ĭivil rights for African-Americans, or the "human rights and personal dignity" Williams referred to, have been elusive commodities for the better part of their existence. "I would go as far to say if it wasn't for the black Soldiers who came back from World War II and the Korean War and lent their expertise to the cause, Dr. "They had a great impact on the movement," said the Mechanicsville resident and veteran of the Vietnam War. John Boyd, black war veterans were critical to the fight for civil rights. military during WWII and the Korean War and then returned to their communities with newfound hope and aspirations to improve their lot in American society through various efforts of the civil rights movement.įrom the perspective of retired Army Lt. The experiences of civil rights icons like Evers and Williams and a long list of others form a collective narrative of those who served in the U.S. to be a general in the war for human rights and personal dignity." "Then, and not until then, did I realize why God, time after time, had taken me to death's door, then spared my life. Army uniform worn at the time did not deter his attackers. "At that moment, I truly felt as if I had fought on the wrong side," Williams said later, noting his U.S. He was reacquainted with the pain of his experience and introduced to the companions of rebuke and humiliation - after he was beaten by whites "like a common dog" upon his return home for using a whites-only water fountain, he said.
George Patton, Williams had teetered on the steps of death after being hospitalized for nearly a year as a result of the attack. Having survived a Nazi bombing in Europe under the command of Gen. Hosea Williams, like Evers, also was a World War II veteran. I've been fighting for America just as much as the Soldiers in Vietnam." "I'm looking to be shot any time I step out of my car," he said. Amid the commitment to the cause, he conceded danger was a lurking proposition. Medgar Evers, a World War II veteran who participated in the famed Red Ball Express logistical effort, marched head-first into the teeth of the civil rights struggle years later, muddying himself in the trenches of the movement's fight against segregation in Mississippi.
The wars, especially the segregated conditions of WWII, sparked collective aspirations amongst.įORT LEE, Va. Medgar Evers, Whitney Young and Ralph Abernathy were among the many figures of the Civil Rights Movement who served during World War II and the Korean War.