Today is the 60th anniversary of the integration of the U.S. Armed Forces, a commemoration I would have missed without this release from the Pentagon:
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates today celebrated the 60th anniversary of the desegregation of the armed forces and the federal civil service in a ceremony at the Pentagon.
Executive Order 9980, which President Truman signed on July 26, 1948, created a Fair Employment Board to eliminate racial discrimination in federal employment. Executive Order 9981, signed the same day, began the process of eliminating segregated units and occupational specialties from the post-World War II military.
Having grown up in the military (making it sort of like my real hometown), I’ve always taken pride in the fact that it was the first major institution in our country to integrate, far ahead of the schools and the rest of our society.
Perhaps that experience of being surrounded by a meritocracy that made a point of erasing unimportant divisions — everyone was alike, once they put on the uniform — had a lot to do with my having the attitude as an adult that the differences civilians still make so much of really don’t matter. Consequently, the way Democrats and Republicans — and all too many black people and white people — look at each other as alien seems unAmerican to me.
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The general population is way beyond the race issue. We are stopping and waiting with hands on hips for the race baiters in the media, the republican and the democratic parties to catch up. We are wondering if the few papers you sell or the few votes you gain is really worth all the time and energy you waste on this subject?
When you link an issue like poverty, education, immigration, affirmative action, health care, etc. to race, it is YOU who are racist not us. As an example I cannot remember the last time I had a problem with a member of another race or nationality.
Everytime we have a presidential race the race card, the sex card, the liberal card, the age card, the patriot card, the poverty card, the tax card and a few cards that I am forgeting get played. Just like decorations at Christmas, parades on New Year’s Day and the Fourth of July, they have become a national tradition.
So, in honor of the this tradition I offer this post.
Richard, I hate to break it to you, but South Carolina’s general population is no more beyond the race issue than the media, the government and Barack Obama are.
Furthermore, our schools teach the race issue as much as newspapers preach it, so the next generation won’t be beyond it, either.
I’m not sure I understand what I just read. I celebrate the military having stepped out beyond race 60 years ago, and what a fine thing that was and is, and how it caused me to grow up feeling that this was something that we’d already dealt with as a society, and Richard starts talking about “race baiters in the media.”
What did I miss? What’s the connection?
Is there a glass ceiling for black members of the military? Aside from Colin Powell, is there/has there been proportional representation at the highest levels of the military branches? A quick check of the Joint Chiefs shows no diversity.
Also, it also seems apparent that the special forces units are also more white than the overall racial breakdown of the military in general. Why is that? I think back to some of the pictures Brad has posted of the officer in Afghanistan. Seemed like nearly all the unit members were white.
As for Richard Wolfe’s comments regarding race in South Carolina, I couldn’t disagree more. It’s there – everywhere and everyday. I could provide numerous personal examples of unnecessary behavior from both whites and blacks based solely on race.
Mr. Warthen, every time you bring up race, you’re putting an emphasis on race.
Celebrating 60 years of military desegregaton points up that once the military wasn’t integrated, so you’ve thrown a stone without meaning to.
I once asked state Sen. Gerald Malloy of Hartsville how it felt to be the first black senator from his district, and he called me a racist for asking the question.
Now do you understand? I don’t, but I’m going to be walking on eggshells for the rest of my life, whether I understand wmy or not, no matter how sick I get of all the PC BS that’s destroying our society.
Mr. Warthen, every time you bring up race, you’re putting an emphasis on race.
Celebrating 60 years of military desegregaton points up that once the military wasn’t integrated, so you’ve thrown a stone without meaning to.
I once asked state Sen. Gerald Malloy of Hartsville how it felt to be the first black senator from his district, and he called me a racist for asking the question.
Now do you understand? I don’t, but I’m going to be walking on eggshells for the rest of my life, whether I understand wmy or not, no matter how sick I get of all the PC BS that’s destroying our society.
It’s not related to the military, but check out the story in today’s State newspaper:
“A North Carolina contractor is protesting Columbia City Council’s plan to award a contract to build a section of the Three Rivers Greenway to a local company whose bid was $1 million higher than its bid.”
“We’ve had ongoing discussions for four weeks,” said Steve Strapec, director of Mainline’s building division. “They told us we had been selected. They told us it would be on today’s council agenda. We decided to stay and protest. It just didn’t make sense with the numbers.”
However, Steve Gantt, Columbia’s senior assistant city manager, said Mainline didn’t meet the requirements for attracting minority, small and female firms as subcontractors.
“But for some reason we failed to send (them) a letter stating that they were nonresponsive,” he said. “We should have.”
—
So basically, the taxpayers are responsible for paying $1 million dollars more for the same project just so the government can reward minority owned businesses.
Mayor Coble is quoted as follows:
“If we are serious about opening the door of economic opportunity to more people, we have to have ways of making sure more companies are involved,” Mayor Bob Coble said. “It’s a goal of the city that all of our citizens are going to benefit from taxpayer contracts. And it’s a program that’s easy to comply with.”
Sure, it’s easy to comply with!!! When you’re spending other people’s money!
And to expand on that last comment — wouldn’t that $1 million be very helpful in addressing the bus situation?
It’s all about priorities. Providing bus service or paying above market costs so that minority owned businesses can get special treatment.
Off the top of my head, Doug, I’d answer that two ways:
You’ll note that I keep saying "transit system" rather than "bus" because, even though I am fully aware of the obstacles, I never stop hoping for light rail at some point. And while I realize that no, we are not the S.F. Bay Area (and I’m glad we’re not), I found the references to BART in Will’s column about Jerry Brown today interesting.
Sorry about that Brad but this was on my mind and since there is no open forum on the blog it seem the best place to post it.
To be bold and honest with everyone I am sick and tired of even the word race. I wish it would go the way of the ” n ” word. I am not going to vote for or against anyone because of their race, age, gender or anything else. I thought that we as a general population were beyond it but after reading the other posts I guess I am wrong. I will have to accept that and move on.
I am not going to vote for or against anyone because of their race, age, gender or anything else.
-Wolfe
I’m with you on that one. I love Barack Obama but can’t stand Clarence Thomas. Neither opinion has anything to do with race.
My uncle and several of his friends served as white officers in command of a regiment of black troops, in World War I.
Black troops served with whites in both the Union Army and the Confederate Armies from 1862 on.
Blacks and whites served together in the Navy and in the US Calvary in the West from 1866 until World War I.
Thanks Lee,
Now we know the rest of the story.
“My uncle and several of his friends served as white officers in command of a regiment of black troops, in World War I.”
Yes, Lee, but come on now, were they really allowed to freely “mix” with the white soldiers? Or did they serve in segregated regiments?
Was here any opportunity for advancement for these soldiers(aside from being, say a bandleader?) Much less any possible avenue to redress a single grievance?
http://www.redstone.army.mil/history/integrate/CHRON3.html
Hurrah that the armed forces are integrated. Maybe now they can consider the other lingering obstacle- the repeal of the silly canard known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”.
It seems the time has come to finally end it, once and for all. Last year, 28 retired U.S. generals and admirals have now called for an end to the policy. The letter has been released again, with an expanded number of signatories of similar rank, bringing the total to 52.
<http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2007/11/30/Retired_officers_urge_dont_ask_repeal/UPI-31291196424102/>
<http://www.palmcenter.org/press/dadt/releases/52_retired_generals_and_admirals_call_for_repeal>
Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. John Shalikashvili (Ret.) and former Senator and Secretary of Defense William Cohen spoke against the policy publicly in early January 2007: “I now believe that if gay men and lesbians served openly in the United States military, they would not undermine the efficacy of the armed forces,” General Shalikashvili wrote. “Our military has been stretched thin by our deployments in the Middle East, and we must welcome the service of any American who is willing and able to do the job.”
<http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/30/us/30military.html?_r=3&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin>
Additional reports shows that there would be no impact on military preparedness, or unit cohesion. The only ones who have a problem are the homophobes, not the gays. The fact that other countries such as Britain and Israel have allowed gays to serve now for years only bears this out.
During his senate confirmation hearing in 2007, the current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen, old lawmakers that, “I really think it is for the American people to come forward, really through this body, to both debate that policy and make changes, if that’s appropriate.” He went on to say that, “I’d love to have Congress make its own decisions” with respect to considering repeal. Then in May of this year, when speaking to graduating cadets at West Point, responded to a cadet’s question asking what would happen if the next administration were supportive of legislation allowing gays to serve openly by stating “…that Congress, and not the military, is responsible for the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law banning openly lesbian, gay and bisexual Americans from military service.”
Low levels of recruitment could be met if the ban was repealed. It would also save funds currently used by the military to prosecute and discharge gays who are outed.
Links to the above mentioned letter:
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2007/11/30/Retired_officers_urge_dont_ask_repeal/UPI-31291196424102/
http://www.palmcenter.org/press/dadt/releases/52_retired_generals_and_admirals_call_for_repeal
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