Ken Burns' War (II) Series

I don't know how many of you have watched the above WWII documentary by Ken Burns. I have and still have the remaining three episodes in the DVR chamber to watch. First, the series as all Burns' documentaries is very well done and a little slighted. I think that he tried to bring the so called greatest generation to this pedestal of American's coming together in effort to defeat the Germans and her Axis allies. On paper, in history it all looks wonderful and encouraging that a whole country would come together in a time of war, lawd knows that baby boomers missed that memo and taught a different course of supporting troops and a country at war. I think its called, Professor Liberal's talk of support but act of no support class.

In the case of the new professor's class, I hate to say I would be a student in, if I was around in the 1930's to 1945. A lot of people's jaws are going to drop when I write this, cause one, I stand proud of my grandfather's efforts in support of his country to participate in WWII.

But it wouldn't be me. Not during that era. And I'll tell you why...

There is no way in hell, I could fight, yet again after falling for the trick of equality, basic civil rights for my people, not once! but for every damn war leading up to the Vietnam War. Lets review history real quick for black serving in the military:

Revolutionary War: This was the war for independence from England. Blacks who were either indentured servants or slaves, was either sold into or made to serve both sides with the promise of freedom! and what did they get, returned back to slavery and if not returned to slavery, treated like trash and this went on oh hell lets jump to the ...


Civil War: This according to Rated G teachers, who taught that this war was because of slavery and Abraham Lincoln wanted to free the slaves so, brave men fought for it...Well, the rated R version of the true story of the war is that Lincoln had no intention of freeing slaves already held in captivity, but ending the slave trade...which meant that the sold out by other africans, slave went to other countries that continued in the slave trade. Other words, the war was about other trades and the Southern states wanting to succeed from the Union, because of the wealth the South was generating from the backs of slaves. The North and Lincoln didn't want that and thus the war...Blacks who either ran away, and let's get this out, it took a lot of beat downs from the South on the North for the Union to even accept blacks in the military. But blacks who ran away or lived in segregated Northern states volunteered to fight. And even then the so called liberators of the enslaved men and women, screwed over the new soldiers either by intellectual insult or through military pay. Blacks who served believed that their tomorrow was going to be different...Well it was, in the form of KKK and other terrorists groups in the form of lynch mobs. During this, blacks endured poverty, lack of education and those basic civil rights didn't exist in white america.

So lets fast forward to WWII: Still living in a country where one part of the nation is practicing Separate but equal, while another is practicing racial discrimination in housing, jobs and so on. The country is attacked by the Japanese on December 7, 1941 and a pissed off America goes to war. Short on men, they institute a draft which takes young men to war or accepts volunteer recruits to serve. But let's go back to this draft, a paper comes in to a young black man, which says that the nation is requesting his service to serve in the United States Military, or go to jail for refusal to serve. He has two options, and an effective NAACP and other groups are protesting the drafting of black men into a war, where the very country they live in is oppressing them here, yet! they're supposed to leave and represent this country to free the oppressed in Europe and in the Phillipines!! are you kidding me?!! Reports of race riots, young black soldiers beaten and lynched while wearing their uniforms and lets not even get into the manufacturing jobs in places such as talked about Mobile, Alabama where white workers attacked and beat black workers for being leaders and demanding equal pay. According to Burns' documentary, there were two different ferries, one for whites and one for blacks.

So knowing what I know now and if having to live in that so called greatest generation. My ass would be on the chain gang, cause I would not serve....in the greatest hypocritical generation. Now again, don't get me wrong, I still have the greatest respect for those who did and trailblazed a path for me when I served. I didn't experience segregation or racism in the military. It's because of those who served anyway in hopes of a better tomorrow. Unfortunately, that tomorrow didn't happen until twenty-eight years later, with the deaths of civil rights soldiers to gain a dream for that long awaited better tomorrow.