I've written previously on the maltreatment African American soldiers received, including the lynching of veterans before and during the Civil Rights era. But a walk around the National Mall today (especially the World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War Memorials) with tributes to American servicepersons of all races, creeds, religions, and genders, served as another reminder that no race has a monopoly on courage.
President Harry S. Truman issued Executive Order 9981 on July 26, 1948. It abolished discrimination "on the basis of race, color, religion or national origin" in the United States Armed Forces. The executive order led to the end of segregation in the services during the Korean War... almost 85 years after the Gettysburg Address and Emancipation Proclamation.
