Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1953-11-13
Army Ending
Jim Grow Is
Writer'S Claim
ny George O. RSinhaFdt
In OotObeS CRISIS

IN Oot0D9r CAhhba8
(Comtlnasd from nov. Q odltion)
THIS n ths flnal imstallmsat u
@EoEhoIes Are MOE BegFegatad''
~ 0eoFgo O. ReinhaFdt, which We
have Fepsinted IN three parts from
CRHBKs Magazine for October. rvs
vAine h Its cogcnt Moe0unt o. ths
NegFo-AmsFioan soldiers advance
10 Indignation In tha y. q. Army.
RNlnhardt'a article traces ths his.
tory o. the y. q. Americas Negro
soldier from me Revolutionary
War 10 tlls Korean "peaoe action"
Early IN iO4B . number Of Ne.
gro Anti-alrcraft units were has
thy converted 10 engineer battal.
Ions, some Of thsm labeled COM
bat. after little more training
than the injection Of some wen
schoolsd nonoommiasied officers.
They were received dubiOusly by
engineer combat groups VINO were
seeing Negro comrades at the
front door for the first time. yet
their record IN general wAs salts.
factory ~ units and excellent a.
soldiers. oftsn the NCos had 10
partially "caFry' the whlts Of.
fioers VINO knew loas engineering
than The sergeanta.
During the invasion Of Germany
one such battalion ran hoadlong
into . group Of ~ troops, 1000
strong, holed up IN q forest. The
group commander decided that
morale considerations demanded
the new battalion have lts chance.
Rather than replace them by a
white battalion for the fight IN
prospect, he gave HIS orders 10
the ooiored battalion, and then
personally joined their columns. 7
never saw q more professional
job" he reported later. when
those boys started after them. the
Krauta lost interest fast. They
looked more like voItstrum than
90. thanks 10 our troops - and
was I ashamed of my lack Of con.
fidsnos."
The Rough Rider who shared
his canteeh with = eoioFed trooper
At San Juan Fliil was the sAesp-
ton for his day. In the last war. q
fighting man was accepted re-
Eardless Of race or creed. One Bit
ter night In the Ardsnnos q Negro
dispatch rider crouchsd mlseFably
outside an lmprovsed warming
hut at q combat headquarters,
Two white Bergoantn discovered
him; "Coms IN. soldier. hot cot.
fee" They linked arms AnA
brought him 10 the physical and
comFadsly warmth inside. Maybe
that contributed IN aome slight
measure 10 his battallon's battle,
success N Germany q few weeks
later.
unquestioAAhly the Army was
learning. The Negro soldier was
readyang himself fuP the final
achievement n Korea where
only Tire Uniform and The ability
Of the man wearing u had any
slgnlficanes.
Negro performances IN World
War II ives an improvement over
the toiI.is FesultA n was q
greater tribute 10 the deepening
sense Of true democracy N the ma.
ton and the armed forces. Negro
officers were utiil relatively rare,
compared 70 the number Of their
race IN uniform. but their records
were better a. wna their treat.
ment by their white colleagues,
Negro soldiers aa always IN the
past. won Individual awards for
herolam but this time Negro non.
comhatant units were also singled
out for merltorioua service a.
wards.
Most wholesome was the infrp-
qnency Of racial troubles In civil.
Ian communities around Army
camps where Negroes were train
cd: or IN areas where large mum.
bora % Negro troops returned
from overseas. The Negro was be-
ginning 20 be accepted just a. he
was hitting himself for equality
IN the American scene.
n World War I had its dis
creditabls Jokes about Negro
soldiers. the later struggle a.
bounded IN tales, more factual, Of
fine discipline. and unit esprit
one Negro truck company wrote
. thoughtful dignified letter Of
protest through official military
channels for tho treatment Il
received from the military police
when falsely accused Of harbor-
lng q raplst The Army command
err General Simpson. 9th y. 8
Army personally answered the
letter. acknowledging tho justice
% the complaint and recognizing
he company's excellent record,