Inman's War: A Soldier's Story of Life in a Colored Battalion in WWII
Information about life in the "Colored Battalions" of WWII is  very limited; this book takes a look inside a part of history hidden from  the eyes of the world. Those who served in these battalions were unsung  heroes of the Allies' fight for freedom and rights for all, yet they were  often sacrificed along the way to attaining those goals. At long last,  their story is told.Some of the most important and symbolic events in American history end up  relegated to the dark corners of memory. Events once so significant become  little more than footnotes, little more than wisps of story once held dear.  This is such a story. There are accounts of the contributions of African  Americans during the great conflict of WWII. However, most of these are  group histories related to units such as the Red Ball Express, Tuskegee  Airmen, and the Buffalo Soldiers. Individual, personal accounts of life and  service in what were called the "Colored Battalions" are almost  non-existent.This story is based in part upon the nearly one hundred and fifty letters  written by Sergeant Inman Perkins during that period that detail his day to  day life and his marriage while on leave to his young bride, Olivia. This  book presents a look into the past that many thought locked away and  forgotten forever, a look into an important slice of our American heritage  off limits for too long to the eyes of history. From basic training to the  war in Europe, Inman's War presents the fresh territory of a story not told  before. It is the story of an individual, Inman Perkins, and it is also the  story of the other African American heroes of this era.