The Tuskegee Airmen: Role Of African Americans In World War II

Nolan Yontz

African Americans claimed essential roles during World War II. At the beginning of World War II, over "one million African American men and women served in every branch" of the US Military. (Bamford, 1). Due to the US's involvement in the war, African Americans gained key responsibilities for roles in the military that had not previously been allowed due to discrimination and segregation. The following paragraphs are three examples of significant African American units involved in World War II.

The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of young African Americans that would become "America's first" group of "black military airmen" ("The Tuskegee Airmen"). People believed that African Americans "lacked" any "intelligence, skill, courage, and patriotism" ("The Tuskegee Airmen"). The group consisted mainly "college graduates" or "undergraduates" who had to pass "mental"

Besides this group, there was no other African American "parachute unit" ("Triple Nickles -- 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion"). African American officers and sergeants at Fort Benning were "unwelcomed" by others at the base and "noncommissioned officers clubs" ("Triple Nickles -- 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion"). After the African Americans proved themselves as "capable paratroopers" they were accepted to an extent, but still experienced "discrimination, segregation, and police abuse" when they were "off-base" ("Triple Nickles -- 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion"). In July 1944, they "trained for duty in Europe," and by the end of 1945, they had participated in thirty-six fire missions with more than 1,200 individual jumps ("Triple Nickles -- 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion"). As of 2008 only three former Triple Nickles were "honored with a ceremony" ("Triple Nickles -- 555th Parachute Infantry