DOC Timeless Wisdom of the Egyptians by Ron Bonewitz in History

Description

The African-American contribution to winning World War II has never been celebrated as profoundly as in Fighting for America. In this inspirational and uniquely personal tribute; the essential part played by black servicemen and -women in that cataclysmic conflict is brought home. Here are letters; photographs; oral histories; and rare documents; collected by historian Christopher Moore; the son of two black WWII veterans. Weaving his family history with that of his people and nation; Moore has created an unforgettable tapestry of sacrifice; fortitude; and courage. From the 1;800 black soldiers who landed at Normandy Beach on D-Day; and the legendary Tuskegee Airmen who won ninety-five Distinguished Flying Crosses; to the 761st Tank Battalion who; under General Patton; helped liberate Nazi death camps; the invaluable effort of black Americans to defend democracy is captured in word and image.Readers will be introduced to many unheralded heroes who helped America win the war; including Dorie Miller; the messman who manned a machine gun and downed four Japanese planes; Robert Brooks; the first American to die in armored battle; Lt. Jackie Robinson; the future baseball legend who faced court-martial for refusing to sit in the back of a military bus; an until now forgotten African-American philosopher who helped save many lives at a Japanese POW camp; even the author’s own parents: his mother; Kay; a WAC when she met his father; Bill; who was part of the celebrated Red Ball Express.Yet Fighting for America is more than a testimonial; it is also a troubling story of profound contradictions; of a country still in the throes of segregation; of a domestic battleground where arrests and riots occurred simultaneously with foreign service–and of how the war helped spotlight this disparity and galvanize the need for civil rights. Featuring a unique perspective on black soldiers; Fighting for America will move any reader: all who; like the author; owe their lives to those who served.