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Author: AgProv

Dec 26th 2011 at 10:44:49 AM

^Your Medals Will Not Protect You: There's a real-life example, of a soldier from Alabama who served in France and won quite a prestigious medal for his bravery against the Germans. After the war he returned to Alabama and made the mitake of thinking that being a war hero entitled him to a measure of respect from white cops and members of the sheriff's department. Not a chance - to the cops, he was just a mouthier nigra than usual, and died "resisting arrest", ie after being beaten to death with nightsticks.  Still looking for this name, but one certifiable example is a decorated black WW2 vet called Isaac Woodward who was blinded following a severe beating from Mississipi cops.

This was all part of the experience of returning black servicemen who'd been treated with consideration and respect in Britain, France, Italy, et c, and treated like normal human beings by everyone save their own Army.  The experience was particularly noted and resented by black servicemen who had ended up in fighting units, risking their lives for America, but who still were not treated as equals by white Americans and who were expected to return to second-class citizenship after military service. This was part of the motivation for the growth of civil rights movements in the South - especially after hosts in countries like Britain and France had shown themselves colour-blind and seen only Americans, regardless of colour.