It is Memorial Day again and we celebrate the legacy and exploits of military personnel living and deceased. Yes, flags fly, active military people and veterans from World War I, World War II, Korean Conflict, Viet Nam, Iraq and Afghanistan march arm in arm. War buddies reminisce about events that transpired during their time together and remember those that failed to return.
 |
Over the years I have met and spoken with veterans from wars starting with World War I, my father served as a corporal. My brother in conjunction with untold numbers of others served in World War II. I recollect John H. Adams and others telling me about the Burma Road and all-colored companies being commanded by all-White officers. I served during the Korean Conflict and two of my best friends were in Korea and they spoke about the 38th parallel and other points of action. The next generation would mention places in Viet Nam such as Da Nang and currently our service men and women are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Are veterans in classifications, such as must see action in a foreign country, being wounded or wounds that have healed, mental damage from war, or the most permanent killed in action? Are those like myself, who served honorably, but never left the shores of America any less of a veteran, because millions of us never left the shores of America?
We also have some interesting stories to tell about events that we were confronted with. I was introduced to a degree of blatant racism that I had never been exposed to. In 1954 upon arriving at Fort Meade, Md., colored soldiers were all assigned to B Company. We received our military uniforms and ate only after the White soldiers were fed. We definitely were treated as second-class soldiers. We boarded a troop train to Camp Breckenridge, Ky., and when we embarked to eat, we were compelled to eat in the rear and if there were no seats we ate outside on picnic tables. Upon arriving in Kentucky at our new camp, we were greeted with a billboard that stated welcome to Camp Breckenridge, Federal Reservation. However, we could only eat in the military mess hall, because the state law prohibited colored people from eating in private-owned establishments. I was extremely upset when I was informed if I wanted to purchase food nothing could be done about it because at that period of time state law superseded federal law, so I left the bag of food on the counter. I was sent to a school located at Fort Leonard Wood Missouri and we encountered some racist acts that upset me and the other two soldiers with me [both White] that we drove straight through except to stop for gas.
I have the utmost respect for those military people whose lives were put in harm’s way. However, I do not apologize for being assigned to an anti artillery camp in Detroit, Mich. In fact, I was assigned there for 19 of the 24 months that I was in the army. I was fortunate to be assigned to communications section, and the position exempted me from doing KP, guard duty or any other dirty job in the unit and I loved every day of it.
I understand very clearly that military people such as myself, who did not go to war zones were blessed, but ain’t we veterans?
(Louis “Hop” Kendrick is a weekly contributor to the Forum page.)
About Post Author
