Throughout American history, succeeding in the military has demanded unflagging courage, strength of character, and a patriotic spirit. For an African American man or woman, serving in the military has also meant battling oppression and struggling against deep-seated prejudice. Those who persevered were not only warriors, nurses, or leaders―they were heroes and heroines.
In this action-packed collection, you will meet thirty brave and determined African American military heroes, from the eighteenth century up to the present. You'll discover little-known facts about their families and careers, as well as the remarkable odds each of them overcame.
Ranging from the Revolutionary War to Vietnam and the Persian Gulf War, these exciting stories show you how:
- Private Peter Salem, born into slavery, led the charge against the British redcoats at the Battle of Bunker Hill and turned the tide in America's fight for independence.
- Harriet Tubman, famous for her daring in the Underground Railroad, worked as a spy and nurse for the Union army during the Civil War.
- Private Henry Johnson, a member of the first black combat battalion in World War I, single-handedly withstood a German ambush and received the Croix de Guerre, France's highest honor for bravery in action.
- Brigadier General Hazel W. Johnson, chief of the Army Nursing Corps, blazed a trail in the struggle for racial integration in the armed forces during World War II, becoming the military's highest-ranking African American woman.
- General Colin L. Powell, recipient of the Purple Heart in Vietnam, steadily rose through army ranks to become the first African American chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, overseeing the U.S. invasion of Panama and Operation Desert Storm.
This extraordinary collection highlights these and dozens of other absorbing stories of dedicated defenders of America.
