During World War II, between 1940 and 1945, approximately 909,000 African Americans enlisted in the armed forces of UNITED STATES. Shortly after enlisting, these members of our armed forces were placed in separate squadrons, segregated between blacks and whites, so as not to spoil the squadrons' willingness to work with each other. Despite these courageous people's willingness to serve and die for their country, they were told they would not have the same opportunities as their white counterparts. They were told they would not have the opportunity for promotion during their tour of duty or would not be entitled to the same luxuries such as additional leave and additional resources for downtime. With rare exceptions, an African American soldier has been promoted during his service, most notably Brigadier General Benjamin Oliver Davis Sr., who was the first African American to achieve that rank. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the Original EssayOn September 11, 1941, a new squadron was being prepared and established within the United States Military Air Division , and this squadron was to be composed entirely of African-American soldiers. This squadron consisted of 13 original Aviation Cadet First Class members, including Benjamin Oliver Davis Jr., the son of Brigadier General Benjamin Oliver Davis Sr. Once the squadron was formed, they were given the title 99th Squadron pursuit. , later known as the "Tuskegee Airmen" for having been trained at Tuskegee Airfield. These cadets trained extremely hard, as they had to prove that they possessed the same level of flying professionalism as their white counterparts and performed the same missions with the same or better accuracy. During training, the cadets took giant steps to demonstrate their readiness to deploy and fight in the war on the seas where, in April 1942, these fine ice axes were finally ready and deployed. First, these brave pilots were stationed in North Africa where they ordered missions using a P-40 Warhawk which was much slower and had less maneuverability than the planes flown by the Germans. This act of giving play to an older model while waiting for it. doing as well as their white counterparts is just one of the ways these African Americans were discriminated against during the war. After completing their flying missions in North Africa, the Tuskegee Airmen were moved and stationed in Sicily, Italy to meet the 79th Fighter Group and in 1944 they managed, after some dog fighting, to shoot down a dozen German fighters in space. of only two days, which constitutes a major achievement. Then, in February 1944, the 100th, 301st, and 302nd fighter groups joined the 99th Pursuit Squadron and would later combine to create the 332nd Fighter Group. After these squadrons were combined, pilots of the 332nd were now issued the upgraded P-51 Mustangs and were tasked with flying as escorts for the heavy bombers of the 15th Air Force when they conducted raids deep into enemy territory. Finally, on April 26, 1945, the 332nd had flown its last mission, and during just two years of combat, the Tuskegee Airmen had flown more than 15,000 individual sorties and had one of the best records among all the different fighter groups . the Tuskegee Airmen, once honorably discharged with great honors, these brave people had to return to a country where theA person's persecution was based solely on the color of their skin and their appearance was the same as the one they had just fought against. get rid of Europe and Nazi Germany. The feeling that nothing had changed was and would be devastating to anyone who had risked their life to get rid of it elsewhere. Therefore, at that time, the Tuskegee Airmen were just departing for their deployment, and exactly one month after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, America's most widely read black newspaper, the "Pittsburgh Courier," had published a very major newspaper on February 7, 1942. In this newspaper the Pittsburgh Courier urged all blacks to give their all to engage in the war effort. At the same time, they called on the government to do everything it could to make the speech of the Declaration of Independence and all the equal rights amendments of the Constitution real and fair to every citizen, regardless of or his race. Having a dual front fighting an enemy both inside and outside the country, the Pittsburgh Courier decided to call it "the Double V campaign." On this subject, Newby II (2004) states that “the injustice of calling men to fight for freedom while subjecting them to humiliating discrimination within the fighting forces…”. One such story of discrimination and prejudice is that of Isaac. Woodard Jr. The story begins with Mr. Woodard's honorable discharge from his position as a sergeant in the United States Army on February 12, 1946. Just hours after being released from active duty at Fort Gordon in Georgia, Mr. Woodard was riding a Gray Hound bus home, still dressed in his military uniform. Stopping in Aiken, South Carolina, the bus driver contacted the local police department, accusing Mr. Woodard of causing a disturbance following an argument over a seat on the bus. Mr. Woodard was then forcibly removed from the bus by these two officers and taken to a location near the police station, where these officers then beat Mr. Woodard with their batons. During this altercation, Mr. Woodard grabbed one of the batons to protect himself and the police officer then pointed his firearm at him and told him that he would kill him if he did it again. While in transit to the local jail, one of the police officers asked Mr. Woodard if he was a civilian, as he was still wearing his military uniform, after hearing a response that he was a civilian. The officer then beat Mr. Woodard again. . Once they arrived at the prison and were placed in a jail cell, the officers beat Mr. Woodard again with their batons and said they “gouged out” his eyes. It was later confirmed that Mr Woodard had suffered significant damage to his eyes, no longer being able to see. After spending a night in jail, he was forced to appear before a judge and fined $50 for disorderly conduct. There are many such stories everywhere, before and after the war, some even happening during it, and it seems like nothing can be done. People protested and pleaded for their words to be heard. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. a personalized article now from our expert writers. Get a Custom Essay Many more stories like Mr. Woodard's would have happened in the military if not for the president who, on July 26, 1948, issued Executive Order 9981, which prohibited segregation of the armed forces. He states in the executive order that "It is hereby declared that it is the policy of the President that there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed forces without regard to race, color, creed and of national origin. » Executive Order 9981 forever changed the armed forces of.