Blood for Dignity: The Story of the First Integrated Combat Unit in the U.S. Army

By David P. Colley

Book Overview

Meticulously researched and wonderfully suspenseful, Blood for Dignity is the tale of a fascinating and little-known piece of World War II American history, seen through the eyes of 5th Platoon, K Company, 394th Regiment, 99th Division--the first black unit integrated with a white infantry company since the Revolutionary War. David P. Colley paints an absorbing, combat-heavy portrait of these African American and white men fighting together for their country--an historical event whose resonance would be felt for generations, and whose lesson would be transposed onto American society, shattering myths and destroying assumptions that had haunted blacks for years. The integration of African American platoons with white combat units at the tail end of World War II almost didn't happen. With the pressing need for more troops and the vision of men such as Dwight Eisenhower, black soldiers who only wanted to fight for their country were finally given the opportunity in March of 1945. The performance of these soldiers laid to rest the accepted white attitude of a century and a half that African Americans were cowardly and inferior fighters. In fact, they proved to be just the opposite. From basic training in the deep south, to hard labor in Europe, these men traveled a long and difficult road before they could take up arms for their country. The 5th of K finally saw combat at the Remagen Bridgehead as they fought side-by-side with white soldiers, driving back

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312300352
• ISBN13: 9780312300357
• Release Date: February 2003
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.7" x 1.0" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

My Dad

My father is one of the brave men featured in this book. He was and will always be my hero. Guess I'm a little biased, but those are the facts. It's a shame 50+ years had to go by before any Bronze Stars were awarded to the men for their bravery.

Gives recognition but also tells an exciting battle story

As the son of a 99th Division infantryman, I heard stories of The Battle of the Bulge, and the Remagan Bridge battles. So when I saw this unique book on the first "integrated" army units of WWII, many serving in the 99th, I purchased it. Just as Chinese workers were rarely pictured in the 19th Century railway construction photos, black soldiers never appeared in popular WWII films, except when seen as laborers, servants, orderlies, or drivers. This book helps to initiate wider recognition of these men and a historical correction. Each of the early chapters contain contemptuous outrages of life in the U.S. Army, including racist incidents, segregated Red Cross centers, poor training, and earned combat medals that were never delivered to African American soldiers. German POW's were treated better than black soldiers, in many cases, and one can imagine life for soldiers from the Northern states who were shipped to racist Southern states for training, such as at Camp van Dorn. The book details how at the end of the war, black combat soldiers were quickly sent back to their old units, sowing bitterness. The dignity for their spilled blood did not come until fifty years later. Colley, who briefly outlines the contributions of black soldiers in colonial American armies, the Civil War, and the Spanish American War, opens this book in the heat of a battle, when black volunteers come to rescue their fellow infantrymen in K Company on March 13, 1945. 2,221 African American soldiers in about 52 platoons were allowed to volunteer for combat assignments as the war was coming to an end. This book mainly focuses on members of the 5th of K (99th Infantry, 394 Infantry Regiment, K Company, 5th platoon, led by Lt. Richard Ralston) and the 5th of E. The author introduces the reader to these men's lives prior to war, and shows their evolution into combat troops. By the close of the war, as Iserlohn falls, and the 394th crossed the Altmuhl, they are grizzled veterans. An excellent book, an exciting read, and a necessary contribution to American History.