At the end WWII 473 men had been honoured by the United States for their bravery and sacrifice by receiving the Medal of Honor. The Medal was awarded to men of all ranks - from Lieutenant General Jonathan Wainwright at the top all the way down to 18-year-old Private Joseph Merrell. Although 1 million African Americans served in the military during the war, not one was awarded the Medal of Honor, this being despite some extraordinary acts of valour.
In 1993 a US Army commission reviewed cases from recipients of America’s second-highest medal, the Distinguished Service Cross, and determined that a number of these men had been denied the Army’s highest award simply due to racial discrimination.
In this episode, I’m joined by Robert Child author of Immortal Valor: The Black Medal of Honor Winners of World War II.
Patreon:
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87 - Hitler's Death
86 - The SAS in Italy, 1943-45
85 - Alarmstart East
84 - Shot Down
83 - Operation Crossbow
82 US Navy vs IJN Fleet Submarine, 1941-42
81 - Britain's Blockade of Europe & the response of the ICRC
80 - The Italian Army In North Africa
Last Man Standing: Geoffrey Rothwell
79 - The Forgotten Dead: Exercise Tiger
78 - Bones of My Grandfather
Hitler's Vikings
76 - RAF Flight Engineers
75 - The Rise of Hitler and National Socialism
74 - The M3 'Grant' Tank
73 - Ghost Riders: Operation Cowboy
72 - Mediterranean Strategy
USS Indianapolis
70 - Aerial Warfare
69 Interwar International Naval Policy
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