Air Force observes integration's 60th anniversary

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WASHINGTON (AFPN) --  In ceremonies and speeches throughout the week, the Air Force and its sister services observed the 60th anniversary since racial integration was mandated in the military. 

On July 26, 1948, President Harry S Truman signed Executive Order 9981, which states, "It is hereby declared to be the policy of the President that there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion, or national origin." 

The order established the President's Committee on Equality of Treatment and Opportunity in the Armed Services. 

In a ceremony in the rotunda of the Capitol building here July 23, Defense Secretary Robert Gates spoke of how integration changed the military, even though it didn't take hold right away. 

"[The directive] had to overcome stiff institutional resistance, as deeply entrenched attitudes were hard to change," he said. "Segregated units remained the norm and integrated units the exception." 

The start of the Korean War in June 1950 prompted the need to put hundreds of thousands of Americans into uniform after the U.S. military had demobilized following the end of World War II.

Before the start of the Korean War, he said, 50 percent of blacks in the Marine Corps -- about 750 men -- served as stewards. At the end of the Korean War in 1953, Gates said, there were 17,000 black Marines, and only 3 percent served as stewards.

"By 1954, the Korean War was over, the last of the segregated units were dissolved and the momentum for equality and civil rights was carrying over into American society as a whole," he said.

In the ensuing decades after Truman's directive took effect, "black and white Americans trained, served and fought together with honor and distinction," Secretary Gates said.

Today's integrated U.S. military continues to "put merit and integrity above all," he said, noting there's still more to achieve.

"My hope and expectation is that, in the years ahead, more African-Americans will staff the armed forces at the highest levels," he said. "We must make sure the American military continues to be a great engine of progress and equality -- all the better to defend our people and our values against adversaries around the globe." 

Following the ceremony, acting Secretary of the Air Force Michael B. Donley said President Truman knew that signing the executive order ending segregation in the military "was the right thing to do." 

"He demonstrated personal courage, standing against pressure to continue unacceptable practices," he said. "The diversity of today's armed forces reflects his wisdom and foresight." 

Mr. Donley recalled the accomplishments of the all-black Tuskegee Airmen flying unit from World War II, which ended three years before President Truman's order. 

"They demonstrated a deep love of country while overcoming indignities that are not tolerated in today's Air Force," he said. "America's Airmen can honor the Tuskegee and Truman legacies by ensuring that every action clearly reflects the Air Force core value of Integrity First." 

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