Abstract
General George S. Patton Jr. noted that the highest obligation and privilege of citizenship is that of bearing arms for one’s country. From William Carney of the 54<sup>th</sup> Massachusetts, who carried the regimental colors during the Battle of Ft. Wagoner, to the Harlem Hellfighters of WWI, the Buffalo soldiers of WWII, and to the eventual desegregation of the military, servicemen and women of color have fought for the right to serve their country. The ideology of patriotism, especially in the contemporary Black soldier, is deeply rooted on the foundational principles of those who served before them: the love of a country that has not always loved them, a willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice, and a desire to serve something greater than themselves. For soldiers of color, something as seemingly simple as serving their country has been anything but simple and has often come at a greater personal sacrifice than their White counterpart. This work will examine patriotism in servicemen and women of color, through the lens of veteran studies, by utilizing a qualitative approach that will allow the voices of those who served and sacrificed to be heard. Veterans who served in the various branches of the military during 20<sup>th</sup> and 21<sup>st</sup> century, including serving in combat and war zones, participated in interviews to preserve their stories. Topics included what the term patriotism meant to them; whether they thought that definition has changed over time and why; who or what most impacted their decision to serve their country; how their family and loved ones were impacted by their decisions to serve; their perception of how they were treated, as soldiers, by fellow servicemembers and society; and their perception of the current political climate of our country and how that may shape the next generation of Black soldiers.
Highlights
EARLY CONFLICTS Since the colonial period, Black men and women have taken up arms in defense of their country
She defined patriotism as pride of the red, white, and blue. She considered herself a patriot and noted that she has three miniature flags in her car that, according to her, serve a dual purpose: (a) they remind her that she honorably served her country, and (b) they provide a level of comradery, whereby she feels she could go into what she described as the most racist part of the country and if she got out of her car with her Army hat and the flags in her car, she would not be viewed as a Black woman that may be a threat, but rather as a veteran. By her own acknowledgement she agreed that her definition of patriotism had changed over time, sharing that before she went into the service she could have cared less about the military, about veterans, or about their families
This case study had three primary focuses: (a) to describe how Black veterans defined patriotism; (b) to describe their experiences while serving their country in various branches in the military; and (c) to determine if those experiences, in any way, impacted their concept of patriotism. These foci were accomplished in the participants’ voices and shared stories through the recordings made of the World War II soldiers, and through the live interviews conducted for this research
Summary
The limitations of this work focus primarily on the amount of the case study participants. Only one state Veteran’s Administration office, located in Raleigh, North Carolina, was contacted regarding potential participants. This was the only office utilized because it was indicated, by other local Veteran’s Administrative offices contacted, to be the appropriate contact on a state-wide level. The implications of the limitations are that the sample size is not large enough to make generalized assumptions that the individual experiences conveyed by these participants are representative of what most Black veterans experienced while serving in the military. The sample size, is appropriate for a case study approach, which speaks directly to the individuals’ experiences while serving in the US military
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