Existing comment:
Americans All
All segments of American society contributed to the war effort during World War I. Despite racism at home and in the military, more than 350,000 African Americans served in uniform. Black soldiers were segregated into separate units, and and while many were assigned menial support roles, the 92nd and 93rd Divisions saw active combat. The 93rd, fighting with the French army, spent more days in combat than any other American unit. The 92nd joined other American troops in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Despite these heroics, African American veterans faced renewed prejudice and racial violence when they returned home, during the "Red Summer" of 1919 and after.
"All blood runs red."
-- Eugene Bullard, Lafayette Flying Corps
Approximately 150,000 Latinos also served in the war, facing many of the same issues as African American soldiers.
Women participated in the war effort on a wide scale. More than 200,000 women served in the Army Nurse Corps, 10,000 of them overseas. During the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919, more than 200 nurses died treating sick troops. Four hundred "Hello Girls," fluent in French and English, served as telephone operators in the Army Signal Corps. An additional 11,000 women served in uniform for the first time in uniform for the first time in the Navy, while smaller numbers served in the Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Thousands more supported the troops overseas through volunteer organizations such as the Red Cross, YMCA, and Salvation Army.
At home, women stepped in to keep the economy moving, working in such traditionally male jobs as factory workers, drivers, and technicians. The wartime contributions of women were critical to the war effort, as well as to the post-war success of the campaign for women's voting rights.
Despite not having U.S. citizenship at the time, 6,500 Native Americans were drafted, while another 5,000 volunteered. Cherokee and Choctaw soldiers became the first "code talkers," transmitting military messages in languages the enemy could not decipher.
Nearly 40 percent of U.S. soldiers were immigrants or children of immigrants. Despite concerns about the loyalty of these soldiers, the army moved quickly to integrate them, assigning them multilingual officers and providing classes in English, American history, and civics.
"I fought with Catholics and Protestants, with Jews, Greeks, Italians, Poles, and Irish, as well as American-born boys in the World War. They were buddies of mine and I learned to love them."
-- Sergeant Alvin York, U.S. Army |