Comments
bolanrox t1_j6mu70v wrote
The bus was unsegregated, His Co refused to press charges so they transferred him to a new division where the co was more then happy to throw the book at him... Only to be acquitted in the end.
Mysteriousdeer t1_j6nfd0w wrote
WW2 wasn't Vietnam. It's bullshit there was issues, he did nothing wrong. I doubt he looked at it as dodging a bullet though.
The mentality from a lot of veterans of this period was more selfless. If you couldn't show up, they'd be one man down and someone else would take the risk for you. It's a good society when the general public is willing to risk their own lives so others don't have to. War shouldn't happen, but responding to Hitler was necessary and the general war effort was right.
That requires trust, which was lost in Vietnam because ain't no fortunate son that would've traded spots with a dude fighting the Vietcong.
HPmoni t1_j6nzcdc wrote
Yay... Nazism?
R4G OP t1_j6miey4 wrote
> After receiving his commission, Robinson was reassigned to Fort Hood, Texas, where he joined the 761st "Black Panthers" Tank Battalion. While at Fort Hood, Robinson often used his weekend leave to visit the Rev. Karl Downs, President of Sam Huston College (now Huston–Tillotson University) in nearby Austin, Texas; in California, Downs had been Robinson's pastor at Scott United Methodist Church while Robinson attended PJC. > > An event on July 6, 1944, derailed Robinson's military career. While awaiting results of hospital tests on the ankle he had injured in junior college, Robinson boarded an Army bus with a fellow officer's wife; although the Army had commissioned its own unsegregated bus line, the bus driver ordered Robinson to move to the back of the bus. Robinson refused. The driver backed down, but after reaching the end of the line, summoned the military police, who took Robinson into custody. When Robinson later confronted the investigating duty officer about racist questioning by the officer and his assistant, the officer recommended Robinson be court-martialed. > > After Robinson's commander in the 761st, Paul L. Bates, refused to authorize the legal action, Robinson was summarily transferred to the 758th Battalion—where the commander quickly consented to charge Robinson with multiple offenses, including, among other charges, public drunkenness, even though Robinson did not drink. > > By the time of the court-martial in August 1944, the charges against Robinson had been reduced to two counts of insubordination during questioning. Robinson was acquitted by an all-white panel of nine officers. > > Although his former unit, the 761st Tank Battalion, became the first black tank unit to see combat in World War II, Robinson's court-martial proceedings prohibited him from being deployed overseas; thus, he never saw combat action. > > After his acquittal, he was transferred to Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky, where he served as a coach for army athletics until receiving an honorable discharge in November 1944. While there, Robinson met a former player for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro American League, who encouraged Robinson to write the Monarchs and ask for a tryout. Robinson took the former player's advice and wrote to Monarchs co-owner Thomas Baird.
Bart-MS t1_j6mq61d wrote
When black people were allowed to be killed for the country but not to sit in a bus where they want to.
bolanrox t1_j6n2e52 wrote
The funny thing was he could. the bus was unsegregated. the Driver took offense, and call the MP then some rasicts pushed it along and set it up so they could get him court marshalled. only to have the court throw the case out.
Bart-MS t1_j6n42pz wrote
I was talking more about the general segregation (in public transport), not this special occasion.
drygnfyre t1_j6o7p7p wrote
It was the same logic used in Vietnam. "Old enough to kill, not old enough to drink or vote." (The voting age was later lowered to 18 some time after).
john22544 t1_j6ofd4e wrote
The voting age was lowered in constitutional amendment even. Also many states had a drinking age of 21 and 29 states lowered it (or partially lowered it) to 18, until the federal government stepped in and forced states to raise it back to 21 in the 80s.
Nutesatchel t1_j6nhhw4 wrote
It get s worse. There where many instances of black uniform solders being forced to eat out back at restaurants while German POW's where allowed to eat at the counter.
Jampine t1_j6nm5yt wrote
Meanwhile in the UK during the war, American GIs complained that a bar was serving black soliders, so the bar responding by kicking out the white soliders.
IdlyCurious t1_j6pd7q3 wrote
> Meanwhile in the UK during the war, American GIs complained that a bar was serving black soliders, so the bar responding by kicking out the white soliders.
True, but a bit misleading. That's how they treated guest black people who were going to leave. Those black persons (and other minorities) that immigrated later to stay were badly treated. Not as badly as the US treated black people, certainly, but not treated well.
nicaschutze t1_j6mhyh2 wrote
Baller
filutch t1_j6mpdgn wrote
There’s nothing more sadder than fighting for a country, only to be treated worse than farm animals, when you come back.
drpinkcream t1_j6n2eri wrote
> There’s nothing more sadder than dying for a country, only to be treated worse than farm animals, when you come back.
If you died for your country, I don't think you'll care how you're treated after that.
filutch t1_j6njh0u wrote
Edited. Thanks for pointing it out
drygnfyre t1_j6o7tgh wrote
Jessie Owens famously noted that after his Olympic success in 1936, he was greeted by Hitler, but not by FDR or anyone else from America.
scsnse t1_j6peaq0 wrote
This happened in my neck of the woods where I grew up and still live next to, on Fort Hood.
So Camp Hood was put in once Pearl Harbor happened and the US entered the War. The Army policy at the time was to have integrated busses for soldiers to travel to recreational areas in surrounding cities. However, the army due to exploding demand contracted out local bus lines and drivers to provide services to soldiers at the brand new base. Circa 1940s, the surrounding area consisted of mostly rural areas and very small railroad and farm towns like Killeen, which of course this is the South and the Cotton Belt built on slavery, too. You can still see the former Cotton Gin in downtown Belton about 20 minutes away.
Jackie was a newly minted college educated officer in the 761st Tank Battalion, a segregated unit of all black tankers that would earn the nickname "Black Panthers". He definitely understood his basic civil rights and self-worth as a human being. The local bus driver told him to give up a seat for a white servicemember, and he refused not just because it wasn't right ethically, but the Army regulations said he shouldn't have to. Sadly, he was still arrested by MPs that were called, and a Court-Martial was threatened. His original commander refused to file the charges, and the chain of command decided to transfer him to another unit whose commander agreed to. The NAACP and other national organizations heard about this case and quickly built up pressure on the DoD to stop the process, which helped the charges to be reduced, but he still had to go to court. Thankfully, the all white jury found him not guilty, and he was quickly transferred away from the 761st to Kentucky.
Dom_Shady t1_j6mt7ip wrote
If this is punishment, then what is being rewarded?
El_Zedd_Campeador t1_j6mo1jp wrote
Smart, simultaneously protesting civil rights and avoiding being sent off to die.