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And even then when World War II finally did start for the United States in 1941,

most officers refused to accept black combat units as reinforcements because as many people would know if you would like look up the dates here is there was already

Segregated black infantry units when the war started and especially once

you know the draft really ramped up and and the US really started preparing for

what would become the Pacific Theater and the European

Theater and the North African Theater all these things. None of them are used for

years and because people refuse to accept them as reinforcements. Infantry units be relegated to

menial tasks for the most part until years after the war started for the United

States and also being posted to these units as a white officer was considered a career killer and most of them would try to do anything they could to get out of it.

Which brings us to General Leslie McNair, Chief of the U.S. Army Ground Forces and an era where men were still named Leslie.

He fought in World War I working closely with the French, and he saw black American troops

fighting side by side at the French and was like, yeah, why don't we do this?

I'm not going to try to frame him as some legendary anti-racist or something.

He was simply practical.

Staring down the barrel of another war, he pointed out

there is absolutely zero reason why black soldiers could not be trained to do any

combat job to include specifically tanks while still operating within the Army's segregation rules and being in their own units.

After all, it's not like you need to be some super brain genius to use a fucking Sherman tank.

Now, if someone can be trained to use a rifle, he argued, they could be trained to use a rifle he argued they could be trained to use a tank which in my personal experience is true

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