Henry Adams, Jr. letter to family, December 1951   Save
Henry and Willa Adams Papers
Description: This letter was written by Henry Adams Jr. to his family back home, expressing his feelings and experiences during his time in the army. Junior, as he was called in the family, had been posted to Alaska after his basic Army training, and assigned to an otherwise all-white company. In this one-page letter written on pink paper, he describes the reaction of his fellow servicemen to his presence on post He feels the other soldiers do not appreciate having a skilled African American among them, as all the others are either manual laborers or cooks, while he is a watch repairman. He is still awaiting his assignment within the company. The letter is undated but the envelope is post-marked December 9, 1951. The United States Army was not integrated during World War II; African Americans and whites served in separate units. Harry Truman issued an executive order intended to end segregation in the Army in January of 1948, and letters such as this indicate that the executive order took some time to become fully effective. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: MSS1297_B01F13_19511209
Subjects: African American Ohioans; Soldiers--Correspondence; Military life; Military service; Segregation--Laws and legislation;
Places: Alaska