History Channel to air blacks' D-Day story
The story of black U.S. soldiers who stormed Normandy's beaches is the focus of the History Channel's "A Distant Shore: African Americans of D-Day."
The Feb. 24 presentation includes recollections from living veterans on the invasion of Normandy and the troop buildup in England prior to the invasion, the network said.
Before World War II, the Marines and the Air Force barred blacks. In the Navy, blacks served as cooks, stewards or longshoremen. The Army had a few black combat units that were mostly led by whites. Most black battalions were segregated from the rest of the military and experienced discrimination.
In 1997, after an Army study determined there was systematic racial discrimination in criteria used to award medals during World War II, President Bill Clinton awarded seven Medals of Honor to black veterans; only one was alive at the time.
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The Feb. 24 presentation includes recollections from living veterans on the invasion of Normandy and the troop buildup in England prior to the invasion, the network said.
Before World War II, the Marines and the Air Force barred blacks. In the Navy, blacks served as cooks, stewards or longshoremen. The Army had a few black combat units that were mostly led by whites. Most black battalions were segregated from the rest of the military and experienced discrimination.
In 1997, after an Army study determined there was systematic racial discrimination in criteria used to award medals during World War II, President Bill Clinton awarded seven Medals of Honor to black veterans; only one was alive at the time.