In an exploration of black American military heroes from Crispus Attucks to Colin Powell, Buckley presents a history of bravery, valor, patriotism, and extraordinary personal courage both on and off the battlefield. American Patriots is one of the great untold stories in American history. There have been books on individual black soldiers, but this is the first to tell the full story of the black American military experience, starting with the Revolution & culminating with Desert Storm. The best histories are about more than facts & events-they capture the spirit that drives men to better their lives & to demand of themselves the highest form of sacrifice. That spirit permeates Gail Buckley's dramatic, deeply moving, & inspiring book. You'll meet the men who fought in the decisive engagements of the Revolution, the legendary Buffalo Soldiers, & the heroic black regiments of the Civil War. You'll meet some of America's greatest patriots-men who fought in the First & Second World Wars when their country denied them access to equipment & training, segregated the ranks, & did all it could to keep them off the battlefield. You'll meet the heroes of Korea, Vietnam, & Desert Storm. And you'll meet two families, the Lews & the Pierces, who have served in every major American engagement since the Revolution. FDR used to say that Americanism was a matter of the mind & heart, not of race & ancestry. With photographs throughout & dozens of original interviews with veterans, American Patriots is a tribute to the black American men & women who fought & often gave their lives in the service of that ideal.
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