An excellent summary review of the participation of African Americans in the United States military from the post-WWI era forward and how that history evolved from the desire to serve, to the want of recognition, to demands from African Americans for equal citizenship in military positions, base life, and in off-base communities where segregation remained the norm. The concluding chapter is more advisory in purpose, plotting possible courses forward for expanded equality in the military branches, and this chapter most obviously reflects the status of race-relations in and out of the military at the time of publication in 1968. Stillman's book is thoroughly sourced, with an especially helpful bibliographic essay at the work's conclusion. Equally helpful is Stillman's well cited use of materials from the military and Executive Branch, as well as unpublished data from the (then) Department of Defense Civil Rights Office. Recommended reading for those interested in United States military history, African American soldiers, American Civil Rights, and for some specifics on the role equal rights in the military played in presidential elections in 1956, with the issue expanding into the social realm in later elections.
