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An Army Afire: How the US Army Confronted Its Racial Crisis in the Vietnam Era
By the late 1960s, what had been widely heralded as the best qualified, best-trained army in US history was descending into crisis as the Vietnam War raged without end. Morale was tanking. AWOL rates were rising. And in August 1968, a group of Black soldiers seized control of the infamous Long Binh Jail, burned buildings, and beat a white inmate to death with a shovel. The days of "same mud, same blood" were over, and a new generation of Black GIs had decisively rejected the slights and institutional racism their forefathers had endured.
As Black and white soldiers fought in barracks and bars, with violence spilling into surrounding towns within the US and in West Germany, Vietnam, South Korea, and Japan, army leaders grew convinced that the growing racial crisis undermined the army's ability to defend the nation. Acclaimed military historian Beth Bailey shows how the US Army tried to solve that racial crisis (in army terms, "the problem of race"). Army leaders were surprisingly creative in confronting demands for racial justice, even willing to challenge fundamental army principles of discipline, order, hierarchy, and authority. Bailey traces a frustrating yet fascinating story, as a massive, conservative institution came to terms with demands for change.
As Black and white soldiers fought in barracks and bars, with violence spilling into surrounding towns within the US and in West Germany, Vietnam, South Korea, and Japan, army leaders grew convinced that the growing racial crisis undermined the army's ability to defend the nation. Acclaimed military historian Beth Bailey shows how the US Army tried to solve that racial crisis (in army terms, "the problem of race"). Army leaders were surprisingly creative in confronting demands for racial justice, even willing to challenge fundamental army principles of discipline, order, hierarchy, and authority. Bailey traces a frustrating yet fascinating story, as a massive, conservative institution came to terms with demands for change.
Book Details
- Publisher: University of North Carolina Press
- Publish Date: May 2nd, 2023
- Pages: 360
- Language: English
- Edition: undefined - undefined
- Dimensions: 9.13in - 5.91in - 0.94in - 1.35lb
- EAN: 9781469673264
- Categories: • Wars & Conflicts - Vietnam War• African American & Black• Cultural & Ethnic Studies - American - African American & Bl
About the Author
Bailey, Beth: - Beth Bailey is a Foundation Distinguished Professor of History at the University of Kansas.
Praise for this book
"Bailey's account of the way the army responded to the growing crisis is original and informative."--Eric Foner, London Review of Books
"A detailed examination of the U.S. Army's efforts to address "the problem of race" in the late 1960s and early '70s . . . . [Bailey's] in-depth reporting on the Army's attempts to "assess and address Black soldiers' complaints" sheds light on what was accomplished, as well as how far there is left to go. It's a valuable study of the challenges to institutional reform."--Publishers Weekly
"Bailey has done a great service by exploring the military side of the "racial crisis" of the 1960s and '70s, a topic that has been underexplored by historians . . . . insightful."--Randal Maurice Jelks, Los Angeles Review of Books
"An essential addition to the historiography of the Vietnam War era and the US Army, as it relates the racial conflict in the US to the experiences of American soldiers worldwide. Bailey expands the field of military history and is taking the discipline to exciting new places. This book is a must read for all who are interested in the history of race relations in the US, and should be required reading for all military historians . . . . Highly recommended."--CHOICE
"An Army Afire is an exceptional book because it captures the problem the military continues to face today: How should the military address racial, ethnic, and gender differences while continuing to be a profession of arms? . . . [A] much-needed reflection on the military's racial reckoning."--H-War