Evaluating the Progress
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During the Vietnam War for the �rst time, the percentage of African-Americans serving in Vietnam nearly equaled the percentage of Black in America, approximately 13%. Most served on the frontline of the battles leading to a belief that the percentage of those killed in combat exceeded the population. Vietnam was the �rst major con�ict the U.S. had engaged in that the military was fully integrated.
It s important to remind you a that this period in America was a revolutionary period. Blacks, Native Americans, women, gay and lesbian, and handicap were just a few of the groups demanding that the nation live up to its founding creed - that all men (humans) are created equal.
Keep in mind, that the Vietnam War was not a popular war on the home front. Protests across the country were common, especially among young adults and on college campuses. Also, remember that this was the last war the United States used the draft as its primary source of soldiers, not volunteers. The draft, in-and-of itself, posed a problem. Deferments favored college students and rich and middle class men. The perception was that for African-Americans - who were often poor and subject the discrimination for college entrance therefore, uneducated or undereducated - the cards were stacked against them.
David Coffey put it this way, "From the outset, the use, or alleged misuse, of African American troops brought charges of racism." Civil rights leaders and other critics, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., described the Vietnam con�ict as racist — "a white man's war, a black man's �ght." King maintained that black youths represented a disproportionate share of early draftees and that African Americans faced a much greater chance of seeing combat.
Project 100,000, an initiative under the umbrella of President Lyndon Johnson s Great Society, was an attempt to meet the escalating manpower demands of the War. Launched in 1966, it it offered a more lenient entrance requirements, but it largely failed. According to David Coffey, the facility rate for soldiers who enrolled under this program were twice as high as any other entrance program.
The Vietnam War is credited (or blamed, depending on your perspective) for changing the complexion, literally, of the U.S. Armed Forces. The percentage of Blacks serving in uniform escalated during and after the war, and the number of of�cers doubled.
Below are some interesting charts from the U.S. Army. While this information is FY 09 (Fiscal Year 2009 - October 1, 2008 - September 30, 2009), making it 5 years old, there are some interesting points to ponder. Note: these graphs are the subject of this topic's discussion.