World War II Veterans Deserve Justice

WHEREAS, in December of 1944, the American forces in the European Theater found themselves critically short of infantry troops; and

WHEREAS, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander, for the first time in history, called for volunteers from African-American troops to fill this critical need; and

WHEREAS, the call came with the stipulation that non-commissioned African-American soldiers who outranked white soldiers had to forfeit their stripes so as to not outrank white soldiers; and

WHEREAS, after the war African-Americans often were denied their military awards and the non-commissioned officers were never updated to their rank achieved before they volunteered.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the NAACP recognize the efforts and outstanding accomplishments of many African-American soldiers who fought in World War II who have been ignored and whose rightful honors were denied; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NAACP call for African-American troops who volunteered for combat in World War II or their heirs to receive full recognition from the Department of Defense including, where appropriate, certification of their original grades or ranks together with financial compensation for pay lost by reduction in rank to avoid outranking white troops.