My Dedication To The Tuskegee Airmen

At this I feel the fear,
At this grave I feel the tear.
The tear that will fall every time I think of you,
To me, your love felt so true.
At this it happened so fast,
At this grave I remember the past.
The past that led me here,
The past that caused the falling of the tear.

in a country
where pride is measured
in body counts

a black
school aged boy
pledged
allegiance to the flag

as the words came
he
thought about today's
ball game
& about the
homeruns he would hit
& his special willie mays catch

he didn't remember the flag
until after
he noticed the
cancelled sign on the ball park's gate

that night he asked
his momma:
"momma why the flag got holes in it?"
her reply:
"daddy's back."

1. The strength of the Negro personnel of the Army of the United States will be maintained on the general basis of the proportion of the country.

2. Negro organizations will be established in each major branch of the service, combatant as well as noncombatant.

3. Negro reserve officers eligible for active duty will be assigned to Negro units officered by colored personnel.

4. When officer candidate schools are established, opportunity will be given to Negroes to qualify for reserve commissions.

5. Negroes are being given aviation training as pilots, mechanics and technical specialist. This training will be accelerated.

6. At arsenal and army posts Negro civilians are accorded equal opportunity for employment at work for which they are qualified by ability, education and experience.

7. The policy of the War Department is not to intermingle colored and white enlisted personnel in the same regimental organizations. This policy has been proved satisfactory over a long period of years, and to make changes now would produce situations destructive to morale and detrimental to the preparation for national defense...

Statement of Policy submitted by Robert P. Patterson, Assistant Secretary of War and approved by President Roosevelt, October 9, 1940.