In the wake of World War II, the status of Chinese Americans had reached a new height. Seemingly gone were the days of the Chinese Exclusion Acts and widespread anti-Chinese discrimination, during which Chinese Americans were viewed by most Americans as threatening outcasts who sought to steal jobs and degrade Western values.
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Jane was extremely successful in her military career, but it was not without difficulties. She served as an intelligence officer at the tail-end of the Korean War and all throughout the Vietnam War.
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Mariah Ann Barton was the first and only female to have worked as a rescue swimmer on the USS Abraham Lincoln, where she served as a Combat Search and Rescue petty officer, third class.
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Joanne Marie Conte, a woman famous for being the first openly transgender city councilwoman, deserves recognition for playing a key role in the Korean War and for her exemplary dedication to public service afterward. She served with dignity and persevered against gender discrimination.
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When Kristi joined the military, women had only been allowed to serve in the Air Force for about thirty years. They were first allowed to serve in 1948 as members of the WAF (Women’s Air Force).
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Although nearly eighty years have passed since World War II (1939-1945) officially began, it is only in recent years that public interest in the service of Chinese American veterans during World War II has started to emerge.
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United States veteran Earl Ervin McClung is remembered as an American Indian whose service during World War II was heroic and brave. As a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division, McClung jumped into battle on D-Day, and landed behind enemy lines amidst gunfire both in the air and on the ground.
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A U.S. Marine from South Dakota, Brett Lee Lundstrom touched many people throughout his lifetime. He was a member of the Oglala Sioux tribe. He served in both Afghanistan and Iraq but spent the majority of his service fighting for Operation Iraqi Freedom.
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As a proud member of the Denver, Colorado indigenous community, Jordan L. Bear had a tremendous impact on both his country and community. Bear served as a paratrooper in the Afghanistan War for the U.S. Army for seven years before he was killed in action at his base in Afghanistan at the age of 25.
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At age 27, during the First World War, Vilas Aaron registered for the draft. Because Native Americans were not considered citizens of the United States as of 1917, only men who held citizenship actually faced conscription.
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Burney was assigned to a unit based on race rather than qualifications. The segregated units fostered demoralization amongst black troops, in addition to racism from the white officers
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Newsum never gave up his dreams of flying. He joined the Tuskegee Airmen, the first group of African American military aviators in the U.S. Army Air Corps.
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In 1945, Randolph Edwards graduated from Rhodes Preparatory School at the age of 17. Dreaming of becoming a pilot, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force before his graduation ceremony.
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Byron Johnson was an athlete, educator, and advocate for civil rights. Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, the grandson of a slave, his life would take on numerous challenges and opportunities.
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Leuppe and the rest of the Navajo Code Talkers are remembered to this day as pivotal to the United States victory during the war. Leuppe was a hero to both his country and his family.
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Navy Storekeeper 3rd class, Wallace Eldred Eakes waited 76 years for his headstone at Ft. Logan National Cemetery.
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In both her employment and her volunteer enlistment, Arlene provides a great example of a woman taking advantage of opportunities during World War II. As men were siphoned into military service, they left behind a vacuum of job openings and an opportunity for women to assume independent roles, whether as Rosie the Riveter-type factory employees or in more woman-dominated fields like Arlene’s
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World War II disrupted her plans, as it did for the thousands of other young women who enlisted in women’s reserves such as the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) and the Coast Guard SPARS.
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When Christopher joined the Army in 2006, the violence in Afghanistan was increasing, despite hopes that Afghan troops could take back control of their country.
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John Albert Carroll exemplifies dedication to public service and civil rights throughout his actions in military and civilian life.
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