Before World War 2 segregation did not allow African-Americans to recruit into the Marines Corps. Then, in 1942 approximately 20,000 recruits were trained at Montford Point Camp. Even though their training was segregated, they went through the same process as all the other recruits earning them the title of "Marine." These Montford Point Marines went on to play critical roles in some battles like battle of Iwo Jima, the Chosin Reservoir and the Tet offensive.
analysis:
Since this act, the Marine Corp has become a stronger military force. It made all the men, black and white, come together as one. Today, anyone is allowed to enlist in the Military no matter what color they are.
reflection question:
Why did it take so long for the Marine Corp to accept African-Americans?
Sunday, March 4, 2012
summary:
Basically, the military shifted from a peacetime military to a continuously wartime military. Even the types of wars have changed. They're not the tank-on-tank battles that soldiers have been training for. They're counterinsurgency campaigns, in which junior officers must assume as much initiative as commanders and all soldiers must be as attentive to community relations as to combat. A basic Army unit has been scaled down from a division of about 12,000 soldiers to a brigade of about 4,000 soldiers. Tanks and field artillery officers are not as important as they used to be. Manned air-crafts are now being controlled in a base by a joy-stick.
analysis:
The military is becoming more technology friendly. They are trying not to put so many men out in war so that the risks of being killed are not as high. High armored weapons like a tank is not essential anymore to winning a battle.
reflection question:
Why did it take something as big as a terrorist attack for the military to be more aware of things?
Kaplan, Fred. "Our Soldiers and Generals Have Adapted Well to the Post-9/11 World. Here's How They Did It." Slate Magazine. The Slate Group, 2 Sept. 2011. Web. 04 Mar. 2012. <http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/war_stories/2011/09/the_post911_military.2.html>.
