American Patriots: The Story of Blacks in the Military from the Revolution to Desert Storm by Gail Buckley

Winner of the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award and an NAACP Image Award Finalist

A dramatic and moving tribute to the military’s unsung heroes, American Patriots tells the story of the black servicemen and women who defended American ideals on the battlefield, even as they faced racism in the ranks and segregation on the home front. Through hundreds of original interviews with veterans of every war since World War I, historic accounts, and photographs, Gail Buckley brings these heroes and their struggles to life. We meet Henry O. Flipper, who withstood silent treatment from his classmates to become the first black graduate of West Point in 1877. And World War II infantry medic Bruce M. Wright, who crawled through a minefield to shield a fallen soldier during an attack. Finally, we meet a young soldier in Vietnam, Colin Powell, who rose through the ranks to become, during the Gulf War, the first black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Fourteen years in the making, American Patriots is a landmark chronicle of the brave men and women whose courage and determination changed the course of American history.

Soft Cover.

About the author:

Gail Buckley's family history, The Hornes, was a national best-seller. She collaborated on an American Masters documentary with her mother, Lena Horne, and narrated a documentary on black families for PBS. She has written for the Los Angeles Times, Vogue, the New York Daily News, and The New York Times. She is married to journalist Kevin Buckley and lives in New York.