One missing piece in HBO’s otherwise marvelous series Band of Brothers was the role played during World War II by nonwhite combatants. Christopher Paul Moore’s Fighting for America: Black Soldiers The Unsung Heroes of World War II corrects that oversight on one front, tracing the achievements, sacrifices and contributions of African Americans to campaigns throughout the war. While these soldiers fought in segregated situations and dealt with second-class treatment from the beginning of their tours to the end, they didn’t let that sap their spirit or drain their resolve. Moore includes breakdowns of all the black units in both the European and Pacific campaigns, plus rare photos of everything from black women working in factories stateside to those in the Women’s Army Corps (WAC), Army Nurse Corps (ANC) and Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Services (WAVES). He also highlights special units like the Tuskegee Air Corps and rifle units.
Valiant Women is a vital and engrossing attempt to correct the record and rightfully celebrate the achievements of female veterans of World War II.
