Fighting for America : Black Soldiers: The Unsung Heroes of World War II

In this inspirational and uniquely personal tribute, the essential part played by black servicemen and -women in during WWII is brought home.

Here are letters, photographs, oral histories, and rare documents, collected by historian Christopher Moore, the son of two black WWII veterans.

Weaving his family history with that of his people and nation, Moore has created an unforgettable tapestry of sacrifice, fortitude and courage.

From the 1,800 black soldiers who landed on the Normandy beaches on D-Day and the legendary Tuskegee Airmen who won ninety-five Distinguished Flying Crosses, to the 761st Tank Battalion who, under General Patton, helped liberate Nazi death camps, the invaluable effort of black Americans to defend democracy is captured in word and image. "Fighting for America" is more than a testimonial; it is also a troubling story of profound contradictions, of a country still in the throes of segregation, of a domestic battleground where arrests and riots occurred simultaneously with foreign service - and of how the war helped spotlight this disparity and galvanize the need for civil rights.