Sixty-nine years ago on July 26, 1948, President Harry Truman issued an executive order abolishing racial discrimination in the United States Armed Forces.
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"It is hereby declared to be the policy of the President that there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion, or national origin," Executive Order 9981 stated.
While the issued order established the President’s Committee on Equality of Treatment and Opportunity in the Armed Services (or the Fahy Committee), segregation in the military wouldn’t officially end for months.
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Full integration, according to the Truman Library, didn't happen until the Korean War in 1953, when the number of black Marines grew from 1,525 to 17,000 in May 1949 and "when heavy casualties forced segregated units to merge for survival."
Before Executive Order 9981, blacks and other minorities serving in the military were segregated into separate units, often performing menial tasks.
Segregation within the armed services came to an official end in November 1954 with the deactivation of the 94th Engineer Battalion, the country's last black military unit.
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Read Executive Order 9981 below:
Credit: Drew Angerer
Credit: Drew Angerer
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