The Negro Soldier (1944)

[Music] so [Music] oh [Music] since jesus came into [Music] my you soldier my prepared text today was to have been make thy name be remembered in all generations but i think i'm going to depart from my prepared sermon while i was listening to the sergeant solo i kept looking up at our service flag i was thinking of the men in service i see some of them here this morning private roberts sergeant jackson lieutenant carter and uh um private parks first class first class is right i was over the uso the other night and i met somebody i hadn't seen quite a long time the last time i saw this man well one of my members treated me to a ticket to yankee stadium to see joel lewis versus max maylie in one minute and 49 seconds an american fist won a victory but it wasn't the final victory no that victory is going to take a little longer and a whole lot more american fist now those two men that were matched in the ring that night are matched again this time in a far greater arena and for much greater stakes max smaley a paratrooper in the nazi army men turned into machines challenging the world joe lewis training for the fight of his life this time it's a fight not between man and man but between nation and nation it's a fight for the real championship of the world to determine which way of life shall survive their way or our way and this time we must see to it that there is no return engagement for the stakes this time are the greatest men have ever fought for and what are the stakes the american states the german state the bible of the nazis the gospel according to hitler i'm not going to read all of this but there are one or two things in this book that will interest you i quote what is denied to us the german fist must take if our forefathers had made their decisions by the same pacifist nonsense as the present day does we would possess but a third of our existing territory further he says from time to time the illustrated papers show how a negro has become a lawyer a teacher perhaps even a minister it never dawns on the degenerate middle class america that this is truly a sin against all reason that it is criminal madness to train a born half ape until one believes one has made a lawyer of him this book was written 20 years ago the plan which it foreshadowed has become a reality and the nazis now instruct their disciples in terms such as these we must strive by any means to conquer the world any methods are permissible lie betray kill kill and kill again kill the slavs the russians the poles the checks don't stop whether you have an old man a woman a girl or boy kill if we want to create our great german empire we must exterminate everybody who stands against us the liberty of the whole earth depends on the outcome of this contest americans have always guarded liberty the seed took root in boston in that city is the granary burial ground 1660. within this ground are buried the victims of the boston massacre march 5th 1770 the first to die in the boston massacre was christmas addicts long as freedoms caused the wise contend dear to our country shall your fame extend while to the world the lettered stone shall tell where caldwell addicts grey and maverick fell at concord bridge sam craft and john ferret helped to fire the shop heard round the world at bunker hill on june 17 1775 gun belonged to peter salem a colored man who carried it at lexington concord and bunker hill and with its shot major pitcairn and on christmas day 1776 when all but the bravest hearts had lost hope prince whipple took his place alongside those who pushed on in the winter of 78 at valley forge george washington wrote our soldiers have been a week without food they are naked and starving we cannot enough admire their unshakable patience and loyalty here samuel haynes salem 4 and thousands of others left their bleeding footprints in the snow in this war the people of the new world won their independence they joined hands and 13 colonies became the united states [Music] then the people of the new republic began to build together they pioneered and together they made territories into states by 1812 a wilderness was becoming a great nation then came war at lake erie tyler thompson heard admiral perry's immortal words we have met the enemy and they are ours and in new orleans when general jackson said by the eternal they shall not sleep on our soil thomas wilson was there america began to build ships [Music] then came 1861. that government of the people by the people all the people shall not perish from this earth this malice toward none with charity for all then america began to rebuild [Music] you know what i mean what's the matter jim you quitting man i'm going to cuba your brother yeah with the ninth regiment united states calgary horsemen jim fought in the spanish-american war at santiago cuba the 9th and 10th cavalry the 24th and 25th infantry added to their long record new medals of courage and gallantry i'm jim after we cleaned up in cuba we went on with billing factories cities everything as for me well i went to panama help on little jobs a little job connecting the atlantic and pacific a little job [Music] and with pershing in france jim wasn't there but his sons were serving with the 813th pioneer regiment near marseille the 332nd labor battalion and the 808th pioneer regiment never done [Music] fighting with the 8th illinois on the swaston front 372nd on the plains of montpar 371st at bucy farm and the 369th in the argonne 369th fought on the line of fire for 191 days not a man ever captured not a foot of ground never lost the first american troops to receive the quarter gear to 369th and for action above and beyond the call of duty many received honored medals when they cleaned up in france the boys came marching home among them was henry johnson who with one companion needham roberts killed the poor and captured 28 germans for which the french nation decorated them for exceptional bravery and there were those among the honored at arlington samuel washington walter waters william fox john sims young charles young colonel united states army and to their memory sermons and stone and bronze tributes of a grateful nation to commemorate their heroism and sacrifice of all colored soldiers who served in the various wars engaged in by the united states of america that a lasting record shall be made of their unselfish devotion to duty and in france's busy farm the french people erected a memorial to the 371st infantry this stone and the ground on which it stands are dedicated to the negro troops who fortin died here on april 21st 1918. 23 years later on june the 15th 1941 an invading german army yes the nazis destroyed our monuments in france but our monuments here stand and will always stand the founder of tuskegee institute booker t washington 1856 1915 he lifted the veil of ignorance from his people and pointed the way to progress through education and industry the late george washington carver honored in the chemistry of agriculture and the men and women building the monuments of tomorrow law elected judge of new york city courts serving his second 10-year term explorer the only other american with admiral piri when our flag was planted on the north pole medicine leading new york city surgeon father of the blues financier and publisher contributing to the war bond drive education principle of a new york city public school curator schaumburg collection of literature international prize-winning sculptor [Music] singer [Music] men and women in every walk of life all trained and educated in schools like [Music] [Applause] oh [Applause] olympic games have begun the best athletes in the world have come to berlin and 51 nations are represented here today the six fastest sprinters of the world are getting ready owens america germany and metcalfe of america the winds is ahead [Applause] holland [Music] the men's high jump vine cuts germany now they all drop out tanaka [Applause] japan and he drops out two cars now 2.03 meters high at six feet eight inches and johnson of america first johnson america a new olympic record of six foot eight inches second al britain america america [Music] the tree of liberty has borne these fruits it's a mighty tree with roots deep in the ground of america its fame has spread to the four corners of the earth men of every faith color and tongue have helped to nourish it and to sow its seed in new ground all men stand in admiration of it except the nazis the fascists and the japanese militarists the fills of the new order there is not a man alive who does not know of the crimes of these adventurers in europe by order of the german army high command thousands of innocent men women and children have been shot and hanged in asia the japanese army [Music] there are those who will tell you that japan is the savior of the colored races on december [Music] [Music] the people of the world have risen in one great mass to bring to justice the ringleaders responsible for these crimes in america's army in every branch of the service artillery tank quartermaster engineer don't forget the infantry yes my boy is in the infantry he's up there third from the left and the bottom row i got a letter from him last night he's an officer robert did he get to be an officer yes he said so right here dear mama at last it's happened i'm an officer lieutenant robert a bronson infantry don't it sound good of course i haven't got my bars yet but i'm on my way to offices candidate school for four months and if i pass the examination and graduate and get my commission i'll be an officer now i can do it mama if i could go through those first 13 weeks the way i did i can go through anything that morning at the railroad depot i didn't know which side was up but misery sure loves company when i said goodbye to you i was laughing but i wasn't tickled and the first thing i heard when i stopped at some place in the middle of no place all right men on behalf of the united states army the reception center here at this camp we're glad to welcome you here today and into the united states army we're glad to see all of your happy smiling faces our fellows during the few days that you'll be with us here at this camp you'll be converted from a civilian into a full-fledged soldier you'll be interviewed by someone who'll inquire into your past life before you came into the army the machinist on the construction of guns and gun parts that's right what machines did you operate i operated boring mills tool grinders drill presses planes and but i don't want to give you the impression that it's only for religious services and advice that you can come to the chapter you can come to him at any time for example if you get in trouble with your girlfriend and she doesn't write you anymore you want to know how to propose why just come see the chaplain and he'll give you some advice or if you get in trouble with your first sergeant you want to know how to handle him just come around and see the chaplain and he'll give you some advice or if you're financially embarrassed why that's simple too just come around and see the chapter and he'll give you some advice our chaplain chairman has just told you how to get along in this man's army it's my painful duty to tell you what'll happen to you if you don't get along regarding the salute man it isn't a form of civility it's merely a form of recognition used between members of the military service the average man when he first learns the salute is awkward it's a strange gesture to him and he feels shy he usually sneaks his hand up in this manner and gives the broken-handed salute or lowers his eyes gently like a shy maiden and sloops like that when you salute an officer stand erect like a soldier bring your hand up to your forehead in a military manner tip of the forefinger above the center of the right eye now make sure your thumb is alongside your hand because if it's out here they may misconstrue it then cut the hand sharpie to the side don't let it drop down like a dead face here stand up now pick up both weights put the weights back sit down step down put your shoes on it go in the next room thanks all right men strip down completely put every piece of civilian clothing that you have into that barrack bank now when you're completely stripped and have everything into that bag put on a set of summer underwear a pair of shorts a pair of white woolen socks all right now you're trying your green herringbone for tig head first that's a green hat with a brim on it try it on if it fits place it into your barracks bag now don't mind if it's a little loose but i made it all of us made it they put us through so many twists and turns we didn't know whether we were coming or going but uncle sam did we were going he put us on the train that same afternoon for the replacement center we kept passing troop trains going back and forth all over the country we finally arrived at a place called military secret but this much i can tell you it was cold and even before we had a chance to thaw out they had us in the school of the soldier the sergeant gave it to us straight you sleep in that bed you'll make it you wear them clothes you're washing you walk on that floor you'll clean it there's no service here you understand that and i bet right now mama i can make a bed better than you can but before i had a chance to get the bed warm there i was in the beginning the new hands were all feet right hey a force to the rib horse lip flank pull it right flank pull it up horse rip pull it pull yep then came the cross-country marching band take a 10-minute break it was tough hiking drilling capey viveks tent pitching general orders the tough of the day the short of the night but you get used to it and if you can't take it they got doctors some of the best in the country specialist in every field and in our dental clinic we have a whack but even so this is one kind of drilling no soldier likes but after all the making beds and peeling potatoes and drilling and marching they give you a rifle and teach you to shoot it in no time at all i could hit the broad side of a barn it was fun it's not all wood there's football baseball [Music] boxing and oh yes ping-pong if you want to read there's a library can you imagine me listening to poetry but it came in good the very next day i got a chance to use it we were sent on a detail to a nearby camp i saw some soldiering that was beautiful to behold [Music] [Music] and you'd better tell uncle everest to quit joking about the wax because these girls have forgotten more about jeeps and trucks than he'll ever know couple and old coffee and the next day was saturday night she was very nice mama a real apple pie girl just the right size and everything just the kind you like but in the army man proposes and gi disposes and the next morning i was out there like the rest of them getting tough in this man's army they want you to be tough but tough and i mean tough and tough in the army means a good fighter who can stand up against a strong enemy and beat him to the draw and after a hard week a soldier welcomes a sunday [Music] this morning i have a gi report i think you'll all be interested in this is an official statement from the war department in the present world war they are more than five times as many men with high school education in our armed forces than were in world war one this has meant an increase in officer candidates official figures tell us in the present war there are three times as many colored officers as in world war one from a score of different schools many have earned their commissions and taken their place alongside those who come from any one of the hundreds of rotc schools and the greatest of all military institutions west point mama the next time you see me i'll be wearing an officer's uniform ready to get in there and get this wall over with that's a promise your loving son robert thank you mrs bronson that's the promise millions of americans have made thousands have put it into action in every camp men are getting their final workout at tuskegee more pilots are earning their wings in a short while these young officers will be full-fledged combat flyers taking their place at the controls of our fighter planes today high above their native land they fly tomorrow what a surprise the nazis will get and black brown yellow and white men all americans land on the airfields of berlin and tokyo in the far north seasoned soldiers are toughening themselves for they know that in a fight against all that is evil truth must be ready ready to strike hard and often no waiting for weather or temperature any weather can be good weather any temperature can be ranked when men know the meaning of their job and are determined to get it done come with me [Music] and the men we knew as tailors printers bricklayers cooks entertainers carpenters bell boys school teachers farmers are today soldiers in a modern army tank men gunners radio operators and motor mechanic every man schooled in the meaning of teamwork every man qualified to replace any of his teammates at any time every man ready to do his share the engineers the fighting builders ready to build bridges highways railroads ports and landing fields the quartermaster who moves troops and supplies who provides to food fuel and clothing the men who supply the means of communication telegraph telephone and radio [Music] the tank destroyers ready for swift and decisive action [Music] hard-hitting anti-aircraft units ready to knock zeros and messerschmitts out of the skies and the infantryman the backbone of the army [Applause] this training has met the acid test of war across the pacific across the atlantic the shadow of defeat hangs over the axis partners as the allies liberate town after town but the job isn't finished this is only the beginning to win the final victory over germany and japan our blows must be dealt harder and faster and with all our strength there can be no let up in the flow of supplies more and more food equipment and ammunition must reach our troops in the battle area [Applause] more airports landing fields docks bridges and roads must be built our troops must build them through the swamps of the south pacific the snows of the far north over the mountains of india and across the rivers of europe build them in record time and under enemy fire build them right into the heart of berlin and tokyo [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] um [Music] [Applause] [Music] uh robert brooks colin kelly meyer levine dory miller soldiers who knew no fear men who would defend even unto death the land of their birth soldiers who believed in this great country to the enemy our country is something to destroy our homes our right to worship god our little belongings something to crush to shackle to plunder oh god we thank you for this land which our fathers have helped to build grant that we may with your help be worthy of this heritage and in our turn enrich it for our children so that government of the people by the people for the people shall not perish from this earth [Music] oh [Music] revelations [Music] oh [Music] hey [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] you

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Id: H6YvZy_IsZY

Length: 40min 22sec (2422 seconds)

Published: Tue Jan 31 2017