1960s and the Vietnam War
This section details African Americans who served during the Vietnam War. Despite progress with the commissioning of African American officers in the late 1940s and desegregation, African Americans tended to still only serve in the enlisted ranks. With the civil unrest with the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights movement towards the end of the decade, a new direction would come with Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt being selected to serve as the 19th Chief of Naval Operations from 1970 to 1974.
Other resources:
Downloadable African American Pamphlet
NHHC African American Experience
Image: 428-GX-K-31466: Mineman Second Class Franklin Marshall, April 1966. Marshall served as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team member. Official U.S. Navy photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.
