Can the Army quit racial disparities?

"The Jim Crow Army Must Have a Scapegoat," tells of Lieutenant Leon Gilbert's court-martial for refusing an order during the Korean War. The article provides the context of the time. While President Harry S Truman ordered the intergration of the services in 1948, Lieutenant Gilbert still belonged to a segregated unit. The quagmimre in Korea, with the occasional American retreat, resulted in African American Soldiers receiving a higher share of the blame for a lack of mettle.

Lieutenant Gilbert refused to follow orders to return to battle then received a quick court-martial. The all white panel sentenced him to death. Many contemporaries saw it as inordinate punishment. President Truman commuted the sentence. 

The article paints an interesting portrait of Lieutenant Gilbert, as it appears he made a similar decision in World War II, but received more compassion. So there's an element of mental health issues, and the difficult decisions people must make when they risk their own life. 

The article also calls to mind, obviously, America's disparate treatment of African Americans within the criminal justice system and how that carries over to our military. While things have gotten better in the sense of official acknowlegment of the problem, we're still not where we need to be.

Anyway, interesting article. Go read it!