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Because they got crap for it. That merits recording, remembrance and respect. What else can we do, at this remove, but to acknowledge that they served a country that really didn't deserve their service, and tell their stories? Most are passed on, those that did not die in the process. If you took extra guff for no fault of your own, with honest motives and desire to serve, then you earned some particular respect.
As a Canadian, I will point out that some US citizens, who were black, crossed the border, and joined the Canadian military, before the US became involved. They were welcomed, and they served in ALL of our military branches, including direct combat units. They served with distinction, and those that were killed, were buried alongside their Canadian friends. When the Canadians arrived in Great Britain, the British people welcomed ALL of them, including the American volunteers, both white and black.
Promotion and training in technical skills was open to all, based on a man's ability, not skin colour. Unlike the US military, Canada had no segregated units, and no labour battalions, either. Remember that Canada had and still has a black population that dates back to before the US civil war.... Escaped slaves and their descendants. As Canadian citizens they were free to volunteer to serve, and many did so.
The Canadian Army has Regiments that are Highlanders, who wear the kilt, as a dress uniform item. One example is the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada, based in Vancouver, British Columbia. They had a number of black Highlanders during the Second World War, who served with pride in their kilts. The kilt is not worn in action, but as a `walking out uniform `while on leave. That is what they would have worn, while on leave, in London, during the war.
About 18,000 US citizens joined the Canadian military during WW2, all as volunteers. Some of then are buried in Europe, in Canadian war graves. Some came back and stayed in Canada, as Canadian citizens. Some went back to live in the US.
One of the little written about occurrences that was a major "reputation" gain for black soldiers during the war was Eisenhowers decision during the Battle of the Bulge to allow black support troops to volunteer for frontline service. Over 2,000 black support troops immediately volunteered for combat and were sent to the frontlines. They did not fight together as a segregated unit, but were mixed in with the general replacement pool. This meant that black soldiers were suddenly joined with and fighting alongside white soldiers in the same units. This would technically be the first formal action where black and white troops were desegregated in combat. This practice continued after the Bulge when black platoons were assinged to white companies in both 6th and 12th Army Group (a practice officially hidden from the War Department by Eisenhower). The black platoons fought with distinction through the end of the war.
The Bulge also saw various all black units get caught up in the fighting and being forced into desperate combat situations. Many all black units such as tank destroyer and artillery units were in the Bulge sector because someone needed to hold the area, but it was supposed to be quiet. These units found themselves in the middle of the fighting and often directly supporting and fighting alongside white units.
It's not really in topic but both Italians and Germans made extensive use of Black soldiers during WWI and WII (only Italians in the latter).
Italian Ascari and German Schutztruppe (mostly in German East Africa but also in German Cameroon) were quite feared and represented excellent frontline units.
Amedeo Guillet, an Italian cavalry commander and then guerrilla leader in Italian East Africa during WWII and then a soldier with Allies led an Eritrean Cavalry unit with quite a success and his derring-do earned him the nickname of "Devil Commander".
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