- The Encyclopedia of African American Military History
William Weir has written an encyclopedia of African American military history to "provide references for anyone wishing to learn the gripping and inspiring story" (p. 23) of those who have contributed to this facet of U.S. military history. Over 300 entries are organized alphabetically, referencing individuals such as Medal of Honor winners and topics that define the African American military experience from the Colonial period to the Gulf Wars. There is a useful glossary of military and naval terms as well as a listing of web site addresses for many of the topics.
Weir's references to general military histories and monographs will assist the reader in further research. However, a comprehensive listing of secondary sources would have added further value to the work. There are comments about available sources with each entry although some entries are undocumented ("Mexican War," "Reenslavement of Revolutionary Soldiers").
Looking up individuals is straightforward, but topics are more challenging. For example, would we know that the "Fifth Platoons" entry is a discussion of General John C. Lee's innovative proposal as a result of the Battle of the Bulge, or that "Troubles on the Border" focuses on disputes with Mexico? Some discussions are comprehensive, such as those on Colin Powell and Truman K. Gipson. But there are inconsistencies with one page each devoted to the "Tuskegee Airmen" and "Jim Crow in the Military" compared to four pages on "Victorio" and "Troubles on the Border."
After the Korean War desegregation and integration became more of a reality for the U.S. military, and there are fewer entries covering that period. However, there are racial problems, described in "Vietnam Shipboard Troubles," [End Page 574] but many of the entries now look at successful flag officers. Whites with diverse influences are also included, and there are useful discussions of John Brown and Elmo Zumwalt, but none on Noel Parrish of Tuskegee Airmen fame.
Perhaps a chronological approach would have been more effective as it is necessary to read the whole work to get the full benefit. This also would have allowed Weir to eliminate some of the duplication in the entry introductions. The encyclopedia will be a valuable library reference, as few readers will want to pay $99 for their personal copy of this 365-page book.
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