Black Sailor, White Navy: Racial Unrest in the Fleet during the Vietnam War Era Review

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(More customer reviews)John Darrell Sherwood is an official historian serving at the United States Naval Historical Center. His fields of study extend to Naval Aviators as well as the U.S. Air Force during both Korea and Vietnam, telling the stories of the men who lived through two of the United States' most controversial conflicts. In Black Sailor, White Navy: Racial Unrest in the Fleet During the Vietnam War Era, Sherwood addresses the problem of African American strife due to inequality in the Navy during the Vietnam War. He finds that the leadership and the men of the U.S. Navy had to construct their own solutions to the conflicts that arose and most importantly, try to understand their differences so that everyone could serve equally, with dignity and respect.
At the onset of the Vietnam War, the Navy was not ready for the racial strife that would later plague their ranks. African Americans had been serving in the Navy since the American Revolution, possibly constituting 10 percent of Naval personnel. During the Civil War, "blacks represented 10 to 24 percent of the warship crews" in the U.S. Navy. Both of these contributions are substantial tributes to the effectiveness of African American sailors and their dedication to U.S. efforts. Incidents involving riots and discrimination during World War I and World War II had created a "white navy," one of Caucasian dominance. Very few blacks were involved with the U.S. Navy during the post-WWII years and those that did served mainly as stewards or mess attendants. The black officer pool was so small as to be almost negligible.
Going into Vietnam, the U.S. Navy was a primarily white institution that discouraged the induction of African Americans. Tests were difficult as to discourage all but the brightest of black participants. Blacks were commissioned to lowly jobs in the steward branch that were deemed "undesirable for whites." Problems with inequality of work and differences in culture and social standing would result in violence on at first several, and eventually many of the ships in the U.S. Navy during Vietnam.
Revolts and conflicts in the ranks may have led to a complete paralysis of the Navy. Sherwood looks primarily at how these racial tensions played out on the ships and at naval bases, assessing personal accounts and records to create a valuable narrative. He uses the reports integrated with interviews from specific incidents to illustrate the pressures on African Americans and their subsequent reactions. From the lawlessness and segregation that inspired the Kitty Hawk riot to the racism that sparked violence on Intrepid, Sherwood provides ample evidence with interviews and reports straight from the men who experienced the times.
After addressing the events that caused these problems to surface, Sherwood follows up by explaining how each issue was dealt with by their respective commanders and how that translated in time to the high command. As riots were put down and men reprimanded, the Navy eventually began a series of reforms under Admiral Zumwalt and later Admiral Holloway that would shape the Navy's policies on race relations. At first with minority affairs representatives and later with increased opportunities for black advancement and better working conditions, the Navy created an environment that blacks and whites could both benefit from.
Sherwood's book Black Sailor, White Navy is an effective narrative for understanding the racial tensions that may have paralyzed the U.S. Navy during Vietnam. It leaves little to the imagination, with thorough evidence drawn from the Naval archives, interviews, court records, statistics, and demographics. It is an interesting story as well, involving the reader with backgrounds of Zumwalt, Holloway, and many of the minor officers that experienced the unrest firsthand. Sherwood has built a balanced and comprehensive account of the fight for African American equality in the United States Navy.

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It is hard to determine what dominated more newspaper headlines in America during the 1960s and early ‘70s: the Vietnam War or America's turbulent racial climate. Oddly, however, these two pivotal moments are rarely examined in tandem.

John Darrell Sherwood has mined the archives of the U.S. Navy and conducted scores of interviews with Vietnam veterans — both black and white - and other military personnel to reveal the full extent of racial unrest in the Navy during the Vietnam War era, as well as the Navy's attempts to control it. During the second half of the Vietnam War, the Navy witnessed some of the worst incidents of racial strife ever experienced by the American military. Sherwood introduces us to fierce encounters on American warships and bases, ranging from sit-down strikes to major race riots.

The Navy's journey from a state of racial polarization to one of relative harmony was not an easy one, and Black Sailor, White Navy focuses on the most turbulent point in this road: the Vietnam War era.