African American Military Heroes (Black Stars) - Hardcover

Haskins, Jim

9780471145776: African American Military Heroes (Black Stars)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0471145777 ISBN 13: 9780471145776

Publisher: Wiley, 1998

Throughout American history, succeeding in the military has demanded unflagging courage, strength of character, and a patriotic spirit. For an African American man or woman, serving in the military has also meant battling oppression and struggling against deep-seated prejudice. Those who persevered were not only warriors, nurses, or leaders—they were heroes and heroines.

In this action-packed collection, you will meet thirty brave and determined African American military heroes, from the eighteenth century up to the present. You'll discover little-known facts about their families and careers, as well as the remarkable odds each of them overcame.

Ranging from the Revolutionary War to Vietnam and the Persian Gulf War, these exciting stories show you how:

Private Peter Salem, born into slavery, led the charge against the British redcoats at the Battle of Bunker Hill and turned the tide in America's fight for independence.
Harriet Tubman, famous for her daring in the Underground Railroad, worked as a spy and nurse for the Union army during the Civil War.
Private Henry Johnson, a member of the first black combat battalion in World War I, single-handedly withstood a German ambush and received the Croix de Guerre, France's highest honor for bravery in action.
Brigadier General Hazel W. Johnson, chief of the Army Nursing Corps, blazed a trail in the struggle for racial integration in the armed forces during World War II, becoming the military's highest-ranking African American woman.
General Colin L. Powell, recipient of the Purple Heart in Vietnam, steadily rose through army ranks to become the first African American chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, overseeing the U.S. invasion of Panama and Operation Desert Storm.

This extraordinary collection highlights these and dozens of other absorbing stories of dedicated defenders of America.

BLACK STARS

Meet the courageous black stars who defended our liberty with uncommon valor—from the early years to modern times:

Vernon J. Baker
Guion S. Bluford Jr.
Sherian Cadoria
William H. Carney
Austin Dabney
Benjamin O. Davis Sr.
Benjamin O. Davis Jr.
Martin Robison Delany
Charity Adams Earley
Christian A. Fleetwood
Henry O. Flipper
Robert O. Goodman Jr.
William Goyens
Samuel L. Gravely Jr.
Lemuel Haynes
Michael A. Healy
Daniel "Chappie" James Jr.
Hazel W. Johnson
Henry Johnson
Dorie Miller
Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback
Colin L. Powell
Peter Salem
Deborah Sampson
Robert Smalls
Harriet Tubman
John Bathan Vashon
Peter Vogelsang
George Washington Williams
Charles A. Young

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Review:

Many young readers will probably know who General Colin Powell is, but have they heard of Brigadier General Hazel Johnson, the United States Army's first African American woman general? Or Guion S. Bluford Jr., the first African American in space? African Americans have been a valuable part of the United States military since before there even was a United States, when Peter Salem fought at the battles of Lexington and Bunker Hill. Jim Haskins's lively stories, which include definitions of military vocabulary words, bring 30 American heroes to life, and also tell how, for years, African Americans were only able to defend their country in segregated troops. There are some surprises, particularly in the stories about women. Many grownups might not know about Deborah Sampson, who fought disguised as a man during the Revolutionary War, or that Harriet Tubman, the leader of the Underground Railroad, was also a spy for the Union Army in the Civil War.

From the Publisher:

This new collection in the popular Black Stars Series profiles the courageous defenders of America--from Revolutionary War heroes such as Peter Salem and Civil War freedom fighter Harriet Tubman to Generals Benjamin O. Davis and Colin Powell.

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