Missing in Action: African American Combat Arms Officers in the United States Army

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The purpose of this thesis is to examine the subject of African American United States Army officers and their service in the combat arms branches. The research uncovered the complex roles that African American combat arms officers assumed during the past century, and how these roles evolved into their current variation that benefits from the Army's unwavering commitment to equal opportunity. A historic snapshot of 20th century America's domestic tensions frames the pressing issue of why African American officers currently choose to serve in the combat arms at a disproportional rate when compared with the African Americans represented in the army's total officer corps. The African American legacy during the 20th century is a narrative that explains the tremendous strides African Americans accomplished along the path to equality. African American army officers were forced to rely upon one another in order to complete their duties in academic and operational environments, therefore, it was essential that information, institutional wisdom, and guidance were passed along. These efforts resulted in relationships that were based on mentorship. This research determined that mentoring is a key component in reducing the friction created by the diminished presence of African American combat arms officers. The research determined that several efforts needed to be initiated in order to mitigate the effects of this complex phenomenon. The efforts identified were associated with improvements in institutional mentoring practices within the Army, increased networking within the active Army officer corps through organized support organizations partially staffed by retired Army officers, and the leveraging of well established African American socio-economic institutions that weld influence in African American community. The ROCKS, an organization whose core mission is to promote mentorship and networking among African American Army officers, continues to positively impact officer gr