Uniform Isn’t Armor: A Veteran Reflects on Post-Desegregation Military Service

Although black Americans have fought for America since the Revolutionary War, they were not formally granted equal status alongside white soldiers until President Truman desegregated the military in 1948. Even after that, progress was slow. A young New Jersey man, William Campbell, joined the U.S. Navy seeking opportunity and adventure. Instead, he experienced racism in the military and in civilian life. Still, he served his country with distinction and went on to become a civil rights advocate.

Steak and Second-Class Citizenship

Campbell enlisted in 1948, days after President Truman’s executive order to desegregate the military. He was lured by the promises of adventure and his father’s ultimatum: “Either stay in school or serve your country.”

In response, Campbell decided to enlist in the Navy. He remembers being especially excited about the Navy’s food. His first meal, upon enlisting at the age of 17, was a steak.”I had never eaten steak before,”the retired Chief Petty Officer confesses,”so I ordered my steak just like the guy in front of me.” He laughs, remembering how, upon reaching his table, he couldn't eat it because it was too rare.

Stopping in Delaware to grab a hamburger, Campbell was told to eat outside. When he refused to pay under such conditions, the restaurant threatened to call the police. Officers intervened before the police was called, allowing the teenager to avoid arrest. But from that day, he learned a bitter lesson: his uniform wouldn’t stop hate.

After being assigned to Norfolk, Virginia, he was forced to ride in the back of the buses and had to go to special bars for colored people on Church Street. He was again nearly arrested for accidentally drinking at a “Whites Only” water fountain.

Discrimination continued within the ranks. He was designated the role of a Steward, serving white officers. He, along with other black sailors, performed the most menial tasks. When he first joined the Navy, what he didn’t realize at the time was that the adventure and steak he was promised would cost him something more precious—his dignity.

The War That Changed Me

“Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country” is a famous quote from President John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address. Campbell lived by this principle. Despite the discrimination he faced, he served his country dutifully. But he still had his struggle: “I wondered why I had to fight for this country that treated me like this.”

At one point, overwhelmed by the racism in the Navy, he sought to leave. Instead of allowing him to do so, his superiors sent him to a psychiatrist, who urged him to “give it a chance.” He did, and through resilience and perseverance, he fought through it, forming bonds with his comrades in the process. With this network of support, Campbell believes that the hardship he faced indeed “made a man out of me." 

In November 1953, William Campbell was handed orders that would change the course of his Navy career. “They didn’t give us much notice. They just told us that we had to go,” Campbell recounts. This time, he was given a much more active role . Placed on a gunboat in the middle of Korea as a gunner on a 20-millimeter, Campbell found himself in the middle of a moral crisis. Campbell claims that they wanted him to be like Dori Miller, the black Pearl Harbor hero who shot down Japanese planes. However, he stresses,“But I didn’t want to kill anybody.”

Campbell eventually found a role that he enjoyed. The former Steward and gunner befriended Chaplain Rue, a battlefield chaplain. At the chaplain’s side, he learned basic medical skills that saved wounded soldiers. Unexpectedly, he also befriended many locals. He reminisces, “They often told us, ‘This is not your war,’ but they treated us kindly. They would invite us to their homes and different events. We would spend time with them and even give them gifts.” These made his stint in Korea much more bearable.

After the Navy

Despite the challenges, Campbell still loved his time in the Navy, even continuing on to the Merchant Marines. His experiences in the military also fueled his passion for civil rights. He saw firsthand the injustices that Black Americans faced, both within and outside of the armed forces. Eventually, he marched with Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1964 March on Washington, something he is very proud of to this day.

Looking back, Campbell acknowledges that things have improved since his time in the Navy. “I never thought I’d live to see a Black president,” he admits. Campbell is optimistic for the future. Although his story is a reminder that the struggle for equality is ongoing, he also represents the progress we have made as a country. He assures me, “I do see change. And I think the next generation is going to change everything.”