Black Soldiers Battled Fascism and Racism

Today, he still hosts friends from the 332nd for lunch at least once a month -- receiving them in a Bethesda house packed with photographs and paintings of McGee in the red-tailed P-51 Mustang he flew during the war.

Montgomery, now 83, also turned to the military after his disappointment at the Post Office, serving in Korea and rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel.

By contrast, Strawder, who became a truck driver, was haunted by how easily combat can turn men into killers. For years, he had dreams about a German sniper he shot in the face.

"He couldn't have been older than 15 or 16," Strawder said. "I can still see the hole in his head, before the blood started rushing in."

And he worries that the black soldiers in his unit were particularly vulnerable. "We were angry young men," he said. "We used to say, 'If we don't kill these Germans, they'll come home and become our bosses.' "

For Strawder, as for many black veterans, time and the nation's growing recognition of their sacrifice has helped salve the wounds. When he learned that some of the events surrounding the memorial's dedication will honor African Americans, he gave a smile free of rancor.

"It does my heart good that they are giving us credit," he said.

Tomorrow: How the war gave birth to today's American middle class.