Almond committed himself fully to any task, and such dedication would guide him through his next challenge: training and commanding black troops. No white officer sought this task, but having received the mission, Almond threw himself into it. Almond assumed command of the 92nd Infantry Division, an African American unit. Almond’s previous performance marked him as a successful officer and gave him the opportunity to command at division level. General Marshall had recognized that commanders of black troops must be selected with even greater care than others, and Almond believed he possessed the “knack” that Marshall required for such duty. The Army General Classification Test revealed that black soldiers had suffered from poor pre-war education, and this affected the division’s performance in combat. The problems caused by racially segregating units had started to become apparent to the white Army leadership and would become more so as the units progressed through training.
The Second Edition of the Integrative Levels Classification: Evolution of a KOS
