Chapter 4 examines how the World War II–era military sometimes created descent-specific outfits other than “Negro” ones. At one time or another the army had a lengthy list of such units—made up of people of Austrian, Chinese, Filipino, Greek, Japanese, Mexican, Norwegian, Puerto Rican, and Native American ancestry. This nonblack troop segregation of sorts varied over time and according to numerous factors, including descent or “race,” location of induction, timing of induction, gender, and even foreign-language ability. How and which ancestries mattered most hinged on everything from the particulars of the war to long-standing military policy. Of all nonblacks, Japanese Americans faced the most extensive segregation during the war, but they fought it tenaciously, becoming increasingly integrated by war’s end.
