ABSTRACT
The war in Vietnam was an important turning point regarding race and equal opportunity in the American Armed Forces. Prior to Vietnam, the military had developed a reputation for being the most integrated and racially advanced institution in America. The war would become a testing ground for these claims and for previous racial reforms and advances in the military. It would reveal that despite the Pentagon’s assurance of the elimination of racism amongst its ranks, personal and institutional racism still pervaded throughout. But the war would also become a powerful catalyst for further change, and the military would prove to be serious this time about implementing significant reforms that would eliminate personal and institutional racism and ensure equal opportunity and treatment.
