Firefight at Yechon : courage and racism in the Korean war / Charles M. Bussey.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bussey, Charles M.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Bussey, Charles M.

United States. Army Air Forces.

Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, African American.

Korean War, 1950-1953.

African American soldiers--Biography.

African American soldiers.

History.

Korean War, 1950-1953--Participation, African American.

United States. Army Air Forces--History.

United States.

United States--Race relations.

Race relations.

Genre:

Biographies.

Personal narratives -- African American.

Personal narratives.

Physical Description:

xviii, 264 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Lincoln [Neb.] ; London : University of Nebraska Press, 2002.

Summary:

"Firefight at Yechon" is the harrowing story of Charles M. Bussey, a former Tuskegee airman and one of the first American combatants in the Korean War. He led the Seventy-seventh Engineer Combat Company for 205 days filled with almost continual fighting, during which he and his fellow American soldiers served with distinction. They also felt the effects of racism in the U.S. Army and wartime media, which singled out African American units for blame in the early days of the war. "Firefight at Yechon" sets the record straight about the contribution of African Americans in the Korean War. It also paints an unforgettably realistic portrait of the terrifying first days of fighting in 1950, when American soldiers, both black and white, were reeling under the assault of the North Korean People's Army. The Seventy-seventh Engineer Combat Company played an instrumental role in the retaking of Yechon on 20 July, the first major victory for the U.S. Army. The carnage of that fight and the shining courage of his fellow soldiers would never be forgotten by Bussey.

Notes:

Originally published: Washington : Brassey's, 1991. With a new afterword.

ISBN:

0803262019

OCLC:

48399158