Definitions of honor and service are always changing, perhaps never more so than in our world today. We face a wide range of enemies, arguably more complex than those confronted by the heroes we meet in Brothers in Valor: Battlefield Stories of the 89 African Americans Awarded the Medal of Honor. Yet the lessons we can learn from this volume are profound and timeless.
African Americans have served in the US military with great distinction throughout our nation’s history, defending American freedom. Here, Robert Jefferson introduces us to the remarkable black soldiers who have been recognized with the military’s highest award. Each soldier played a part in shaping the very definition of courage during the fiercest moments in our military past. Their acts of valor have forever marked the American portrait, and provide us with a rich source of inspiration.
The quest for honor among African Americans in the military has been deeply intertwined with race relations. The soldiers vividly portrayed in these accounts showed just as much courage in their daily lives as they did on the battlefield. Jefferson’s narrative reveals how these men resisted segregation and discrimination in both the military and in society as they pursued their dreams of equality. He also offers a detailed exploration of ever-changing military policy and presidential politics, and the roles they played in defining honor through the years.
In one such account, Jefferson describes a White House ceremony in 1966 where President Lyndon Baines Johnson declared that the Medal of Honor was “bestowed for courage demonstrated not in blindly overlooking danger, but in meeting it with eyes clearly open.” This is the powerful message the author conveys throughout Brothers in Valor, and something I truly believe in.
In 1966 I was earning my pilot’s wings, after which I flew more than a hundred combat missions as a member of the 557th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam. I was always conscious of the presence of danger during the Vietnam War, and certainly developed my ideas about bravery and service during my time as a fighter pilot. After my combat duty, I earned a master’s and a PhD in aerospace engineering, and in 1979, I was chosen to become a NASA astronaut. I continued to hone my understanding of service while participating in several space shuttle flights, becoming the first African American in space in 1983, as a mission specialist on the Orbiter Challenger. It’s been a privilege to serve my country, and I’m proud to share my story with others, including African-American children who aspire to be scientists, engineers, and astronauts.
I share Robert Jefferson’s belief that courage and service should be revered. In this book, he honors a group of soldiers who embody these qualities, providing a comprehensive and inspiring history of how they not only served their country, but also paved the way for all who seek equality and freedom. Just as important, he makes us consider our own impact on the world around us. How can we translate bravery into action in the future? Hopefully, with our eyes wide open.
—Col. Guion S. Bluford Jr., PhD, US Air Force (Ret.),
NASA astronaut (Ret.) May 2018