Livingston Robert

Blue Jackets Livingston Robert

The time is 1943. Global war rages. Millions of Americans are drafted. One group, black-Americans, is confined to non-cmbat roles. In 1943, the U. S. Navy implements a highly secret experiment to determine if an all-black crew and officers could man a warship. Two ships were involved, the USS Mason DE 529 and the PC 1264 to determine the competency of black sailors in the face of unforgiving and irrational racial stereotypes and institutional segregation. Blue Jackets is the untold story of the two crews fighting two wars, one against Nazi Germany and the other against racial prejudice at home and in the armed forces. The story, neglected in our history books, is a testament to the sacrifice of those young men who struggled for simple fairness before the law and within the Navy. It is a story worth knowing.