The African American Soldier

Lt. Col. Michael Lee Lanning's "The African American Soldier" offers a sweeping chronicle of Black military service in the United States, tracing a history that stretches from the colonial era through the twentieth century. Lanning, a retired Army officer with firsthand knowledge of military structures and culture, brings a practitioner's perspective to a subject often treated only in broad academic strokes. His approach is chronological and comprehensive, moving methodically through the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the westward expansion era with the Buffalo Soldiers, both World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, and into the modern integrated armed forces.

One of the book's greatest strengths is its scope. Rather than focusing narrowly on a single conflict or era, Lanning constructs a continuous narrative that allows readers to see patterns repeat and evolve across two centuries. The recurring theme is unmistakable: African Americans have consistently served with distinction in every major American conflict, often while facing discrimination, segregation, and denial of full citizenship rights at home. Lanning does not shy away from these contradictions. He presents the paradox plainly—men and women asked to risk their lives for a nation that frequently refused to grant them equal standing within it.

The book gains much of its power from its attention to individual stories. Lanning includes profiles of specific soldiers, units, and battles that humanize the larger historical arc. The Massachusetts 54th Regiment, the Tuskegee Airmen, and the Buffalo Soldiers receive attention, as do lesser-known figures whose contributions have often been overlooked in mainstream military histories. This blend of the general and the specific helps the book avoid becoming a dry recitation of dates and troop movements. Instead, it reads as a series of interconnected stories that together reveal a larger truth about service, sacrifice, and the slow, uneven march toward integration.

Lanning's military background serves him well in explaining the mechanics of segregation and integration within the armed forces. He details how policies shifted—or failed to shift—across different branches and periods, offering context for why certain units were segregated longer than others, and how bureaucratic inertia often outlasted stated intentions for reform. This structural analysis adds depth to the personal stories, helping readers understand not just what happened, but why change came so slowly.

The book's organization by era, while logical, does result in some sections feeling more like a survey than a deep dive. Readers seeking exhaustive detail on any single period may find themselves wanting more, as Lanning's commitment to covering two hundred years means each conflict receives proportionally less space than a dedicated volume might offer. This is a reasonable tradeoff given the book's ambitious scope, but it's worth noting for readers with a particular interest in one specific war or era.

Stylistically, Lanning writes in a clear, direct manner suited to a general audience. He avoids unnecessary embellishment, letting the historical record and the soldiers' own actions carry the narrative weight. This straightforward approach makes the book accessible to readers without extensive prior knowledge of military history, while still offering enough substance to reward those with deeper familiarity with the subject.

What emerges from the book is a portrait of resilience and persistent contribution despite systemic barriers. Lanning makes clear that African American military service was never a footnote to the larger American story—it was integral to it from the very beginning. The eventual desegregation of the armed forces under President Truman is presented not as an isolated moment of progress, but as the culmination of decades of demonstrated capability and sacrifice that made continued exclusion increasingly untenable.

Overall, "The African American Soldier" succeeds as an accessible, well-researched overview of a critical but often underrepresented aspect of American military history. It serves as a useful entry point for readers unfamiliar with this history, while also providing enough detail and individual stories to engage those with existing interest in the subject. Lanning's background as a military officer lends credibility to his analysis of institutional dynamics, while his clear prose ensures the book remains readable throughout. For anyone seeking to understand the full complexity of America's military history, this book offers a valuable and necessary perspective.