Customer Reviews

What's a Commie Ever Done to Black People? A Korean War Memoir of Fighting in the U.S. Army's Last All Negro Unit

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

"Dear Mr Morrow; I can't express how Korean war memoir, made me feel. My dad was there too (Korea, 1950/51).. Often I've wondered what it was like for him. Sure, he told us all the "funny" things this or that buddy did while the whole thing went on. But he spares us all the gore. So often I've wondered WHY he would awaken in the middle of the night and just sit on the front porch polishing his guns, looking out and and rubbing, rubbing, rubbing that smelly polish over his guns. I told myself it was a "man thing" and it could have well been. But I don't think so. The older I get, the more I'm convinced he hid plenty from us, especially his only daughter, his youngest child. Me.

Thank you for writing the book. I am so happy I purchase a copy, it explained so many things to me, things I could only wonder about. Again thank you for making such knowledge advailable, as painfully as I am sure it must've been for you to relive ".

PS; Your wonderful book serve as is a valuable lession to all,, which is, African American's history can only be told by African Americans..

Peace & Happiness, Sir

A reader in NC.

Many coming of age stories have been written, but rarely from the viewpoint of an African-American soldier, even more rarely from the viewpoint of an enlisted man with only a grade-school education. Morrow joins the US Army at 17 during the Korean War to satisfy his thirst for adventure and demonstrate his patriotism. He volunteers for front line combat in Korea and finds out on arriving that life aint like the movies. We live through his eyes and thoughts as he is forced to kill or be killed. After he is wounded and sent to for rest and recuperation, we also share his experience of wartime romance. However, this is not your usual jingoistic, gung-ho, shoot-em up war story. Morrow also allows us to experience the questions that haunt him as he trudges through the deadly countryside. This is an educational and entertaining book for any reader interested in African-American and/or military history. I would also recommend this book as a gift for a young man or woman as a Rites of Passage present. I am a woman, who does not usually read war stories, but this held my interest and provided an in depth, positive, human account of one mans war experiences. It should be made into a movie. It has all the qualifications: a quest, adventures, and love interest.

When I first saw the title of this book, I was reminded of a TV interview with Muhammed Ali and his opposition to the Vietnam War. "No Viet Cong ever called me Nigger!," said Ali, challenging the cameras as he always did. Even at that young age (I was only in my early teens at the time) I was impressed with the truth of the statement, but I had an annoying voice in the back of my head that kept asking me, 'yeah, but so what.'
Morrows book is a trenchant (pun intended) description of his experiences in Korea both as a soldier and as a black man. Like many soldiers, he felt a need to exorcise the bad memories. This book is his cathartic. Two parts of the book were of special relevance to me.
One was the mixed feelings he had coming back to his home town and being a hero. He felt uncomfortable with being a sort-of military poster boy. He felt he was being used when he spoke to high schools about the Korean War or the War against communism. Especially bothersome was some "little ol' fat lady recruiter" who came up and told him all the publicity had doubled enlistments.
The other was his incongruous remarks about faggots in the personnel department at Fort Leonard Wood. As a reviewer I will brush this aside as an off-the-cuff remark probably not indicative of Morrow's true feelings toward gays (if he has any). But, from the readers standpoint, it is most inconveniently placed smack in the middle of a section where he gets very high on the horse and very outraged about the racism at Fort Leonard Wood and elsewhere. It is awkward, to say the least, to criticize racial stereotypes on the one hand while spewing sexual stereotypes on the other, Mr. Morrow. A soapbox is a risky foundation from which preachers have swiftly fallen countless times. Nonetheless, the issue of gays in the military is a separate issue, best dealt with in other books. Morrows book is a fairly good one, and I enjoyed it.

I also served in the Korean war and the memories I have of the 24th Infantry Regiment, under the condition they fought under, (segregation,racist & etc)they was out standing in combat & bugged out no more then any others combat soldiers, including the almighty marines and that's a fact. In fact when the enemy's incoming firepower is greater then your outgoing fire power, believe me its time to get out of range or stay & die. Or end up a capture. Everyone there knew that when things went bad, it was usually the old 24th RCT, the 65th Porto Rican RCT, or the South Koreans ROK soldiers, or some other non-white combat unit that got the blame. Now here's a well kept secret for you, in reality, the term "Bug out Boogie" originated from the 24th Infantry Division. Shssss, now don't go telling anyone it a well kept secret. But you would've had to be there to know the truth. Or ask anyone that was there at the time. Wars, are nothing like the one's fought in Hollywood

It was very interesting for me to read Mr. Morrow's book. I served in the 24th "Division" and have taken occasional hits from KWVets who confused that with the 24th "Regiment".

I'm just as confused as 24id critics, when I read Mr. Morrow's tale. I mostly remember the reasons why the rest of the army chanted the "Bugout Boogie", whenever they saw a 24th Regiment patch. It starts,

" When the Chinese mortars begin to chug, The ol' deuce-four begin to bug ..."

After this, the chant gets insulting ...

War memoirs are not my customary reading fare, but meeting you was such a pleasure that I was compelled to buy the book and read your words. I was not disappointed. Your honesty is refreshing. Your approach to the subject at hand is forthright and down-to-earth. Your description and analysis of the racism and discrimination that you and your brothers faced is clear and direct. I've shared your book with several friends. Two are women like me who generally don't read anything related to war. Your book opened a door for us and gave us another way of looking at America's past, present, and future. Keep on writing and tellin' it like it is {was}. Your willingness to share yourself in this way, as you tell our story, is appreciated. Your story of the "Buffalo Soldiers'" role in the Korean War, reflects a perspective that is generally ignored in the history books. I can't thank you enough for supplementing those books with some much needed history that won't be forgotten, thanks to your contribution.

Keep on keepin' on!

I think it is wonderful that someone was thoughtful enough to write down a personal experience during a war that was very unpopular at the time. This is recorded history for generations to come. It is a touching story. I urge people to read about our history. It may be one step toward making the world a better place.

I FOUND THE BOOK TO BE AN ENLIGHTENING ACCOUNT OF A YOUNG MAN'S PASSAGE INTO THE WORLD OF REAL WAR DYNAMICS.

MR. MORROW'S ACCOUNT OF HIS ADVENTURES AND HIS ANALYSIS OF "WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING HERE" TOOK ON A HUMOROUS AND A SAD DIMENSION.

AS AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN I FIND HIS OVERVIEW OF "COMMIES" NOT BEING HIS ENEMY TO BE DELIGHTFUL. I SAW IT AS A WAY FOR HIM TO MAKE HIS WAY THROUGH THE CRAZINESS.

WHAT'S A COMMIE EVER DONE...is a must-read for young people. In the book, Morrow is a Job character tested by the horrors of war. The images are graphic and unforgettable. Throughout his spiritual journey, the hero loses his innocence but holds on tenaciously to his humanity. Other soldiers are not so fortunate.

America's image does suffers in the book, but it is hard to deny the truth, and the American military takes no trouble to hide its lack of gratitude and shameful disdain for the service performed by the Black soldier. The author endures this humiliation with a manly pride and makes it clear that his patriotism does not waver. We feel for him and with him as he struggles to keep the faith in the face of his country's betrayal. In spite of a justified bitterness, Morrow remains hopeful that his country will live up to her principles and to her promise of justly rewarding those who have done her a great service. Despite the horrors depicted, this is a! hopeful book. It is a wake-up call to America carrying a very clear messaage that time is running out and that she can no longer continue to take the Black soldier or his loyalty for granted. Morrow's warning is that wartime is a poor time for America to be without honor towards her Black soldiers.

Mr. Morrow's book depicts a side of war that is seldom discussed. The people that were influenced by the influx of troops, the degredation of these people, the lost youths of many cultures touched by war.

We travel with this young black man who thought that war was glamorous until he was actually in the middle of it. We watch him mature and enter his mind as it becomes hardened by injustices not only from the enemy but his own side.

It is well written and entertaining. I enjoyed it and for a woman to enjoy a book about war says something good about the author.