We always talk about the soldiers who helped us through WWI and WWII, but Britain’s troops weren’t all from Britain, and the US’s troops weren’t just white people. This article is about those soldiers who died but were not recognized. Their stories deserve to be told.
Almost everyone knows about the two World Wars. They know about Franz Ferdinand, Austria-Hungary, and the weapons used in both. There are two big powers everyone knows about: the United States and the United Kingdom.
As a self-proclaimed history geek, I have an innate fascination with war. That’s why it shocked me in 6th grade that Sikhs (people who belong to the religion of Sikhism) fought in WWI. See, these were people from my country, not the United States—from the culture I belong to.
Two weeks ago, I was talking to my friend about how culture—particularly Indian culture—is appropriated by those who shame the very same culture they attempt to imitate. This reminded me of how people of color, despite being forced to fight for their countries, were shamed both before and after the World Wars. I was furious.
I believe that we should acknowledge those who fought for us.
According to BBC, Indian Sikhs started coming to the Western Front in about 1914—3 years before the US even joined the war. They fought bravely in the Battle of Ypres, and were known for their courage and strength. This pure bravery and fortitude shown is something that we should include in our history, even if it is only a single page in Global History textbooks. Unfortunately, just like in most colonies by Britain, the Indian Sikhs were used by their rulers for war and even had martial law enforced on Punjab, which caused the Amritsar massacre [1].
Even in general, 1.3 million Indian people were sent to fight, according to BBC. The trenches we talk about so badly today? Indians were the first victims to experience the horrors of the dank, deep, and purely filthy trenches [2].
But these horrors weren’t just experienced by the Sikhs. The system inequalities in historical representation also occurred in the U.S.
In fact, black people fought in both World Wars. This is told in our textbooks, but there is not as much context or information given. On the U.S. Army website, more than 2.5 million African American men registered for the draft. Many African American women volunteered. And if we add up all those numbers—along with the amount of Black women drafted into the Women’s Army Corps [3]—that is an incredible amount of people who were committed to fighting for their country.
Not only that, they had to fight for equality outside of military spaces. Although it was insured by the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments, Jim Crow laws kept Black people from voting in some places, particularly the South, and harassed them for living a normal life like everyone else.
Even Native Americans in the USA had to deal with that problem. After being erased due to “ethnic cleansing” and the so-called “Manifest Destiny” prophecy, they were a huge part of WWII, which Nathan Aaseng details in his 1992 novel, Navajo Code Talkers. Comanche code talkers assisted in the D-Day invasion of Nazi-invaded France and participated in many of the campaigns, which crushed the Third Reich. Their code was never cracked [4].
One question hangs in the air. Why were people of color treated with the closest thing to actual rights and respect when they had to enlist, but not before or after that?
This is the question I was seeking the answer for. In the process of writing this article, I came to a grim realization. While enlisting in the military gave soldiers of color an opportunity to be somewhat respected, it didn’t erase the systemic inequalities that were baked into the country at the time. It did not erase the perpetual hatred.
Imagine having no rights enshrined by law. Imagine the rights that were guaranteed by amendments being completely unenforced. Imagine not getting treated like the human you are, having to deal with inferior conditions, and being dehumanized on a daily basis. Imagine being erased from history because your government decided, after years of fighting and falling, that you were not white enough.
It was a terrible experience. And the fact that history textbooks don’t mention that—not even once—is deplorable.
Another question probably lies on the tip of your tongue. Why? Why would they neglect to include that in textbooks?
Well, before you go calling the textbook publishing companies, trying to cancel them, just remember: Why would they not put it in if there was barely a mention of it in history?
The point stands. These people, who live in countries or country-occupied territories, countries that now advertise equality for their own citizens, or at least the ones who are white enough—never get a chance to be in the textbook.
I finish this article with one question: If these people were not pushed down the way they were, do you think they’d have a page in our history textbooks today?
Sources:
Why the Indian soldiers of WW1 were forgotten – BBC News [1]
What was the contribution of Indian Sikhs in World War One? – BBC Teach [2[
Honoring World War II Service to the Nation | Article | The United States Army [3]