Rapid Review - On American Soil

On American Soil: How Justice Became A Casualty Of World War II by Jack Hamann. I can't remember where I got the recommendation to read this book (probably The Daily Show), but I put it on hold at the library immediately and it took awhile to get to me. Once I got into it, I was pulled into a history that I recognized... but from an entirely different point of view. This book took me into a different Seattle of WWII than I'd read about before, and was eye-opening in many more ways than one.

The book starts out as a historical detective story, as Hamann explains how he got interested in the story and how he researched it... and how he learned that most of his previous conclusions were completely wrong. Then Hamann sets the scene for the reader, giving a lot of background information about the times and the people involved in the drama. If I have any complaint, it's that there are too many main characters... but this is real life and Hamann made the choice to tell as much of the truth as he could.

The setting... a coldly racist military and a surprisingly racist Seattle, is hard for me to accept. And yet, I've seen the same attitudes around me all my life, if considerably muted thanks to progress. Knowing that this shameful piece of history happened in my hometown gave me a deep feeling of disgrace. Despite that, I have to thank Hamann for exposing it. The truth is good, even when it hurts like this book does.

After setting the background, he shows us what happened that night, August 14, 1944, when a riot at Fort Lawton resulted in one death and the biggest court martial of the war. Hamann sticks to the facts, he makes it clear throughout that there was so much confusion that night that proving any one person guilty of being involved should have been next to impossible. The storytelling through this section is plain and simple, but gives the reader plenty of information.

Next we get the army's classified investigation into the incident, which came far closer to what might be the truth than the upcoming court martial. This was my favorite section of the book, as Brigadier General Elliot Cooke makes for a good lead, and peering into the past through Hamann's eyes it's hard to not wish that he'd been in charge of the impending court martial against the black soldiers.

The book turns into a courtroom drama next, and that's how it finishes, with a completely unsatisfying verdict (hey, you wanted a happy ending, find a book with a different title!) that should make the modern reader growl in shame and anger. I suppose it's lucky that none of the men found guilty served out their full time, though the story of Luther Larkin is nearly enough to make you cry, as Fate simply wouldn't let the man have a good life.

Hamann does not claim to know who was guilty of the murder of the Italian POW, but he makes it clear who he thinks is guilty, as the man in question had the motive, the means, and the attitude for it. Hamann finishes the book by bringing us up to date on the fates of all the men involved in the trial. I just wish there was more of a sense of closing, as almost none of the men accused of rioting and murder truly got justice in the end, not the guilty and certainly not the innocent.

This book was an excellent read, and a compelling part of history that should not be forgotten. I recommend it to anyone with an interest in history, racism in the military, or WWII Italian prisoners of war.