The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights

“And then Dorie Miller, one of the first American heroes of World War II, went back to collecting laundry. He was still just a mess attendant.”

For his bravery and conduct during the attack on Pearl Harbor, Dorie Miller is the first African American to earn a Navy Cross from the US military. In spite of this honor, Dorie Miller is still only allowed to serve as a mess attendant. Such hypocrisy underlines the deep racism that infused the US Navy’s policies.

“This became a pattern with Joe Small. He didn’t go around asking for respect, but he just naturally commanded it. He didn’t ask to be put in leadership roles, but people just naturally turned to him for advice, or to settle disputes, or to speak up to the bosses on their behalf.”

Sheinkin writes this after sharing an anecdote in which Small proves himself while working in the Civilian Conservation Corps. The passage foreshadows the difficulty Small would face during his Naval career. Though Small’s abilities as a leader initially earn him respect from his white Naval officers (including Lieutenant Delucchi), those same skills ultimately convince the Navy that Small has been the orchestrator of the alleged mutiny.

“Absurdly, the military even segregated its blood supply. Military leaders knew there was no difference between the blood of black and white men. They knew it was a waste of time and money to store two separate blood supplies. But that was the tradition, and no one in power wanted to challenge it.”

Sheinkin uses the example of segregating blood to emphasize how “deeply ingrained” the military’s segregationist policies are during World War I (19). As Sheinkin notes, there is no scientific reason to separate the blood of black and white people—a fact with which Naval officers were well aware. However, the Navy remains committed to following segregation regardless of science, as it believes the tradition must be upheld.