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Where have all the black soldiers gone? African-Americans not in Eastwood's new WWII film
The Guardian (UK) ^ | October 21, 2006 | Dan Glaister

Posted on 10/22/2006 2:41:18 PM PDT by EveningStar

On February 19 1945 Thomas McPhatter found himself on a landing craft heading toward the beach on Iwo Jima...

Sadly, Sgt McPhatter's experience is not mirrored in Flags of Our Fathers, Clint Eastwood's big-budget, Oscar-tipped film of the battle for the Japanese island that opened on Friday in the US. While the film's battle scenes show scores of young soldiers in combat, none of them are African-American. Yet almost 900 African-American troops took part in the battle of Iwo Jima, including Sgt McPhatter...

(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: blackhistory; clinteastwood; flagsofourfathers; history; iwojima; point008percent; racism; wwii
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1 posted on 10/22/2006 2:41:20 PM PDT by EveningStar
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To: Howlin; onyx; Clemenza; Petronski; GummyIII; SevenofNine; martin_fierro; veronica; Xenalyte; ...

Misc ping list


2 posted on 10/22/2006 2:42:17 PM PDT by EveningStar
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To: EveningStar

It would be really funny if Clint Eastwood and the leftist jerk he hired to write the script did a really slimy left-wing hit job on one of our most precious national icons, the flag-raising at Iwo Jima and the courage and sacrifice it represents, and then all the leftists jump on him because he forgot to include pictures of the black troops.

The more I hear about this movie, the less I am inclined to go see it.


3 posted on 10/22/2006 2:46:22 PM PDT by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: EveningStar
Segregated units would mean focusing on more than one platoon, difficult to do with the source material and in the span of a 2.5 hour movie.

The current generation(s) (other than history buffs), has no interest in war movies, especially WWII films (Saving Private Ryan being the last hurrah for this genre), no matter how patriotic. This is why this film is tanking at the box office (and its young people who drive ticket sales).

BTW: Best movies out right now are the Departed and The Last King of Scotland

4 posted on 10/22/2006 2:49:24 PM PDT by Clemenza (Why live anymore?)
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To: EveningStar
There's something wrong with Eastwood.

His last boxing movie was horrible.

And I couldn't stand Mystic River. Ugh.

Unforgiven was OK, but I don't know why he's heralded as a great director. Most of his stuff is liberal schlok IMO.

5 posted on 10/22/2006 2:54:28 PM PDT by Siena Dreaming
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To: Clemenza
I heard The Departed was extremely crude.

I was looking forward to The Guardian but it was too full of cookie-cutter stereotypes to be a good flick.

6 posted on 10/22/2006 2:56:07 PM PDT by Siena Dreaming
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To: Clemenza

History shows that the armed forces in WWII were segregated and the majority of blacks in that time were not allowed to fight. They were delegated to mess stewards and manual labor units. The armed services were not desegregated until 1946 when Truman did so under executive order. Even then, it took time to complete.


7 posted on 10/22/2006 2:56:46 PM PDT by DownInFlames
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To: EveningStar

There were about 6 or 7 Black Soldiers or Marines listening to the pre-invasion briefing on the ship scene, but only seen then and no other time.


8 posted on 10/22/2006 2:56:50 PM PDT by RaceBannon (Innocent until proven guilty: The Pendleton 8)
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To: EveningStar
We must have equality and quotas in movies to represent minorities! /alittlesarc

Seriously, one would think he would cast an accurate representation of the people who were there.
9 posted on 10/22/2006 2:57:21 PM PDT by KoRn
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To: EveningStar

Is this film good, or is it PC?


10 posted on 10/22/2006 2:58:25 PM PDT by Howlin (Why Won't Nancy Pelosi Let Louis Freeh Investigate the Page Scandal?)
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To: DownInFlames

In some of the videos of Iwo, some Black soldiers were interviewed. They drove the DUKW, the transport.


11 posted on 10/22/2006 2:58:25 PM PDT by RaceBannon (Innocent until proven guilty: The Pendleton 8)
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To: Cicero
The more I hear about this movie, the less I am inclined to go see it.

Amen!

12 posted on 10/22/2006 2:59:39 PM PDT by Petronski (CNN is an insidiously treasonous, enemy propaganda organ.)
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To: RaceBannon

Race, what did you think of the film?


13 posted on 10/22/2006 2:59:59 PM PDT by Howlin (Why Won't Nancy Pelosi Let Louis Freeh Investigate the Page Scandal?)
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To: Howlin

The film was certainly not pro-Japan as I heard it was earlier, but it seemed to over emphasize the anti AMerican Indian sentiment.

We DID call any Marine who was an Indian, CHIEF, but it was always a nickname of respect, like an unwritten rule, but we never called his women squaw.


14 posted on 10/22/2006 3:00:01 PM PDT by RaceBannon (Innocent until proven guilty: The Pendleton 8)
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To: RaceBannon

I didn't see the movie. I had to abbreviate the title in order to fit it into the field. The full title reads: "Where have all the black soldiers gone? African-Americans written out of Pacific war in Clint Eastwood's new film, veterans say"


15 posted on 10/22/2006 3:00:22 PM PDT by EveningStar
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To: EveningStar
Sixty years ago today [February 19, 1945], more than 110,000 Americans and 880 ships began their assault on a small volcanic island in the Pacific, in the climactic battle of the last year of World War II.

900 out of 110,000. Leftist Brits are a crowd of sniveling nitpicking racist Muzzie-appeasing PCers.

Maybe we could round them up and donate them to al-Qaeda for the newest rounds of Internet snuff flicks. I'm sure their PC attitudes would save them from the jihadists...

***snicker***

16 posted on 10/22/2006 3:01:31 PM PDT by an amused spectator (Hezbollah: Habitat for Humanity with an attitude)
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To: Howlin

Have no idea. Have not seen it and don't plan to. Both Richard Roeper (flaming lib) and Michael Medved (conservative) have given it high marks. Not everyone has.


17 posted on 10/22/2006 3:02:46 PM PDT by EveningStar
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To: DownInFlames

>History shows that the armed forces in WWII were segregated and the majority of blacks in that time were not allowed to fight.

That's pretty much what my Dad told me. He fought in WWII in Sicily, Italy and France in the 3rd Infantry Division. He earned two bronze stars and several unit citations. He said black soldiers would mock them when they headed out to battle.


18 posted on 10/22/2006 3:02:46 PM PDT by CAWats (And I will make no distinction between the terrorists and the Democrats)
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To: RaceBannon
We DID call any Marine who was an Indian, CHIEF

Get caught crossing your arms more than once... and someone will call you chief.

19 posted on 10/22/2006 3:05:26 PM PDT by johnny7 (“And what's Fonzie like? Come on Yolanda... what's Fonzie like?!”)
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To: EveningStar
Not having seen the movie and not sure I will.
But, Ira Hayes was a study in culture/race contrasts of that period. I don't think the intent of the film was to shoe horn a second layer of self analysis on top of the one that lies near center of the story.

Besides, I'm still mad that someone in Hollyweird stuck a token Moor into a perfectly good Robin Hood movie a few years back.

20 posted on 10/22/2006 3:06:01 PM PDT by norton
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