Proudly We Served: The Men of the USS Mason by Mary Pat Kelly

From the Publisher

Few Americans know the history-changing story of the USS Mason, a World War II warship manned by an African-American crew that served as a role model for the integration of U.S. Navy ships. At a time when most blacks in the Navy were relegated to mess duties, the crew of the USS Mason escorted six convoys across the perilous North Atlantic, from the weeks leading up to the D-Day invasions until V-E day in 1945. As part of the so-called Hunter-Killer groups that defeated the German U-boats, they helped win the Battle of the Atlantic. Proudly We Served: The Men of the USS Mason tells the story of these brave men and their contributions to the Allied victory. Their success had a direct impact on President Harry S Truman's decision to integrate all of America's armed forces after the war. Recommended in 1944 for a commendation for their heroic actions during a violent storm, the Mason sailors finally received that commendation in 1995, after the publication of this book in hardcover and the release of a companion documentary. The men and ship have been further honored by the Navy's decision to name a new destroyer (DDG 87) after the Mason and propagate its proud heritage into the twenty-first century.

School Library Journal

YA-Up until 1942, admission of black Americans to the U.S. Navy was limited to slots as cooks or waiters. This book tells the story of the USS Mason; all of the positions of enlisted service were held by African Americans and the ship served as a convoy escort on six occasions across the Atlantic during World War II. Kelly presents the early lives and motivations of 10 or 12 of the young sailors and follows them through their enlistment, time in boot camp, getting rated, and selection for duty on the Mason. Thereafter, she details the commissioning, shake down cruise, and convoy action through to the decommissioning at the close of the war. The photographs and actual commentaries of the men; their reminiscences; and letters, diaries, and photographs add immediacy. Their careers to the present are also included. Like the stories of the Civil War black regiments, the Buffalo soldiers, the Tuskegee Airmen, and the like, this account covers a period of history that made great demands on an underrated portion of the citizenry and opened opportunity to full equality.-Frances Reiher, King's Park Library, Burke, VA

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