How a Soldier’s Beating Helped Desegregate the Military
In 1946, a Black Army veteran was returning from World War II when a white police officer pulled him off a Greyhound bus and beat him blind. The details were fuzzy. No one was sure about the identity of the police officer. […]
In 1946, a Black Army veteran named Isaac Woodard returned from World War II and was brutally beaten by a white police officer on a Greyhound bus. The incident left Woodard blind and disoriented, with no clear recollection of the location or the officer's identity. Radio host Orson Welles heard about the disturbing event and embarked on a mission to identify the perpetrator.
Welles labeled the officer as "Officer X" in his Sunday evening program, urging him to listen and addressing the issue directly. "Officer X, I'm talking to you. Wash your hands. Scrub and scour, you won't blot out the blood of a blinded war veteran."
The episode of Reveal, featuring Radio Diaries, delves into Woodard's harrowing tale, from his beating to the subsequent outrage that ultimately led to the desegregation of the military. To gain insight into the experiences of Black servicemembers today, the podcast also interviews Kyle Bibby, a Marine Corps veteran and co-founder of the Black Veterans Project.
Written by urgent.news from Mother Jones's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
