Since the Civil War, African Americans have formed the back bone of the U.S. Army. From the time that the Army executed President Truman's orders, no other American institution matches the Army in involving African Americans in all phases and levels of the organization. But the path from the Emancipation Proclamation to the full implementation of Truman's Executive Order was certainly a rocky path. It was also a very complex path. On this site we try to offer a few milestones on that road.