"He had been told that the Negroes coming over in the Army had been let out of cages and they had tails, and he wanted to satisfy his curiosity." (Video Interview, 24:50)

Pearle W. Mack, Jr.

Pearle Mack [detail from video] War: World War II, 1939-1946; Korean War, 1950-1955; Vietnam War, 1961-1975 Branch: Army Service Location: United States; European Theater; also: United States; Southeast Asia Rank: Major Place of Birth: Topeka, KS

When Pearle Mack tried to enlist on December 8, 1941 and was rebuffed by a racist recruiter, that didn't stop him from launching an Army career that took him through three wars. Whether providing logistical support for Patton in World War II, running a transportation outfit in the frozen wastes of Korea, or serving as an intelligence officer in Vietnam, Mack kept his cool in the face of further insults and rose through the ranks. What he learned in his last tour of wartime duty was that the herbicide Agent Orange doesn't discriminate among soldiers.