On July 26, 1948 President Harry Truman signed Executive Order 9981, designed to eliminate racial discrimination in the armed forces. The order declared it, "to be the policy of the President that there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion or national origin."

But the President didn’t stop with just the Armed Forces. He also signed EO 9980 which created the Fair Employment Board to eliminate discrimination in federal employment as well.

The 60th anniversary of those orders represents a significant milestone in the history of the military and our nation. It opened the doors of opportunity not only for African-Americans, but for people from all races, creeds and colors, and set the stage for the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

This month Soldiers, Department of the Army civilians, and Army families celebrate the 60th anniversary of these historic events that helped make America's Army what it is today—a force of diversity, opportunity and strength.

A diverse workforce strengthens the Army by providing different perspectives and solutions to work-related challenges.

"Integrating the Army 60 years ago was the first step toward creating the more diverse force that we are today," said Lt. Gen. Michael Rochelle, the Deputy Chief of Staff G-1. "Diversity brings together innovation, tremendous talents, and superb leadership. It delivers a team remarkably greater than the sum of its parts. Diversity is a national security issue, and we have more work in front of us."

Diversity is a broader, more global concept than those executive orders originally addressed and today history shows them as the first steps for the Army to lead its troops down a path from "Integration" to "Inclusion," a fact that Sgt Maj. of the Army Kenneth Preston said has made the Army as strong as it is.

"We are not the greatest Army in the world because we are white or black, but because we reflect the faces of our society," Preston said. "You learn early on that people can either be successful or not based on their abilities, willingness to make personal sacrifices and their commitment to the team."

Army leadership manages and promotes diversity by creating and maintaining an inclusive environment where individual attributes are accepted, understood, and valued. In this environment Soldiers and Army civilians are inspired to be culturally astute, agile, and adaptive public servants.

Gen. Creighton Abrams once said "People are not in the Army. They are the Army." Today’s Army is an intelligent, diverse Army that reflects the people who serve in it—a fact of which he would be proud.

To learn more about this special anniversary, visit the
Army News Service site.