Robert M Wade

Patriotism: Red, White, Blue & Sometimes Black Robert M Wade

On May 13, 1970, Bob Wood is drafted into the U. S. Army. Although he didn't admit it to his family, his goal was to help win the war in Vietnam to help stamp out the spread of communism in Asia. However, starting with his trip to the induction station in Memphis, Tennessee, he learns that not everyone shares his belief or his patriotism. His fellow black soldiers look upon him as an Uncle Tom willing to give his life for a constitution that was never meant to include him. His white Noncommissioned Officer supervisors and company Commanders question his motive for wanting to go to Vietnam; saying he was probably seeking revenge. To make matters worse, Bob Wood finds himself torn between being loyal to the army establishment, and fighting the injustice he and his fellow black soldiers experience on a daily basis. While assigned at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, he doesn't help himself or the black soldiers' cause by getting involved with the daughter of the white commander of the United States Army Disciplinary Barracks. Follow Bob Wood's journey from a small town in Lakeview, Arkansas to a world he never knew existed. He joined the military with the hopes and dreams of making a difference. Will he rise above the racism and oppression and stand for his beliefs, or will he conform in order to survive?