1944 – The U.S. Army began desegregating its training camp facilities. Black platoons were then assigned to white companies in the first step toward battlefield integration.

However, the official order integrating the armed forces didn’t come until July 26, 1948, signed by President Harry Truman.

Executive Order 9981 is an executive order issued on July 26, 1948, by President Harry S. Truman. It abolished discrimination “on the basis of race, color, religion or national origin” in the United States Armed Forces. The executive order led to the end of segregation in the services during the Korean War (1950-1953).^[1]