Just as many men did, the men of the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion played a crucial role in the allied invasion of Europe on June 6, 1944. The difference was, the men from the 320th were black and what they did on D-Day was largely unacknowledged.

A new book changes that and also paints a vivid picture of the racism black troops faces in the military during World War II. Here & Now’s Peter O’Dowd speaks with Linda Hervieux, author of “Forgotten: The Untold Story of D-Day’s Black Heroes, At Home And At War.”

Book Excerpt: ‘Forgotten’

by Linda Hervieux

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