Published May 20, 2010
By the Tri-City Herald editorial staff
“Not only riveting, On American Soil is also essential reading for anyone concerned about the delicate balance between national security and individual rights.”
That’s what James Bradley, author of Flags of Our Fathers, had to say about Seattle journalist Jack Hamann’s account of a little-known chapter in military history.
How we manage that balancing act in post-911 America will define us as a nation. Everyone ought to be concerned.
Hamann talks about his book tonight at Columbia Basin College. The lecture, “Speaking Truth to Power: Modern Lessons from an Historic Injustice,” is at 7 p.m. on the HUB mainstage.
Herald reporter Loretto Hulse’s story inside today’s Mid-Columbia section provides more details about Hamann’s investigation into the court-martial of 43 African American soldiers at Seattle’s Fort Lewis during World War II.
Hamann’s book won critical acclaim. More importantly, it won a belated verdict reversal for a group of Americans charged with rioting and lynching an Italian prisoner of war.
Consider this a nudge toward the Pasco campus for tonight’s talk, part of the Mid-Columbia Literary Festival. Hamann’s impressive historical work offers important lessons for today.
Additional news stories can be accessed online at the Tri-City Herald.