Published May 20, 2010<\/SPAN> “Not only riveting, On American Soil is also essential reading for anyone concerned about the delicate balance between national security and individual rights.”<\/P> That’s what James Bradley, author of Flags of Our Fathers<\/EM>, had to say about Seattle journalist Jack Hamann’s account of a little-known chapter in military history.<\/P> How we manage that balancing act in post-911 America will define us as a nation. Everyone ought to be concerned.<\/P> 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.<\/P> 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.<\/P> 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.<\/P> 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.<\/P>
By the Tri-City Herald editorial staff<\/P>