When asked about the reasons for his anti-Vietnam War stance, Muhammad Ali responded, “No Viet Cong ever called me ‘nigger’.” I’ve always taken it as meaning black people’s issues were not the concern in that war.

Today, echoes of this are being felt in the offices of Army recruiters around the country. This is because the number of black people signing up for military service has dropped precipitously. In the words of a black veteran of this war, “This is not a black people’s war. This is not a poor people’s war. This is an oilman’s war.”

Since 2000, the Army has seen its percentage of black recruits drop from 23.9 percent in 2000 to 13.9 percent in 2005. This decline seems to fall in line with black opinion on the war. An excerpt from the article tells the tale:

Even today African-Americans by far lead the way in calling the war a mistake. According to Gallup, 85 percent of African Americans say it was a mistake, compared to 53 percent of white Americans. According to Pew, a plurality of white Americans, 49 percent, still say it was the right decision to invade Iraq, compared to 21 percent of African-Americans.

Like I’ve said, thanks to the group in the White House, I will discourage my son from pursuing a military career. I, like most black folks, believe in defending my home. However, I don’t believe in dying to secure oil deals for Exxon, Chevron and Shell.

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