Summary: The military is a microcosm of the society it protects and is thus subject to many of the same tensions experienced by the population at large. As the nation struggled with racism in the '60s and '70s, the Army experienced violence and discrimination in the barracks and in the field. The Army recognized that the organization could not function in this divisive environment and in the late '60s began to address racism and racial identity. Beth Bailey's new book, "An Army Afire: How the US Army Confronted Its Racial Crisis in the Vietnam Era," chronicles the efforts that succeeded and those that failed. She's in the studio with podcast host Ron Granieri to explain how "seeing only OD" was an earnest yet flawed approach.
