This, he thought, would help foster among black troops “a definite feeling that they are contributing to the combat effort.” The aggressive commander of the new Combat Support Wing, Col. George S. Grubb, weeded out seventy-five incompetent and racist white officers, upgraded base recreational facilities, and began using racially mixed MP patrols. Morale and performance improved markedly and both court-martial and VD rates dropped dramatically. Like Eaker, Grubb, who was white, believed that most racial incidents were “provoked by white troops,” and that “in general, negro troops are more
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