Are Americans REALLY this ignorant?

So I was reading the comments on the video of Obama meeting the troops that's on YouTube, and some of the comments on the Huffington Post under the article with the pictures from Obama's trip to the Middle East, and I am amazed at the ignorance of some of the people that are posting there. People are actually acting like Obama being well-recieved by excited troops is irrelevant because those troops were black, and that he wouldn't get the same reaction from white troops. Some even seem to believe that Obama's campaign specifically asked for only Black people to be in the Army that day so Obama wouldn't have to worry about a salty greeting. The ignorance of these people amazes me.

Here's some of the idiocy I'm talking about:

lol, all of the troops here are black

its common knowledge that most soldiers support McCain

I don't understand why these troops look different than a normal sample of troops.

why can't white people be there too!

exactly, stupid liberals are going to pimp this video as proof that our military supports obama, when its just black military, and we all know black people are 90%+ for obama anyway.

is it me or the US army is 80% black

All of that focus on the color of the soldier's skin. Some people think the fact that there are so many minorities in the Army is the reason McCain was against the GI Bill. I won't go that far, but it did make me wonder. . .

And here's a comment that I really liked:

Black Americans have been serving this country from the begining! Crispus Attucks was among the first people to fall in the American Revolution. Then you get these people who just got off the boat yesterday turning their noses up at us: questioning our "patriotism". Please read your history. We had to fight to fight. It's sad because this country has never reciprocated our devotion. This in no way diminishes the sacrifices of our fellow white citizens. No working class person in this country is living on a flowery bed of ease. But I'm saddened because white people are so amazed! That's alright. There's always something to learn. Hey - check out the number of black women who are laying their lives on the line. My sisters look great and I am proud of these American women.

African Americans are not a small insignificant part of the U.S. military and they never have been. African Americans have been fighting in wars for America since before the Civil War. I suppose our media is to blame for this ignorance since when the traditional corporate media talks about the military you usually see a picture of a bunch of white people. So in an effort to combat some of this ignorance, I did a little research and can show you that Black people have been fighting in America's Wars, before America as "America." The way certain people in our media act, you'd think Black people didn't also love this country enough to protect it. In fact, I'm African American and my father is a vet as well as one of my Uncles.

French and Indian War (1756-63) - British colonists and soldiers in America were aided by blacks who served as scouts, laborers and wagoneers in militias.

Revolutionary War(1775-1783) - An estimated 5,000 black slaves and freedmen fought in the Continental army, navy and militia during the war, including Salem Poor, who battled at Bunker Hill.

War of 1812 - Black sailors represented 10 percent to 15 percent of U.S. Navy crews. Two battalions of 430 black soldiers fought with Gen. Andrew Jacksonin the Battle of New Orleans in 1815.

Mexican-American War (1846) - About 1,000 black sailors served on U.S. ships blockading ports during the war.

Civil War (1861-1865) - Some 235,000 black soldiers and 30,000 black sailors fought in at least 450 battles for the Union. There were 68,000 casualties (including 37,000 killed); 23 Congressional Medals of Honorwere awarded.

Indian Campaigns (1866-1890) - Soldiers of the all-black 9th and 10th Cavalry who fought out West during the Indian Campaigns became known as the "Buffalo Soldiers."

Spanish-American War(1898) - Twenty-two black sailors went down with the rest of the crew on the U.S. battleship Maine. Buffalo Soldiers were beside future President Theodore Roosevelt and his Rough Riders during the famed charge up San Juan Hill. Blacks were awarded six Medals of Honor during that conflict.

World War I (1914-1918) - About 10 percent of the 400,000 blacks in the military served in front-line units, including the all-black 369th Infantry Regiment, the "Harlem Hellfighters." The unit lost almost a third of its soldiers in combat.

World War II (1939-1945) - Some 2.5 million blacks registered for military service during the war and 1 million served, including 695,000 in the Army and 19,000 Marines. Dorie Miller, who shot down six Japanese planes at Pearl Harbor, was among 167,000 black sailors in the Navy. The all-black 99th Fighter Squadron and 332nd Fighter Group, collectively known as the Tuskegee Airmen, fought in Europe. There were about 4,600 black women in uniform.

Korean War(1950-1953) - In 1948, President Truman issued Executive Order 9981, integrating U.S. armed forces. Five years later, during the war, blacks represented 13 percent of all U.S. forces; 40 percent of that number in combat units. There were 3,100 blacks killed (8.4 percent of the total), and two soldiers awarded Medals of Honor.

Vietnam War(1961-73) - Blacks represented nearly 10 percent of all active-duty military personnel, and suffered 12.4 percent of the combat deaths. Among 20 black soldiers and Marines awarded Medals of Honorwas Army Sgt. Donald Long, 27, of Blackfork, Ohio, who threw himself on a grenade to save eight of his comrades.

Persian Gulf War (1990-91) - Nearly 20 percent of all U.S. armed forces were black, as were 24 percent (104,000) of the service personnel sent to the conflict - suffering 17 percent of the combat casualties. Colin Powellbecame a household name as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, overseeing the American military effort.

Iraqi War(2003-present). Blacks represent 21 percent of enlisted personnel, 8 percent of officers and 15 percent of combat troops. Some 46 percent of enlisted women are black. When the combat death toll recently hit 1,350, some 153 blacks were included. (Muzikal Note: Obviously this number is outdated, but I can't find more recent data)

Source

Yes, there are other races in Iraq and they are fighting and dying along with the white soldiers:

U.S. Troop Casualties - 4,122 US troops; 98% male. 90% non-officers; 80% active duty, 12% National Guard; 74% Caucasian, 10% African-American, 11% Latino. 18% killed by non-hostile causes. 51% of US casualties were under 25 years old. 70% were from the US Army

The fact that ignorant people on those sites that actually were brave (or dumb) enough to show their ignorance to the world don't know that there are a lot of Black people in the military, and that they aren't just there as a way to get out of jail, is terrible. Black people have been helping build this country up in every way since before its inception. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, had it not been for Obama's candidacy, I'd have no idea there were as many African American pundits out there as there are, and I have a sneaking suspicion that a lot of them are on TV simply because of Senator Obama. But I digress, I'm really sick of this notion that white people are the only ones who can love and serve in this country. I have never heard the word "patriotism" so much in my life. IN the last 6 months I have heard "patriotism" more than the other 24 years of my life cobmined. It's really sad that in this day and age people can have their patriotism questioned simply because of the color of his or her skin, or the type of his or her religion. It's 2008, we should be beyond this crap by now.

You can find more information about African Americans in the military here.