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Collection Veterans History Project Collection

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Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • Service History Note: The veteran served as the commanding general of the 25th Infantry Division from 1974 to 1976.
  • War or Conflict: Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Korean War, 1950-1953
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Unit of Service: 2nd Battalion, 40th Artillery, 199th Infantry Brigade (Light); Office of Assistant Chief of Staff; 72nd Field Artillery Group; Army Director of Equal Opportunity Programs; 2nd Infantry Division; Quartermaster Corps
  • Location of Service: Fort Dix, New Jersey; Japan; Korea; Fort Riley, Kansas; Fort Sill, Oklahoma; Fort Benning, Georgia; Syracuse, New York; Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; Vietnam; Washington, DC; Carlisle, Pennsylvania; Wertheim, Germany; Korea; Hawaii
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant; Major General

View full service history

“We were the first in almost everything we did…” (Oral history interview, 23:10)

Over the course of his nearly thirty years in the Army, Major General Harry W. Brooks saw dramatic shifts in the landscape of opportunities available to African American soldiers. Enlisting in 1947, he was sent to Fort Dix to serve with the all-black 365th Infantry Division. Following service in Japan during the Korean War as part of an integrated unit, and combat in Vietnam, he was assigned to the Pentagon to oversee Army race relations and diversity programs. In his oral history interview, he emphasizes the importance of discipline and mentoring in the development of military leaders. In 1974, Brooks was promoted to major general, making him only the sixth African American flag officer in the Army. His collection includes a photograph album that narrates his experiences in Vietnam.

More Resources

View 12 images in sequence.
[ Biographical sketch ]
View 23 images in sequence.
[ Photo Album of Harry W. Brooks Jr./2nd Battalion, 40th Artillery ]

About this Item

Title

  • Harry William Brooks, Jr. Collection

Names

  • Waterhouse, Aletta
  • Brooks Jr., Harry William
  • McCarthy, Stephen
  • Anthony Calabro
  • SCA-TV

State of Birth

  • IN

Home State

  • NV

Headings

  • -  Brooks Jr., Harry William
  • -  Korean War, 1950-1953 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.
  • -  Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Race

  • Black or African American

Status

  • Veteran

Service History

  • Korean War, 1950-1953

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Unit of Service: Quartermaster Corps
    • Location of Service: Fort Dix, New Jersey; Japan; Korea; Fort Riley, Kansas; Fort Sill, Oklahoma; Fort Benning, Georgia; Syracuse, New York; Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
    • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
    • Dates of Service: 1947-1976
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: Veteran

  • Vietnam War, 1961-1975

    • Service History Note: The veteran served as the commanding general of the 25th Infantry Division from 1974 to 1976.
    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Unit of Service: 2nd Battalion, 40th Artillery, 199th Infantry Brigade (Light); Office of Assistant Chief of Staff; 72nd Field Artillery Group; Army Director of Equal Opportunity Programs; 2nd Infantry Division
    • Location of Service: Vietnam; Washington, DC; Carlisle, Pennsylvania; Wertheim, Germany; Korea; Hawaii
    • Highest Rank: Major General
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: Veteran

Materials

  • Photograph: Photocopy of photographic print [1 item] -- Portrait (collected 1976)
  • Manuscript: Biographical information [2 items] -- Typewritten document (collected 2004)
  • Photograph: Original photographic print [69 items] -- Photograph (collected 1967 - 1969)
  • Video: DVD [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 04/05/2012)
  • Video: DVD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 04/05/2012)
  • Manuscript: Biographical information [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 08/31/2017)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/88899

Cite as

  • Harry William Brooks, Jr. Collection (AFC/2001/001/88899), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • image
  • video

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/xxxx), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Waterhouse, Aletta, Harry William Brooks Jr, Stephen McCarthy, Anthony Calabro, and Sca-Tv. Harry William Brooks, Jr. Collection. 1947. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.88899/.

APA citation style:

Waterhouse, A., Brooks Jr, H. W., McCarthy, S., Anthony Calabro & Sca-Tv. (1947) Harry William Brooks, Jr. Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.88899/.

MLA citation style:

Waterhouse, Aletta, et al. Harry William Brooks, Jr. Collection. 1947. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.88899/>.