I want to set the record straight. When I came into the service I realized fully well that the army was segregated and that the leaders of the army were all from the South. They had their set policies and one man coming into the Army couldn’t change those policies, so what the use of me fighting it? When I have to train 197 men and hope that they would take the objectives—push the enemy off—and I would try to save as many as possible so they could come back home, I didn’t have time to be worried about segregation. And the Army treated me very well. I hear a lot of people telling the story about the Army and so forth, but I was treated very well. I’ve had people approach me and wanted me to make comments concerning senior officers in the army and what prejudice I ran into. The Army treated me very well. The Army gave me an education. They gave me an opportunity. I was recognized. I was promoted on the spot from second lieutenant to first lieutenant. I had the only black company in my combat team. I think the Army was the best thing that ever happened to me.

That’s like when I returned [from WWII] and came back to the States. I was at Fort Bragg as the Special Staff Officer. I was the S-3 of the first student training regiment. The white officers were at separate tables and black officers came in and just sat down [separately], so we had to have a big meeting [about] what the troubles were. What was up with the black officers—this and that. I listened to what [Colonel Miller] had to say and I waited until every one had had their opportunity to speak. And I told him: “Well I don’t know about any conversations between whites and blacks.” And I said: “But I’ll tell you one thing, Colonel. Before you make a decision, when I was overseas in combat there was no discrimination. The decision you’re about to make now you think about it before you make it. Because if you make the wrong decision I’m going to fight you with the same determination, I fought the enemy on the field of combat. The same enemy that tried to take my life, I’m going to fight you with the same determination.” So, Colonel Miller made a decision that officers will not be seated according to race, rank, or position. In other words, in some battalions, the officers were seated by battalions. Then they’re seated by rank. You follow me? So, he made a decision that everyone would be seated just as they came into the mess hall.

I would get there [the mess hall] early in the morning and some of the white officers would see me at the table and they wouldn’t even want to come in there to sit down. So what the hell? They could go out there and drill all the damn day without a meal. I’d be the first one there and the last one to leave. I didn’t give a damn. You follow me?

And I didn’t think anybody was going to approach me because they knew my combat record and knew perhaps I would kill them. So, they didn’t want to bother with me. That man? Don’t bother Montgomery, man! That man’s crazy! Goddamn he’ll shoot you! So, nobody bothered me. I didn’t have any trouble in the Army. I got along fine.

When Truman put out his order [EO 9981], now I’m going to tell you because I was a witness to this. He put the order out in ’48. In 1952, I was Assistant Chief of Staff for Training, Operations, and Flags for the 43rd Infantry Division. My commanding drill was a major general. . . . He called a meeting of the entire staff and I was the only black member on the general corps staff. I wore stars, which I could show you. He stated that he had just received word on an executive order; they call it DP orders, Direction of the President. He said that the Division will be completely integrated by retreat that day [when the flag comes down on a military base].

And all of a sudden from my staff office where you can look out on the parade ground and the helicopter pad for the general army, you can see these helicopters coming in and landing just about every three minutes. And every one of them had black troops on it. They were bringing the black troops from . . . from Stuttgart . . . all over Germany, to bring them in, integrating that division. That division was completely integrated by retreat, which was five o’clock that day. That means, like I told you, they were dragging their feet from ’48 but when the President put out that DP order that he wanted it by this date, it was completed. You follow me? I was a part of that; I was the only black general staff corps when they integrated the 43rd division.

After that, when we had the formal spring military ball, my wife [Helen Montgomery] experienced integration. They line up by rank at the ball. Here’s the ballroom and they line up according to grade. I was standing over to the side by my wife and the general and his wife came in. He had the deputy commander behind him and he had the artillery commander behind him. The general was supposed to go right in and get them all in the line according to rank, but he didn’t. The general took the other officers with their ladies and walked all the way across that ballroom where I was standing with my wife. The general said: “Major, I’d like for you to introduce Mrs. Montgomery to the officers of my division.” In other words, that was a signal to all of the officers in there: “Look, I brought this black officer in here and he’s the only one on my staff. Goddamn don’t give him a hard way to go.” That was the signal. He walked all the way across that floor. And I hadn’t any trouble after that.

Source: Harold “Monty” Montgomery, oral history interview by Maggi M. Morehouse, Washington, DC, 1997.