Morgan Freeman on the ‘overlooked’ black WWII tank unit that fought Nazis

nypost.com:

Freeman, 86, told The Post. “But somewhere in my early teens it occurred to me, well, that’s fine, but where am I in this? I don’t see any representation of me and, when I did, I didn’t appreciate it as much.“The biggest [black] stars of my time were Mantan Moreland, Willie Best and Stepin Fetchit.”Freeman, who says in “761st Tank Battalion” that he’s “been chasing this story forever,” is an executive producer of the intensely researched two-hour documentary, which traces the history of the first black tank unit to serve in combat during World War II –– fighting the Nazis in France and, as part of the 71st Infantry Division, helping liberate the Mauthausen Nazi concentration camp in the closing days of the war.“History tends to overlook this,” said Freeman, who hosts the documentary and interviews Robert Andry, a 98-year-old survivor of the 761st Tank Battalion, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd J.

Austin III (among others) to talk about the battalion’s bravery and sacrifice.“When we get up to where we are now, American history is American history and then you have black history, which I resent,” Freeman said. “I resent it greatly.

I don’t even want to be called African-American because I’m not African — and haven’t been for many generations. This story we’re telling is one of glory, accomplishment, courage — all things that you can think of that sets humans apart from the ordinary.“Going into battle killing, and being killed is not normal,” said Freeman, who served in the US Air Force from 1955-1959.