Table Of Content“MARV TRUHE TRANSCENDS MILITARY HISTORY AND LEGAL A
DRAMA. This book goes beyond the strategies that shaped the Vietnam War or EXACERBATED BY CRAMPED
the courtrooms that determined individual sailors’ destinies. Truhe delivers a com- G QUARTERS AND EXHAUSTION
pelling blow-by-blow account of events both on the Kitty Hawk and after—and in
DUE TO THE STRESS OF THE
so doing, he crafts a powerful testimony to the American struggle for justice itself.” A
VIETNAM WAR, SIMMERING
—TED KEMP, coauthor of The Ragged Edge: A US Marine’s
Account of Leading the Iraqi Army Fifth Battalion RACIAL TENSIONS ABOARD THE
I
USS KITTY HAWK CAME TO A
N
“MARV TRUHE HAS GIVEN US A LONG OVERDUE AND WELCOME
CHRONICLE of a shameful episode of racial injustice on a Navy aircraft carrier VIOLENT CONFRONTATION ONE
during the Vietnam War. As a military defense counsel who represented several S NIGHT IN OCTOBER 1972.
unfairly accused Black sailors, Truhe is well positioned to set the record straight on
W W W W W
T
what was mischaracterized as a race riot incited by Black crew members. Truhe
Often called a race riot, clashes between
tells an important, largely unknown story from the war many would like to forget.”
—EUGENE L. MEYER, author of Five for Freedom: crew members both Black and white
A
The African American Soldiers in John Brown’s Army spanned a six-hour period. Yet, once dawn
broke the next day, only Black sailors were
“IMPOSSIBLE TO PUT DOWN. Gifted author Marv Truhe has created a
MARV TRUHE served as a Navy L
disturbing picture of lingering institutional racism in America’s military. Meticu- court-martialed and brought up on charges.
JAG lawyer and military judge during the
lously researched, this eye-opening narrative adds necessary context to the histor- L The lingering question in the aftermath
Vietnam War. Following his military service,
ical record of Black sailors’ service in Vietnam.”
was: How? How could the charges be so one
he was a South Dakota assistant attorney —ROBERT CHILD, author of Immortal Valor:
sided? Seeking to set the record straight, for-
general before entering private practice. The Black Medal of Honor Recipients of World War II T
mer JAG lawyer Marv Truhe, who defended
Now retired, he lives with his wife in Broom-
“A RIVETING ACCOUNT OF ONE OF THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL
several of the sailors, completes the story of
I
field, Colorado. Visit marvtruhe.com for LEGAL CASES IN THE HISTORY OF THE US MILITARY. As a Navy
what happened in this gripping first-person
D
additional historical photos and more. JAG lawyer who defended several of the Black sailors, Marv Truhe is uniquely
account and pursues continued justice for
positioned to write this book. Drawing on his first-person experiences with the
the twenty-five accused Black sailors.
case, as well as a treasure trove of unpublished files and records from the trials, E
Truhe tells a powerful story of racial injustice.” Referencing one of the most complete
—MATTHEW F. DELMONT, Distinguished Professor of History at S collections of original source documents
Dartmouth College, author of Half American: The Epic Story of of the Kitty Hawk incident, from trial tran-
African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and Abroad
scripts to medical reports, Against All Tides
W W W W W
HISTORY / MILITARY reveals the injustices of the US Naval sys-
TRUHE
tem at the time and shows that racial ineq-
Jacket design: Jonathan Hahn
uity can be overcome with determined
Cover photo: AV8 Collection 2 / Alamy Stock Photo
An imprint of Chicago Review Press
Author photo: Amanda Tipton efforts by Black and white people joining
together in the fight for justice.
printed in the united states of america
AGAINST
ALL TIDES
H H H H H
THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE
USS KITTY HAWK RACE RIOT
MARV TRUHE
Chicago
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AGAINST
ALL TIDES
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Copyright © 2023 by Marvin D. Truhe
All rights reserved
Published by Chicago Review Press Incorporated
814 North Franklin Street
Chicago, Illinois 60610
ISBN 978‑1‑64160‑784‑1
Library of Congress Control Number: 2022941136
Interior design: Nord Compo
Interior photos are from the author’s collection.
Printed in the United States of America
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This book is dedicated to the loving memory of our dear son Jason
who took great pleasure in reading and was often seen curled up with
a favorite book in his lap. It is also dedicated to our unfailingly kind
and precious grandchildren, Blythe and Blake, who are the center of
our universe.
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CONTENTS
Preface .....................................................................................ix
Acknowledgments ...................................................................xiii
Part I: Kitty Hawk at Sea
1 In the Beginning .......................................................................3
2 New Commanding Officer ......................................................13
3 Trouble in Subic Bay ..............................................................23
4 A Night to Remember .............................................................32
5 A Time to Remember ..............................................................56
6 Return to Subic Bay ................................................................75
Part II: Coming Home
7 Adding Insult to Injury ...........................................................91
8 Kitty Hawk Lawyers .............................................................103
9 Kitty Hawk Defendants ........................................................111
10 Pretrial Confinement .............................................................128
Part III: Defending the Accused
11 Command Threat .................................................................145
12 Justice on Trial .....................................................................162
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13 Undercover............................................................................192
14 Withholding Evidence ...........................................................200
15 Undercover Triumph .............................................................217
16 Unequal Justice .....................................................................235
Part IV: Trial Outcomes and Beyond
17 Finding Justice ......................................................................265
18 Perjury on Trial ....................................................................286
19 Reflections .............................................................................293
20 Where Are They Now? ..........................................................311
Notes ....................................................................................319
Index ....................................................................................361
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