President Obama's wife has said during the 2008 presidential campaign that for the first time in her life she is proud to be an American. I can now echo her sentiment.

When I was 17 years old, I volunteered for the Army. I was shipped to Fort Polk, La., where I took training, but when we were given weekend passes as blacks we were not allowed to enter the town of Leesville, La., by way of the main street. We were told to follow the railroad tracks, and we would find the areas where black people lived. We shipped out to Korea to fight in a war that we did not understand; however, we loved America but it did not love us back.

I am retired now, after having served honorably for 21 years, and today I can say with great pride that I love America. So, white Americans, please try to understand your black brothers and sisters when they voice anger and frustration. It is all because of reflective thinking.

God bless America and our president.

Joseph Diggs Sr.

Augusta