Q African Americans have served in the United States military during every conflict in America's history. We know slaves joined the colonists' fight for liberty during the Revolutionary War. What motivated African Americans to serve the nation that enslaved them? 

CP Freedom. The easiest way to get it in those days was to show your willingness to serve the country.  Throughout our 300 years of history, the military was the only trade in America where a Black person could show worth, other than just being a tool to be used to chop cotton or take care of somebody's kitchen.... You were part of a national effort. It was uplifting in so many ways. It took you out of this horrible situation you were in. It gave you a purpose in life. You're serving something. That something was a nation that might not be serving you in the proper way, but nevertheless, you can make a contribution to the future. It's hard for us to realize what it must have been like when slavery existed. Where people were essentially nothing more than a piece of property to be exploited.  And then, suddenly, this little ray of hope comes along, through serving the nation and showing a willingness to sacrifice your life if necessary. For a slave to suddenly be promised freedom! Freedom! No more master. No more being beaten or whipped. Freedom! Even though freedom for a Black person in those days was something quite different than freedom for a white person. But nevertheless, it was freedom. That was an incredibly powerful motivation. 

Q If promises of freedom motivated slaves to serve during the Revolutionary War, what prompted American military leaders to allow their participation? 

CP When war comes and blood is being shed and casualties are being experienced, you really have to start looking for manpower. And the British were trying to recruit Blacks, promising them their freedom. So as was often the case in our history, market forces became operative for purposes of strategic necessity. And so Black men were recruited, and it was determined that they could be good soldiers. So, it has always been necessity that has allowed Blacks to enter the military, even though, if left to their own devices, the white political leaders at that time would have resisted it, and did resist it. White Americans realized the dangers inherent in this, because if Black people could serve in war and we had to give them their freedom, it's troubling. So as soon as the conflict was over and we didn't need this Black manpower, for God's sakes, get them out of the military and get them back where they belong, so that we don't have to free any more of them, and so they don't start thinking they actually can be as good as white men. But it was too late. 

Q Is the Declaration of Independence a relevant document for African Americans? 

CP The Declaration of Independence is one of the most remarkable documents in the world. In just a few words, it captures the essence. Inalienable rights. Rights not given to you by the state, but given to you by God, so they can't be taken away. What are those rights? "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We hold these truths to be self-evident." In other words, you don't have to prove them. [They] came from God. Remarkable document. [But] it didn't apply to Black folks. And the man who wrote those words kept slaves. But Thomas Jefferson nevertheless wrote those marvelous words, and he understood their inconsistency because he also wrote sometime later to a friend: If there is a just God, we're going to pay for this. With respect to African Americans, our rhetoric has never entirely matched the reality of life in America. Certainly, [there] was never a greater reality difference than in the time of the Declaration of Independence. You start out with a statement of principle. It may take a long time before the principle [becomes] reality for some parts of America. And in the case of African Americans, it took a long time. It's only in the last generation where young people really are starting to forget the struggle of where we've come from...the rhetoric and the reality are starting to get closer, for some African Americans. For others, it's as far apart as it's ever been. And that's the great challenge remaining in America today: How do we make the rhetoric reality? 

Q Many people connect the idea of the military with a picture of a person in uniform. How has the uniform shaped black soldiers' self-image and their status in the world? 

CP The uniform is a distinguishing mark-what makes a soldier a soldier, a sailor a sailor, and an airman an airman. It bonds you to a certain culture. It makes you different. [As] a young Black kid growing up in New York City, I was just another kid in the tenement district until I went to college, joined ROTC, and I got a uniform on. I looked in the mirror and said, "Hey, I like this. I'm different, and I'm part of a special group." I just saw a picture [from] the Civil War era of a man in rags. His whole visage is of a person who is a ragamuffin. And then he joins the army. In the next picture, he's standing up tall; his chin is lifted; his eyes are straight ahead; he's carrying a rifle; he's got a blue uniform on. He's no longer a slave. He is now somebody who's wearing the same uniform as his white brother. 

Q We know there were points during the Revolutionary War when General Washington suffered his share of failure and loss. How did he measure up? Would you describe him as a good leader? 

CP General Washington had enormous challenges. He had a cheap Congress that was not really giving him the wherewithal to fight the war. He had these individual colonies that were forever meddling. He had traitors who were turning him in. He had a devil of a time. And you know, he was not that successful a general at this point in his life. His success earlier in his career was somewhat mixed. He lost more battles than he won. But what he had was a strategic vision of where we had to end up. He had a commitment, a total commitment, to this concept of a new nation founded in liberty. And, he was a natural leader. So people were willing to stick with him, to trust him, to believe in him. He had a vision people were willing to follow 

Q How has the United States military maintained its place as a viable option for African Americans seeking to serve their country? 

CP There has never been a conflict in American history when, notwithstanding the conditions of our servitude or bondage, Black men and women did not respond. They responded because they still love and believe in this country - with all its faults. We have always answered the call, and will always continue to answer the call. With each conflict, things got a little better. African American military history [is] a proud history. I think to some extent [it] demonstrates why the United States Armed Forces to this day remains perhaps the most thoroughly integrated, meritocratic institution in American society. Perfect? No, not perfect. We all have problems of color in every part of American life. But the best of any other institution. I'm evidence of that. But there wasn't a day when I was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that I did not remember the origins of my success.