What my father taught me about race

My father was a remarkable man. He escaped working in a mill in his small New Jersey town by lying about his age to join the Navy. He learned amazing things in the Navy. He went to China in the 1930s and later told me, "If I were Chinese, I'd be a communist," figuring anything was better than the poverty he'd seen there. He had planned to go for 30 years but shortly after his last reenlistment an episode happened in Guam that changed his plans -- and taught me my first lesson about race.

After the war Dad was captain of a small supply ship that made the rounds of the islands. One day he encountered a native ship on fire. He successfully rescued all the natives, who considered him a hero. The Navy, however, had a different interpretation of the event. He received a reprimand for putting his men in danger. In other words, the lives of natives were not worth the risk of putting American sailors in danger.

Dad told me this story several times over the years. It's the reason he got out. And it was a powerful and early lesson about human equality.