White men were 100% of the people that wrote the Constitution, 100% of the people that signed the Declaration of Independence

So you're telling me that African-Americans were not signers of a document that called them three-fifths of a person? Not signers of a document that said that "all men (sic) are created equal", but at the same time humans of a different race were kept as slaves?

What a shock. I'm sure it's because women, African-Americans, Native Americans and other groups all had no interest in our burgeoning nation and just stayed at home when the white men did all the work. If they had just shown up in Philadelphia, they would have been included.

Well, Pat, of course we know different. But despite these prejudices, some of these groups did show up wherever they would be accepted. One of these people was Peter Salem.

You know about Peter Salem, right Pat? No?

Well, despite the fact that Massachusetts had once banned African-Americans from serving in the military, they decided that once they actually needed some troops in the French and Indian War, and then the American Revolutionary War, that they would take free Blacks into military duty. So Peter Salem, a freed slave, took up arms and fought. He fought at Concord, Saratoga, Stony Point (even though, at one point, George Washington tried to ban him from service). He even was the soldier who fired the shot that killed the commanding officer of British troops at Bunker Hill, one of the most important battles of the war. Without that war, there would not be an United States- and Peter Salem was one of the heroes of that war.

But despite Peter's heroism, Pat, you still continue to undermine the contributions of non-white men to our military, next in the Civil War:

100% of the people who died at Gettysburg and Vicksburg

Well, let's take Vicksburg first, Pat, you're just wrong. You must have forgotten about the Battle of Milliken's Bend. That was the battle where African-American soldiers defeated Confederates who were trying to cut a union supply line.

Now, Pat, obviously this was a battle during the Civil War. But what does this have to do with Vicksburg?

Well, that supply line the Confederates were trying to cut just happened to be Grant's supply line who were laying seige to...Vicksburg.

(By the way, I'm not surprised that you didn't learn about this- after all, the National Park Service didn't even have an exhibit or monument about these troops until 2007).

And now let's talk about Gettysburg. You're right, most (definitely not all) of the people who died here were white men- you know, there were some laws that made sure almost everyone who joined the military was white and male. But I want to tell you about who some of these white men were! They weren't all the original settlers or the people who had signed that Constitution or the Declaration of Independence- no, some of them were- get ready for this, Pat- immigrants!

But Pat, I thought immigrants were invaders!

Oh, is that only when they come from somewhere other than Europe? White immigrants are OK and can be heroes, but "Asian, African and Latin American" immigrants are invaders?

I'll have to keep that in mind.

But then, Pat, you said this:

probably close to 100% of the people who died at Normandy

At least you added "probably close" this time. But even then, Pat, you're just not close. Did you read the news last month? About how African-Americans, who were treated better in Great Britain than the United States, none the less fought and died on the shores of France?

Oh, this was in the Telegraph, not Breitbart. Of course you didn't see it.

Now, Pat, I must admit that you did acknowledge that African-Americans did undergo discrimination, even as you discount their achievements as you do so. But every ethnic group contributed in the World War II era.

Did you forget about the Native Americans who made a greater per-capita contribution than any other ethnic group? This despite the fact that, as Will Rogers once said, "The United States never broke a treaty with a foreign government and never kept one with the Indians"? Yes, their contribution was critical.

What about Japanese-Americans? While Japanese citizen internment camps had begun across our country, the men of the 442nd, despite their misgivings about how their government was treating them, fought bravely in the European theater?

How about Latino-Americans? Latinos served all over in World War II, including Pedro del Valle, the Lieutenant General who led the seizure of Guadalcanal?

Must have been an "affirmative action hire", huh, Pat?

And of course, Pat, I'd be remiss if I didn't note that your "white men" comment is not only racist, but also sexist. Women served in many different roles, including the Women's Army Corps (who, by the way, actually didn't have the same safeguards if they were captured- it seems that women weren't quite seen as "soldiers" by international treaties at that point...)

(And yes, Pat, no less than Douglas MacArthur called women his "best soldiers")

So, Pat, I have two things to say to you. Instead of:

This has been a country built basically by white folks.

I say: This has been a country built basically by Americans.

Americans who were here before European settlers arrived and were dispossesed of their land yet still embraced America; Americans who were brought over as slaves and suffered intense discrimination yet still embraced America; Americans who came across borders in search of a better place, found some of its xenophobic faults, but still embrace America.

And Americans born both with and without a Y chromosome.

The second thing is, Pat, many of these people served despite the fact that some "white men" didn't want them to serve, because it would "hurt morale" or something like that.

I'll let Admiral Fitzwallace make my argument here for me.

Yup, Pat- beat that with a stick.

Oh, and shut the hell up.

(EDIT: Rec List- thanks! As I noted below in the comments, this diary started as a retort to Pat, but as I did a little research, it became more of a tribute to those non-"white men" who served our country in ways we cannot even imagine. The true kudos go to them.)