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In the late 1960’s Philadelphia was rapidly losing its reputation as the “Workshop of the World”.  Factory jobs were growing scarce while the inner city continued to grow more crowded with Blacks migrating from the South. 

 

A rising level of consciousness and militancy amongst many young blacks made the city a hotbed for civil unrest.

During this time, Philadelphia was also overrun with street gangs that menaced almost every neighborhood. The city actually led the Nation in gang-related deaths, prompting the media to often refer to its inner areas as

“The Jungle.”

Philadelphia's Police Commissioner, Frank Rizzo countered the rise of both conscious protests and gang warfare with a siege mentality by militarizing the cops, leading to increased incidents of police brutality. 

Amid this turmoil, the Federal Government was facing a crisis of its own - escalating demand for American soldiers in Vietnam. To meet this pressure, the armed forces heavily recruited in urban areas like Philadelphia.  With a goal of 100,000 new recruits the "New Standards" program made it easier to get into the service and was promoted by the White House as a way out of poverty and the conditions inherent in urban areas.

 

The result was that blacks were drafted at rates extremely disproportional to whites. Further, many, who were caught up in the criminal justice system, were given choices by judges - prison or the military.

These events forced boys to become men under the most extreme conditions - fighting a war half a world away for freedoms they had yet to enjoy at home in America.

 

In fact, one high school located in a gang-infested North Philadelphia neighborhood lost more students in the Vietnam War than any other school in America. 64 young men of Thomas Edison High School gave their lives. A solid bronze plaque with their names is currently mounted on a wall of school’s main entrance.

Ostensively, these boys were no different than any other youth in America.  However, the circumstances surrounding their coming of age, domestically and abroad, and the acumen, ability and bravery many exhibited, despite these circumstances, can be said to have set a new standard of valor.  

 

Unfortunately, many returned to a Nation still unprepared to ensure their rights to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.

t me. It's easy.