“By treating us like humans,” said Simple, “that’s how!”

“They don’t treat each other like human beings,” I said, “so how do you expect them to treat you that way?”

“White folks do not Jim Crow each other,” said Simple, “neither in past have a segregated army—except for me.”

“No, maybe not,” I said, “but they blasted each other down with V-bombs during the war.”

“To be shot down is bad for the body,” said Simple, “but to be Jim Crowed is worse for the spirit. Besides, speaking of war, in the next war I want to see Negroes pinning medals on white men.”

“Medals? What have medals to do with anything?”

“A lot,” said Simple, “because every time I saw a picture in the colored papers of colored soldiers receiving medals in the last war, a white officer was always doing the pinning. I have not yet seen a picture in no papers of a colored officer pinning a medal on a white soldier. Do you reckon I will ever see such a picture?”

“I don’t know anything about the army’s system of pinning on medals,” I said.

“I’ll bet there isn’t a white soldier living who ever got a medal from a colored officer,” said Simple.

“Maybe not, but I don’t get your point. If a soldier is brave enough to get a medal, what does it matter who pins it on?”

“It may not matter to the soldiers,” said Simple, “but it matters to me. I have never yet seen no colored general pinning a medal on a white private. That is what I want to see.”

“Colored generals did not command white soldiers in the last war,” I said, “which is no doubt why they didn’t pin medals on them.”

“I want to see colored generals commanding white soldiers, then,” said Simple.

“You may want to see it, but how can you see it when it just does not take place?”

“In the next war it must and should take place,” said Simple, “because if these white folks are gonna have another war, they better give us some generals. I know if I was in the army, I would like to command white troops. In fact, I would like to be in charge of a regiment from Mississippi.”

“Are you sober?” I asked.

“I haven’t had but one drink today.”

“Then why on earth would you want to be in charge of a white regiment from Mississippi?”

“They had white officers from Mississippi in charge of Negroes—so why shouldn’t I be in charge of whites? Huh? I would really make ’em toe the line! I know some of them Southerners had rather die than to left face for a colored man, buddy-o. But they would left face for me.”

“What would you do if they wouldn’t left face?”