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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Brothers in Arms
Hanover Theatre Presents Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul Jabbar
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In a new book, former NBA star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar tells the story of a little-known black tank battalion in World War II, 761st Tank Battalion. He was inspired to write Brothers in Arms after learning a family friend had been a member of the unit.
While attending the showing of a film documentary 12 years ago, Abdul-Jabbar,ran into family friend Leonard “Smitty” Smith. He discovers Smith had been a gunner in the 761st and had won the Bronze Star for valor in battle.
The 761st was never intended to see battle; as with many African American units at the time, they trained mainly as a public relations gesture to sustain the support of the black community during the war. However, the Allies were so desperate for trained tank personnel in the summer of 1944 that even though General Patton initially opposed their deployment, they were called upon to fight.
Heroically, the men of the 761st served on the front for more than six months, including the Battle of the Bulge, despite an extreme shortage of personnel and equipment, suffering nearly 50 percent casualties. Their efforts helped liberate some thirty towns and villages, as well as several branch concentration camps.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will speak about what inspired him to write Brothers in Arms, the book about the 761st Tank Battalion from WWII.
October 17
Ticket prices: FREE