Black servicemen In US Army allowed to be referred to as "Negro"

An interesting innovation has appeared in the US Army. In accordance with Regulation AAR 600-20 from October 22, black or African-American personnel were allowed to be referred to as "Negro."

The regulation states under the category "Black or African American" that would include, "a person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa, terms such as "Haitian" or "Negro" can be used in addition to "Black" or "African American".

Army spokesmen noted that the innovation was based on the fact that black servicemen identified themselves as "Negro" when filing out documents. A military officer specializing in personnel issues for the Defense Department called that "the dumbest thing I have ever heard," saying that the Pentagon does not use the word "negro" when collecting demographic information about personnel.