Editing Harold Washington (section)

===Military service===
In 1942, Washington was drafted into the [[United States Army]] for the war effort and, after basic training, sent overseas as part of the 1887th Engineer Aviation Battalion, a [[African-American discrimination in the U.S. Military|racially segregated unit]] of the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers|Air Force Engineers]].{{sfn|Rivlin|1992|pp=44-45}}<ref name=Congress>{{cite web|url=https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/W000180|title=Washington, Harold|publisher=U.S. Congress|work=Biographical Directory of the United States Congress|access-date=May 10, 2025}}</ref><ref name="Chicago Public Library">{{cite web|url=https://www.chipublib.org/mayor-harold-washington-biography/|title=Mayor Harold Washington Biography|publisher=Chicago Public Library|access-date=May 10, 2025}}</ref> Washington was part of a unit that built a bomber landing strip on [[Angaur]] island in [[Palau]] just 20 days, an action that earned the unit a [[Meritorious Unit Commendation|Meritorious Service Unit Award]]. Eventually, Washington rose to the rank of [[First Sergeant]] in the [[United States Army Air Forces|Army Air Forces]]; he was honorably discharged in 1946 and completed a high school equivalency diploma during his service.<ref name="Chicago Public Library"/>{{sfn|Rivlin|1992|p=44}}