BATON ROUGE - As we celebrate Black History Month, one veteran is shedding light on the sacrifices and experiences of African Americans who fought on the front lines. He shares how the war became a bridge between races and helped shape a more unified military. 

In 1964, America escalated its involvement in the Vietnam War after the attacks on American ships in the Gulf of Tonkin.

That same year, the Civil Rights Act was passed. It outlawed segregation in public places, employment, and business. Vietnam was the first war with a fully integrated U.S. military. 

Louis Joseph was one of more than 300,000 black men and women to serve in Vietnam.

"Check the history books, you'll see that black soldiers were really, there were more blacks serving in Vietnam than whites I'll be honest with you," Joseph said. "When your number is called, you don't ask how many whites are going, you go, and y'all go to the same place."

He was 18 when he graduated in May of 1964, and the following June, he joined the army. 

"When I joined the military, there was some overt and covert racism but it wasn't like what I experienced at home," Joseph said. "I went to an all black high school, where I received an outstanding education at Sunshine High School. There was whites only, and there was black only." Joseph said. 

Having to work together with men who didn't share the same public places with you up until then was a new challenge for black soldiers.

"As far as I can see there was some discrimination, there's no need to be sitting here saying there wasn't," Joseph said. 

For Joseph, he said the war was the bridge of community.

“When you're in a combat, baby, you don't give a darn whether the guy white, black, green, or purple, you want to make sure this guy protects your life and you protect him, you lean on each other," Joseph said.

The Vietnam War claimed the lives of 58,220 American soldiers.

Some died alongside men of another race. 

"I'll never forget it, so we got back, told us what happened, and we all got on our knees and said a prayer for those two guys, so when I see the Vietnam War, I always scratch their names in my heart. One was white and one was black," Joseph said.

Joseph found a lifelong friend and someone he didn't think he'd ever be able to connect with, Tim Chastain.

"He's white, I'm black. Tim and I did everything together, so everybody in the unit said when they’d see us walk up, ‘oh here comes salt and pepper,’ but we’d tell them we preferred ‘ivory and ebony.’ My nickname is Nick, and guess what he named his son? Nick, Nicholas, that's how close he and I were and how close we are today."

The Vietnam War was the first war to be televised in the United States, and the war's extensive and uncensored coverage had a significant impact on people's views on the war.

"I'm not saying they shouldn't have done it, I mean he was doing his job, but the point I'm making is it caused a lot of resentment for those people who chose not to join the service," Joseph said.

By seeing the war on television, anti-war advocates argued that the war was unnecessary, and hundreds of thousands of American men were not dying for a noble cause. 

They said the United States should not be involved in that war at all. 

"People were still, when we got back, uptight about the politics of the war, so we didn't really get, black and white soldiers get our just do until lately I'll be honest with you," Joseph said.

The United States wasn't perfect when Joseph arrived home, but he said there was a shift.

"I think the Vietnam War had a positive impact on the consciousness of the United States of America," Joseph said. "Because we proved that we can compete with anybody, regardless of race, regardless of creed, regardless of color."

This Black History Month, Joseph has a message for all Americans. 

"Black History Month ought to focus on what the black soldiers did in Vietnam. I encourage everybody, whether you're white, whether you're black, you realize we are stronger as a nation when we are together."

Joseph dedicated the majority of his adult life serving in the Army. He's 79 now, and says if war broke out and they'd have him, he'd go.