Marching Without Applause: A Deacon Revives a Story of Courage and Change
by Diocese of Des Moines | January 10, 2026
Over a hundred years ago, military history was made on diocesan soil. Now, you can read about it in a new book written by one of the Diocese’s deacons.
Deacon Thomas Bradley, who helps with diocesan special projects, recently published his first book, Marching Without Applause: The Officers Who Defied A Nation’s Doubt.
The historical fiction novel describes the opening of the first Black training camp in the military in Fort Des Moines. Set during World War I, the first half of the story follows several advocates who lobbied the U.S. Department of War to open the first training camp for Black military officers against opposition for Black Americans to server as officers in the military The second half follows the military officers and soldiers who were part of the first training camp, showing their journey of coming to the Des Moines community amid the racial tension in the country during that time.
The idea of writing a book about Fort Des Moines has interested Deacon Bradley since he first learned about its history 30 years ago.
“Being a former Army officer, I was intrigued by the military side initially,” Deacon Bradley said.
He used that former experience as a former U.S. Army colonel and his love for history to learn more about the training camp at Fort Des Moines. This led to decades of research from various archives to paint a fuller picture.
Bringing vitality and accuracy to this story of Fort Des Moines was important for Deacon Bradley, especially because of the limited knowledge of this event. “History is missing,” he said.
The story, while fueled by Deacon Bradley’s military interest, also became a story of social justice and the dignity of the human person. The characters in the story are examples of how Christians are called to honor the God-given dignity in each person and improve the political and social fabric.
“I hope [people] find that yes, there was [racial] tension, but there was progress being made,” Deacon Bradley says.
Deacon Bradley believes this story offers something in short supply in today’s world: hope. During a bleak social backdrop, the characters in Marching Without Applause made strides towards racial equality in the U.S military and in their communities. He hopes the audience can see those themes within the book and within our world by better understanding our past.
“It’s important that we understand our history. This [event] may seem somewhat unimportant, but I don’t think so,” Deacon Bradley said. “For Iowans in particular, people who live in Des Moines in their entire life, don’t know the history of Fort Des Moines and the social fabric and tensions [of social change causing internal conflict] that might have been [in 1917]. We often don’t see the tension, even to this day because we’re living our lives, but we’re intertwined then and now.”
You can purchase Deacon Bradley's book online from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or at marchingwithoutapplause.com.