The thing that led to the desegregation of the United States Army was the Executive Order 9981. The executive order was an executive order that was put in to play in July 26, 1948, by the President during that time, Harry S. Truman. What the order did was abolished discrimination of skin color, religion, and national origin in the Army. This order eventually ended the segregation in the services. After the order was placed, anyone from any race, religion, and national origin could join the army and serve the country.