THE MONTFORD POINT MARINES WERE THE FIRST BLACK MARINES TO SERVE


By bblouin
A platoon of Montford Point Marines recruits listen to their drill instructor, Sgt. Gilbert Hubert Johnson, whose job is to turn them into finished Marines at Montford Point, Camp Lejeune, N.C., April 1943.

Even as a united front, everyone’s path in the U.S. military is different. Such was the case for the Montford Point Marines, the first Black Marines to serve in the Marine Corps. But while their sacrifices and service helped keep America free, they weren’t afforded the same freedoms or opportunities due to prejudice. Through hardships and atrocities, these brave men served a country that didn’t treat them the way they deserved to be treated. Related: Get To Know Doris Miller, the First Black Person To Earn the Navy Cross

Who Are the Montford Point Marines?

The Montford Point Marines were the first Blacks allowed to join the U.S. Marine Corps. They received their name because they were trained at Camp Montford Point, in Jacksonville, North Carolina, between 1941 and 1949. As part of a satellite camp of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Camp Gilbert H. Johnson, aka Camp Johnson, is found on Montford Point. This is where the Montford Point Marines would train and prepare for some of the largest conflicts in U.S. history. In 1940, America was preparing to go to war which created millions of related jobs. Because of the time period, Black Americans were treated harshly and denied jobs through discrimination and violence. Civil rights and labor activist A. Philip Randolph had had enough. As President of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, Randolph was well known as a spokesman for advancing the interests and opportunities of working-class Blacks. Randolph would meet with President Franklin D. Roosevelt to demand an executive order to end the discrimination that Blacks were facing in the defense industry. He was ready to lead a massive protest involving tens of thousands of marchers throughout D.C. With only days to go before the protest, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8802 which banned contractors from working with the Federal government and forbid the Federal government itself from denying employment based on race, color, creed, or national origin. This was a massive win for equality and the first Presidential decree to address race and equality since Reconstruction. Now that the barriers were down, the U.S. military was now required to integrate, recruit, and enlist Black Americans. The repercussions of the new requirements meant a conjunction of thousands of Black men wanting to serve. They showed up at recruitment offices across the country, and many recruitment offices wanted to be the first to lay claim to enlisting a Black American. Alfred Masters, the first Black Marine, was sworn into the branch on June 1, 1942, at midnight. Masters was the first Montford Point Marine who would go on to defend our nation despite enjoying less than fair conditions and unequal treatment. Suggested Read: How WWI Turned Marines Into Devil Dogs

Some Sacrifices Shouldn’t Be Necessary

There is no doubt that being in the military requires sacrifices of all types. Service members are stripped of their individuality in many ways, forced to maintain physical excellence, called upon to put their body on the line, they miss family events, they could possibly die, become maimed, etc., etc. But being treated negatively because you were born with more melanin clearly crosses the line. In today’s world, prejudice and backward-thinking people still remain, but what the Montford Point Marines faced took things to a different level. The participation of the Montford Point Marines meant 1,200 men living in huts with access to the main portion of Camp Lejeune off-limits. Being a Black Marine meant there was a physical divide represented by railroad tracks to keep you away from white Marines. Over 20,000 men would train at Montford Point, helping defend America through World War II. While President Harry S. Truman was able to sign Executive Order 9981 in an effort to desegregate the military, backlash and unequal treatment continued to exist. However, in 1949, Montford Point was deactivated with newly enlisted Blacks being sent to various military installations instead. Many of those who trained then served their country in the Korean War. Though integrated, racial tensions persisted, and they often faced lingering racism during the conflict.

How Many Montford Point Marines Are Still Alive?

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The Montford Point Marine Association is involved in maintaining the history and legacy of these heroes as well as the tributes to their service. Even though they were never treated with the dignity they deserved, the Montford Point Marines are an important part of our history and heroes to anyone that is an American. Read Next: Heroic Black Medal of Honor Recipients Had To Fight for Recognition


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