Segregated Marines Get Congressional Recognition

Last week as I was leaving the Trolley Car Diner in Mt. Airy I saw an older gentlemen walking with a cane and I noticed his Marine Corps hat, and guessing his age, I thought he may have been a World War II veteran.

I had prior knowledge of how the Marine Corps treated those first black marines and learned quickly that he was one of them.  Although the entire U.S. military was segregated until President Truman ordered an end to that in 1948, the Marine Corps went a step further. Their were no black marines accepted into this theoretically all volunteer force at all until President Roosevelt ordered differently in 1942, at the start of World War II.

I say “theoretically” all volunteer force as there were men drafted into the Marines in World War I, World War II and even Vietnam when the ranks were not being filled fast enough with volunteers. I have been told that those who were not cooperative enough with their draft boards sometimes found themselves in the Marines rather than the Army.

Jim, the gentleman I met, was one of the 19,000 men that were trained by the Marine Corps between 1942 and 1949 but found themselves in a separate facility and under conditions that clearly were intended to keep them as “second class citizens and second class Marines.”

Instead of being trained at Parris Island S.C or Camp LeJune N.C. a separate small facility at Montford Point North Carolina was set aside for training only the black recruits. In addition they were often kept from the same kind of front line service with their white counterparts and kept in non-combat roles.  This changed during the Korean War from 1950 to 1953, when integration led to even black officers being promoted from the ranks.  Famous Philadelphia Civil Rights leader Cecil B. Moore was one of those early black officers and he served in the Marines for nine years, being one of those who were part of the World War II group who did serve in combat.  He credited his marine training for his “take no prisoners” tactics with the local civil rights issues he always championed.

370 of the approximately 420 surviving Montford Point trained Marines received the Congressional Gold Medal in a ceremony led by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and House Speaker John Boehner, a process that recognized the Tuskeegee Airmen a few years ago.  All of these men are now between 80 and 100 years old.  Despite the segregation that they were forced to endure, some stayed in the Marine Corps and made careers in the desegregated forces.  Montford Point was closed in 1949 and integrated training for all at Parris Island and San Diego California became the standard.  According to news reports former Mayor Dinkins of New York was also a Montford Point Marine.

Although I asked Jim to send me a photo of himself at the award ceremony as he planned to attend, I have not heard from him. I also saw a TV clip of another gentlemen from Germantown who was present.  So far two of the 370 recipients are known to be from the community.

Jim Foster, Editor

Former Cpl, USMC

Editor’s Note: In a clear reversal of past practices my training platoon at Parris Island that graduated in April 1963, 14 years after the closing of Montford Point, was an all white platoon led by its only original black member, carrying platoon #304’s Flag,, voted as “Best Marine in the Platoon” by one of the most“diverse”groups imaginable on what is the ultimate level playing field. See previously published expanded story “Quite a Few Good Men” in our on-line version.

Jim Foster, Editor/Publisher

Germantown Newspapers Inc.

editor@germantownnewspapers.com