Military.com | By Bethanne Kelly Patrick
The opportunity for African-Americans to enlist and serve in the Marine Corps came in 1942 as the Corps began to recruit qualified African-American men. The men who enlisted in response completed recruit training at Montford Point, North Carolina during a time and place where racism and segregation were a part of everyday life.
Between 1942 and 1949, approximately 20,000 African-American men completed recruit training and became known as the “Montford Point Marines.” Despite the challenges presented to those Montford Point Marines, their valor and performance at Peleliu, Iwo Jima, the Chosen Reservoir, Vietnam, and more paved the way for our present integrated armed forces.
Most importantly, the men of Montford Point made it impossible for the Marine Corps to return to its prewar policy. President Harry S. Truman eliminated segregated units in 1949. Read more HERE.
By 1944, 18,000 black Marines were serving. Of those, 12,000 were deployed overseas. Between 1942 and 1949, about 20,000 African-American Marine recruits trained at Montford Point. “When the Marines finally allowed black volunteers to enlist, they set specific limits on how many could join the corps and what jobs they could do,” an article from Black Camera noted. “One thing they weren’t allowed to do: give orders to white Marines.” Read more HERE.