Montford Point Marines
Mick sends us the link to a new video about the Montford Point Marines, the pioneer first Black Marines who began their service during World War II. The video leans heavily on the eye-witness interviews of the men who were trained in the remote corner of Camp Lejeune for the crucible of the war in the Pacific and beyond. Some of the Montford Point Marines went on to serve in the Marine Corps in the Korean War and in Vietnam.
From Black Past;
Initially the recruits were trained by white officers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs) but citing a desire to have blacks train blacks, the Marines quickly singled out several exceptional black recruits to serve as NCO drill instructors. In January 1943, Edgar R. Huff became the first black NCO as a private first class. In February Gilbert “Hashmark” Johnson, a 19-year veteran of the Army and Navy, became the first Drill Sergeant. By May 1943 all training at Montford Point was done by black sergeants and drill instructors (DIs), with Johnson as chief DI. Both Johnson and Huff would be renowned throughout the entire Marine Corps for their demanding training and exceptional leadership abilities.
You can read more about the Montford Point Marines at their association website and at this DoD article that recounts an event this week in Colp, Illinois where some of the Montford Point Marines were honored.
Category: Marine Corps
A couple years ago, the US Mint produced Medals in honor of the Montford Point Marines. They are still available from the mint at http://www.usmint.gov
These men displayed the best way to overcome racism: become better, then become best.
It works better than burning down the ‘hood.
Unfortunately, Graybeard, that’s not the message the “leaders” in the black community preach.
The Montford Point Marines, Tuskegee Airmen and The Golden Thirteen overcame so much to do what they did during WWII and later.
-Those- men did not need “saving”, they did it themselves, thus they are of no use to The Narrative or their supposed “betters”.
I agree.
When my father was in Southern Europe during WWII as a machine gunner for the 103ID, some of their favorite folks were the tank killers that kept the Panzers and 88’s off their backs.
I made no difference to him – Mississippi born and Texas raised as he was – that the men in the tank-killers were black. They respected and admired them.
Many years later we were to discover that one of the men in our church had been in one of those tank-killers.
Reading the autobiographies of men like Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver is to be inspired by men who suffered real discrimination and rose above it with grace and humility and pride in a job well done.
Fine young men. The best examples there could ever be. More, please.
I can’t begin to say how proud of and humbled I am by these men and their sacrifices for out nation.
I only wish, at the end of the video, that Corrine Brown could have pronounced Montford Marines correctly, instead of saying Moffitt Marines. They deserve better.
I was honored to have served as Commander of Troops for a graduation parade where the Montford Pt Marines were the Guests of Honor back in 1999.
Back in the 70’s Montford Point was remained Camp Johnson in his honor.
Very inspiring! A true example for all Americans!
Brian Williams has probably claimed to have served with them.
These brave men fought two wars on a host of fronts wherever they went.
I recently read the book from Donald Burgett on the 101’St Airborne in Bastogne. In the book he speaks of the brave Tank Destroyers that remained at Bastogne when all others had scrammed out leaving only a few thousand men to hold the most important crossroads in all of Europe during the days of the Battle of the Bulge.
Mr. Burgett speaks very highly of them, that they put their rounds on target whenever they fired and they also served up some great grub for the men of the 101’St toward the end of the battle.
The series of books from Mr Burgett were the books that inspired Stephen Ambrose to write Band of Brothers and Mr Burgett served as a technical advisor during the filming of that HBO miniseries.
It starts with Currahee and goes all through the war ending up at Berchtesgaden and the trip home to the US.
If you get a chance to read it, grab it. It’s a great series of books and was written in the first person and you can imagine all the shit that all those men put up with if you ever served in a line Infantry unit.
Available cheap on eBay. I’m keeping my copies to pass to my kids.
I forgot to mention that the Tank Destroyers Battalion were a black unit.
All those that served at Bastogne remember them fondly and all feel the same way.