| With
an executive order from President Franklin Roosevelt in 1941,
the United States Marine Corps — the last all-white
branch of the U.S. military — was forced to begin recruiting
and enlisting African Americans. The first black recruits
received basic training at the segregated Camp Montford Point,
adjacent to Camp Lejeune, near Jacksonville, North Carolina.
Between 1942 and 1949 (when the base was closed as a result
of President Truman’s 1948 order fully desegregating
all military forces) more than 20,000 men trained at Montford
Point, most of them going on to serve in the Pacific Theatre
in World War II as members of support units. This book, in
conjunction with the documentary film of the same name, tells
the story of these Marines for the first time.
Drawing from interviews
with 60 veterans, The Marines of Montford Point relates
the experiences of these pioneers in their own words. From
their stories, we learn about their reasons for enlisting;
their arrival at Montford Point and the training they received
there; their lives in a segregated military and in the Jim
Crow South; their experiences of combat and service in World
War II, Korea, and Vietnam; and their legacy. The Marines
speak with flashes of anger and humor, sometimes with sorrow,
sometimes with great wisdom, and always with a pride fostered
by incredible accomplishment in the face of adversity. This
book serves to recognize and to honor the men who desegregated
the Marine Corps and loyally served their country in three
major wars.
Melton A. McLaurin is professor emeritus
of history at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
He is author of eight books, including the award-winning Separate
Pasts: Growing Up White in the Segregated South.
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