The Montford Point Marine Legacy
The Montford Point Marine Legacy
The Mission of the Los Angeles Chapter of the National Montford Point Marine Association is to:
- Preserve and honor the legacy of those African American Marines who were trained during World War II under adverse conditions at Montford Point, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
- Preserve and honor the legacy of all United States Veterans who have served their country honorably.
- Provide resources for under-privileged children in the community.
- Provide college scholarship funds at the chapter level for deserving high school graduates among the MCJROTC programs at the four high schools that we support.
- Support veteran families in need through partnerships with a local community colleges.
The Montford Point Marine Legacy
From 1942 to 1949, approximately 20,000 African American men enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at a time when our Nation was at war and the country’s military services were resistant to integration. However, in 1941, with Executive Order 8802 from President Franklin Roosevelt, 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. These pioneering African Americans arrived at Montford Point in 1941, destined to become outstanding Marines though they were made to train with inferior equipment. Sergeant Major Gilbert “Hashmark” Johnson, one of the first African American drill instructors in the U.S. Marine Corps, trained the Montford Point Marines to succeed in a segregated military and to survive discrimination. These men served with honor and dignity during a critical period in our Nation’s history.
Montford Point Marines distinguished themselves with countless acts of bravery and sacrifice, serving in three of the bloodiest struggles in the Pacific – Saipan, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. Some died in these epic battles; many others continued their service in both Korea and Vietnam. Many Montford Point veterans – men like Gilbert “Hashmark” Johnson, Edgar Huff, and Frederick C. Branch – are now legends in the rich history of the United States Marine Corps.
Montford Point Marine Association,
Los Angeles Chapter 8
Twenty years following WWII, in August of 1965, a reunion was organized by a group of enterprising Marine veterans and active-duty Marines from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The purpose of the reunion was to renew old friendships and share experiences of former comrades who received recruit training at Montford Point Camp, Camp Lejeune, New River, North Carolina from 1942 to 1949. This group, chaired by then Master Gunnery Sergeant, Brooks E. Gray, USMC, formulated plans for a National reunion. Among those present was the late Civil Rights Leader, Attorney Cecil B. Moore.
From September 17 – 18, 1965, over four hundred former and active-duty Marines, representing seventeen states, attended the reunion held in the Adelphia Hotel in downtown Philadelphia. The great response led to the establishment of the Montford Point Marine Association; a non-profit veteran service organization chartered in Philadelphia. Subsequent charters were immediately organized in more than eleven additional cities. Now in existence for more than fifty years, the National Montford Point Marine Association, Inc., proudly boasts more than 35 active chapters and continues to strive to expand its programs and offerings to the community.
"I am so thankful that as Marines, you fought for the right to fight....so that I could stand on your shoulders and become a Marine." - Lt. General Walt Gaskin
“The spirit of our Corps, embodied in the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor, lives within the soul of every Marine. This spirit is born through arduous rites of passage at boot camp and officer training, after which a young man or woman is called a “United States Marine” for the first time. Our ethos has been shaped by ordinary men and women – patriots who showed extraordinary leadership and courage, both physical and moral. The essence of what we have been, who we are, and what we will always be…endures.”
– General James Amos