Marine Corps pushing for congressional medal for first black Marines

Marine Corps pushing for congressional medal for first black Marines amid push to diversify

By Associated Press, Published: August 2

SAN DIEGO — The top leader of the Marine Corps said Tuesday that he wants the first black members of the Marines to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and hopes their story will inspire more black men and women to join the Corps and rise through its ranks.

Commandant Gen. James Amos told hundreds of Marine Corps officers at the National Naval Officers Association meeting that it was time for Congress to honor the group known as the Montford Point Marines.

About 20,000 black Marines underwent basic training in the 1940s after President Franklin D. Roosevelt integrated the Marine Corps. They were trained at the segregated Camp Montford Point in Jacksonville, N.C., as racism continued in the Marine Corps and society.

The black troops were not allowed to enter the main base of nearby Camp Lejeune unless accompanied by a white Marine.

By 1945, many of the black recruits had become drill instructors and non-commissioned officers at Montford Point. The segregated camp was closed down in 1949 and black recruits were sent to Parris Island and Camp Pendleton like all new Marines. The Corps was fully integrated during the Korean War.

The Congressional Gold Medal is awarded to a civilian or group of civilians as the highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions.
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Marine Corps pushing for congressional medal for first black Marines