The Montford Point Marines

Fighting for the Right to Fight

From 1942 to 1949, approximately 20,000 African-American men were admitted to the Marine Corps. With segregation in place, these men trained at a separate base at Montford Point Camp in Jacksonville, North Carolina. President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued the order to admit African Americans into the Corps. The Marines were the last branch of the service to include African Americans.

Aware that they had to “fight for the right to fight,” these individuals trained harder than their Caucasian counterparts to assume roles as ammunition carriers and later, frontline fighters. This compounded the segregation they endured at their base camp where they were forbidden to enter Camp Lejeune without a white Marine accompanying them; they could not cross the railroad tracks into Jacksonville. They were not afforded the support personnel assigned to their white counterparts. Their African-American drill sergeants pushed them physically and mentally to withstand tests that surpassed the high standards used for white Marines.

During the Pacific Campaign, the Montford Point Marines were called into service, first as defense units holding land far behind the front or as ammunition carriers; they saw little action. Later, about 8,000 black Marine stevedores and ammunition handlers served under enemy fire during offensive operations in the Pacific. After the June 1944 Battle of Saipan, USMC General Alexander Vandegrift praised the performance and heroism of the 3rd Marine Ammunition Company. “The Negro Marines are no longer on trial. They are Marines, period,” he said.

After a Presidential order from Harry S. Truman in 1948 to desegregate the military, Montford Point was deactivated as a black training facility. In 1974, it was renamed Camp Gilbert H. Johnson in honor of the man who served as one of the first black Marines. Johnson was promoted to drill instructor while the camp was segregated. He continued to serve in the Marine Corps after desegregation including service in the Korean War retiring with the rank of Sergeant Major. 

The Montford Point Marines’ significant service to the Marine Corps and the nation was recognized in 2012 when all men known to have served were awarded a Congressional Gold Medal. The Montford Point Marine Association continues to find those not yet recognized.

2023 Celebratory Events 

Montford Point Marine Day Observance - The official observance ceremony will be held from  8 AM to 10 AM, Friday, August 25, 2023, at the Montford Point Marine Memorial at 100 Montford Landing Road.  The National Montford Point Marine Association will be honoring more than 50 Montford Point Marines with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest award given to a civilian by the United States government. surviving Montford Pointers and family members will attend. Attire for the event is the military uniform of the day and civilian-appropriate attire. No Base Pass is required. 

For more information on the Montford Point Marine Association Convention and related events, visit:: https://montfordpointmarines.org/events

The Search Continues for “Montford Pointers”

Do you have a family member or friend who was a Montford Point Marine? Some “Montford Pointers,” as they are often called, left the service and rarely discussed this chapter of their lives.

If you know a person or family deserving this honor, visit MontfordPointMarines.org or email or call National Public Relations Officer Joe Geeter, publicrelations@montfordpointmarines.org; (610) 608-5786.

Note: To be documented and receive the medal, individuals or their families must show their discharge documents. The medal can be awarded posthumously to family members.

About the Montford Point Marine Association

The Montford Point Marine Association Inc. is a nonprofit organization. A nonprofit military veterans organization, it was founded to memorialize the legacy of the first African Americans to serve in the United States Marine Corps. The group continues to identify those who served. Learn more at MontfordPointMarines.org

About the Montford Point Marine Memorial

For more information about the Montford Point Marine Memorial in Jacksonville, visit: http://visitjacksonvillenc.com/165/Montford-Point-Marine-Memorial