BOP
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Montford Marines honored with congressional medals | marine, m - News - The Orange County Register
The following is an explanation of who the Montford Marines were/are. I felt like the OC Register (a conservative paper, btw) didn't really explain it well enough. The Montford Point Marines Association website does a better job:
In 1942, President Roosevelt established a presidential directive giving African Americans an opportunity to be recruited into the Marine Corps. These African Americans, from all states, were not sent to the traditional boot camps of Parris Island, South Carolina and San Diego, California. Instead, African American Marines were segregated - experiencing basic training at Montford Point - a facility at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Approximately twenty thousand (20,000) African American Marines received basic training at Montford Point between 1942 and 1949.
Got it?
Back to the Orange County Register:
Simmons, 88, was one of nine Montford Point Marines awarded with a replica of the medal in a ceremony at Camp Pendleton on Tuesday. The Congressional Gold Medal, the nation's highest civilian award, was given to African American Marines who served in the Corps between 1942 and 1949 and were trained at Montford Point., near Jacksonville, N.C.
The medals presented were bronze replicas of Congressional Gold Medals. The ceremony conducted by Major Gen. Ronald Bailey, commander of the 1st Marine Division followed an earlier ceremony held at the Marine Barracks in Washington D.C on June 27. At that ceremony, more than 400 African-American Marines, many who served in World War II, were honored.
The Montford Point Marines were never recognized like other African American units such as the Tuskegee Airmen, black pilots who flew during World War II, or the Buffalo Soldiers.
As a footnote, this is the first coverage I've seen in the media about this event. You'd think as concerned about how rac...wait...raaaaaaaacist conservatives are, they'd want to trot out every story like this they can get their hands on, wouldn't you? To be fair, I did see USA Today, a CNN, and an ABC news articles online, but I don't remember hearing it on the radio or the TV. Anybody?
PS: apparently, America's first black President and Commander in Chief was too busy to make an appearance. Wanna bet that that didn't escape the attention of the fine Marines who were too classy to mention it?
The following is an explanation of who the Montford Marines were/are. I felt like the OC Register (a conservative paper, btw) didn't really explain it well enough. The Montford Point Marines Association website does a better job:
In 1942, President Roosevelt established a presidential directive giving African Americans an opportunity to be recruited into the Marine Corps. These African Americans, from all states, were not sent to the traditional boot camps of Parris Island, South Carolina and San Diego, California. Instead, African American Marines were segregated - experiencing basic training at Montford Point - a facility at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Approximately twenty thousand (20,000) African American Marines received basic training at Montford Point between 1942 and 1949.
Got it?
Back to the Orange County Register:
Simmons, 88, was one of nine Montford Point Marines awarded with a replica of the medal in a ceremony at Camp Pendleton on Tuesday. The Congressional Gold Medal, the nation's highest civilian award, was given to African American Marines who served in the Corps between 1942 and 1949 and were trained at Montford Point., near Jacksonville, N.C.
The medals presented were bronze replicas of Congressional Gold Medals. The ceremony conducted by Major Gen. Ronald Bailey, commander of the 1st Marine Division followed an earlier ceremony held at the Marine Barracks in Washington D.C on June 27. At that ceremony, more than 400 African-American Marines, many who served in World War II, were honored.
The Montford Point Marines were never recognized like other African American units such as the Tuskegee Airmen, black pilots who flew during World War II, or the Buffalo Soldiers.
As a footnote, this is the first coverage I've seen in the media about this event. You'd think as concerned about how rac...wait...raaaaaaaacist conservatives are, they'd want to trot out every story like this they can get their hands on, wouldn't you? To be fair, I did see USA Today, a CNN, and an ABC news articles online, but I don't remember hearing it on the radio or the TV. Anybody?
PS: apparently, America's first black President and Commander in Chief was too busy to make an appearance. Wanna bet that that didn't escape the attention of the fine Marines who were too classy to mention it?
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