The Marines of Montford Point - by Melton A McLaurin (Paperback)

About the Book

Marines of Montford Point: America's First Black Marines

Book Synopsis

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.

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.
This book, in conjunction with the documentary film of the same name, tells the story of these pioneering African American Marines. Drawing from interviews with 60 veterans, Melton McLaurin relates in the Marines' own words 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. This book serves to recognize and to honor the men who desegregated the Marine Corps and loyally served their country in three major wars.

From the Back Cover

The Social Development of Early Modern British Colonies and the Formation of American Culture. This book provides a compelling synthesis of a veritable mountain of scholarship and, in its detailed annotation the best guide available to recent work on the social and economic history of early modern Britain's Atlantic world.

Review Quotes

"A quick but inspirational read."
-- "Journal of America's Military Past"

"A valuable contribution to our understanding of the black military experience in World War II."
-- "North Carolina Historical Review"

"An important contribution to military and civil rights history. . . . ["he Marines of Montford Point: America's First Black Marines"] is a set of excerpts [of interviews] which, in Studs Terkel fashion, create an oral history of this group of Marines."
-- Durham "Sunday Herald-Sun"

"Beautifully collected interviews. . . . Anyone interested in any aspect of the civil rights struggle or the history of race relations in the US must read this book. . . . Essential."
-- "CHOICE"

"Eloquent, unedited stories."
-- "Our State"