This narrative frames a conversation about evidence-based
Social Innovation. It provides content for developing fundable engagement by
any and all veterans in “preserving the legacy of Original Montford Point Marines. An initial application responding
to a Federal Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) was submitted by Youth
Achievers USA Institute in January 2015.
A collective response to the
current NOFO might be leveraged by a successful $1.8 million MPMA monument capital campaign.
Montford Point
chapters, regional and national membership would need to agree on a leading 501c3
partner (grantmaker) and criteria for qualifying subgrantees (could include MPMA
chapters with 501c3 status). Each selected grantmaker will be awarded $1
million to $10 million and will match every federal dollar of the grant award.
A draft narrative
on the Congressional Gold Medal has been submitted with the initial
application. It provides content for
producing professional media in support of “dog-n-ponies” currently underway.
The Congressional Gold
Medal Marine
The
Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian honor bestowed by Congress for
distinguished achievement.
On March 25,
1776, the Continental Congress approved a Gold Medal for President George
Washington, "In honor of the liberation of Boston, first major city
liberated from British occupation.” Washington later led the Continental Army to
victory in the American Revolutionary War (1775--1783). The medal was presented to Washington March
21, 1790. It currently resides at the
Boston Public Library.
On 23
November 2011, The President of the United States, The Honorable Barack H.
Obama signed into law, legislation to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the
Montford Point Marines. This award
recognizes the Montford Point Marines' contributions to the Marine Corps and
the United States of America. The
Congressional Gold Medal was awarded to 740 Original Montford Point Marines. It
serves as a fitting symbol honoring the legacy of Black Marines and the effect
of Executive Order #8802 which allowed Blacks to be recruited in the United
States Marine Corps.
President
Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order # 8802 allowing African Americans
to be recruited into the United States Marine Corps. African American recruits received basic
training at Camp Montford Point, NC.
From 1942 to
1949, African American recruits trained
at the segregated training base near Camp LeJeune, NC. Of those Marines over 13,000 served overseas
during World War II. Most were assigned
to ammunition and depot companies and charged with the duties of carrying
ammunition and supplies to the front lines and return the wounded and dead to
the transport ships. At the end of the
war, all but 1,500 Montford Point Marines were discharged at the convenience of
the government.
In July of
1948, President Harry S. Truman issued Executive Order # 9981 negating
segregation and in September 1949, Montford Point was deactivated ending seven
years of systemic, constitutionally sanctioned, segregation in the U.S. Armed
Forces. In 1974, the camp was renamed
Camp Johnson after Sergeant Major Gilbert "Hashmark" Johnson, one of
the first African Americans to join the Marine Corps and also one of the first
African American Marine Drill Instructors. To date, this base is the first and
only Marine Corps installation to be named after an African American.
Approximately
70 years ago, African American men had
the courage to accept a challenge that would change the course of history; men
who paved the way for you and I, men who came from all walks of life, men who
had to fight for the right to fight.
They were true heroes who would go on to fight at Iwo Jima, Okinawa,
Saipan, and the Marinas Islands just to name a few. Some even paid the ultimate
sacrifice by laying down their lives for this country and fellow Marines during
a time of adversity and despondency when they were neither accepted by the
Marines Corps nor their own country for which they served.
They endured
racial discrimination and disrespect because of the color of their skin. These men fought and died for their country
while at war. Despite their disparate
treatment, these men proved themselves worthy of the title, Marine. Thirteen
Montford Point Marines were killed in action (KIA) in World War II.
The sacrifices
of these men, paved the way for "minorities" and women to be
integrated into the Marine Corps. By
their sacrifice, Montford Point Marines engineered social and cultural change
in the Marine Corps that created a lasting impact and has contributed to the
success of the United States Marine Corps today.
After World
War II, approximately 1,500 Montford Point Marines left the Marine Corps and
resumed their civilian lives and occupation.
They used the leadership and training experiences learned in the Marine
Corps to integrate and transition to productive successful citizens. The United States did not begin to end
legally sanctioned segregationist laws (Jim Crow Laws) until 1954 with the
Supreme Court case of Brown v. Board of
Education for the City of Topeka, Kansas which ended the policy of
"Separate but Equal" racial segregation of secondary schools in the
United States. Many Montford Point
Marines were leaders in the American civil rights movement. Their successes outside the Marine Corps are
just as much a part of the Marine Corps legacy as their service within the
Corps.
If you would
like to provide leadership in a Montford Point demonstration on social innovation,
please contact:
Eric
Stradford, GySgt, USMC Retired
678-523-4479
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