MCB CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- Eleven families accepted Congressional Gold Medals on behalf of their Montford Point Marines during the 17th Annual Montford Point Marine Day and Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony held Aug. 28 at Camp Johnson.
Approximately 150 guests attended the ceremony, which was moved from Lejeune Memorial Gardens to the Camp Johnson theater due to inclement weather. The observance marked the 84th anniversary of the arrival of the first African American recruit at Montford Point and honored the service and sacrifice of the approximately 20,000 African American men who trained there from 1942 to 1949.
The Montford Point Marines trained under segregated conditions while confronting discrimination both inside and outside the gates. Their service helped break racial barriers in the Marine Corps and paved the way for generations of Marines who followed.
Jacksonville Mayor Sammy Phillips opened the ceremony by acknowledging the injustice the Montford Point Marines endured and the lasting impact of their service.
“We can't change the past injustices, but we can acknowledge them. We can remember them, and we can learn from them,” Phillips said. “Your service helped open doors for those who followed. Your perseverance helped move our nation and our Marine Corps closer to the ideals of equality and opportunity that we strive to uphold today.”
Tim Foster, chairman of the Onslow County Board of Commissioners, emphasized the significance of the Montford Point Marines' story to the local community, the Marine Corps and the nation.
“They did not simply prepare to fight for this country. They first had to fight for the right to fight for this country,” Foster said. “They refused to surrender their dignity. They refused to allow prejudice to determine their purpose, and they stood tall, served honorably, and proved through their actions that courage has no color, character cannot be segregated, and the title Marine belongs to every person who earned it.”
Brig. Gen. Andre M. Ingram, commanding general of Marine Corps Installations East-Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, delivered the keynote address and drew a personal connection between the opportunities created by the Montford Point Marines and his own Marine Corps career.
Ingram recalled arriving at Camp Johnson in 1999 as a young lieutenant attending the Logistics Officers Course. At the time, he said, he knew the installation's name but did not fully understand the history of the Marines who had trained on the same ground decades earlier.
“Today, nearly three decades later, I have the privilege of returning to this same place as a brigadier general, and now I understand,” Ingram said. “I understand that when I walked across this installation as a young lieutenant, I was walking in the footsteps of men who helped make my future possible.”
Ingram also described how the Montford Point Marines' legacy extended through his own family. His father, also a Marine, was born in 1942, the same year the first African American recruits arrived at Montford Point.
“When I look at the stars on my collar in the morning, I don't see the culmination of one Marine's journey. I see the continuation of theirs,” Ingram said. “The stars are not mine alone. They belong in part to every Marine who helped make them possible, and especially to the Montford Point Marines.”
During the ceremony, Ingram and Ronald C. Johnson, national president of the National Montford Point Marine Association, Inc., presented Congressional Gold Medal replicas posthumously to the families or representatives of 11 Montford Point Marines. Congress authorized the Congressional Gold Medal for the Montford Point Marines in 2011, and the medal was formally presented collectively to the Montford Point Marines on June 27, 2012.
Johnson said the continued presentation of medals to families is an important part of ensuring the service of individual Montford Point Marines is not forgotten.
“Every medal presented today carries more than just a medal,” Johnson said. “It carries a name, a family, a record of honorable service, and a nation's gratitude.”
The ceremony also included a surprise appearance by Medal of Honor recipient retired U.S. Marine Maj. James Capers, who offered brief remarks recognizing the Montford Point Marines and their families.
“I'm proud of what they've accomplished, and thank you so much for the families who made this trip,” Capers said. “I just want to say thanks for allowing me to say a few words. Oorah!”
The National Montford Point Marine Association was established in 1965 to perpetuate the legacy of the first African Americans who entered the Marine Corps from 1942 to 1949 and trained at the segregated Montford Point Camp.
To watch the full ceremony, please visit: