2025 Montford Point Marines Commemoration

Choosing to be First: The Legacy of the Montford Point Marines

The National Museum of the Marine Corps, alongside the National Montford Point Marines Association, is proud to announce a 2025 Montford Point Marines Commemoration event titled "Choosing to be First: The Legacy of the Montford Point Marines." During this event, attendees will be able to sit in on a panel featuring original Montford Point Marines alongside active duty military personnel. There will also be a Congressional Gold Medal ceremony following the panel and a period in the Museum atrium where guests can socialize.

Who were the Montford Point Marines?

As America prepared to enter World War II, the United States Marine Corps remained the last all-white branch of the U.S. military. At this time in 1941, hiring discrimination based on race was commonplace in the defense industry, and the Commandant of the Marine Corps, Major General Thomas Holcomb, was vehemently opposed to the recruitment of black men. However, the need for recruits, combined with societal pressures spearheaded by A. Phillip Randolph, the founder and leader of the first African-American labor union, spurred at-the-time President Roosevelt to sign Executive Order 8802 on June 25, 1941. This order prohibited racial discrimination in the defense industry and government, opening the doors of the Marine Corps to African Americans beginning in June of 1942. Despite open recruitment, racial segregation was still prominent in the United States. Thus, while white recruits trained in Camp Lejeune, black recruits were trained a few miles down the road at a training ground named Montford Point. Through their hard work, sacrifice, and dedication in the face of adversity, the Montford Point Marines would ultimately help to pave the way to the Marine Corps that we know today.