Our fellow Rotarian told us about the history of African Americans in the Marines through stories and pictures. Montford Point was opened in 1942 as a segregated boot camp for the Marines. Eleanor Roosevelt had pushed her husband to enter executive orders to integrate the military including the Marines, which were the last military service to allow African Americans to join. These men were real heroes who fought in the Pacific theatre in World War II. In the beginning there were 1,200 Marines, by war's end there were 20,000. These men were support troops were ended up on the front lines when bringing ammunition to besieged troops island hopping through the Pacific, and earned the respect and admiration of their fellow Marines. In 2012, there was a ceremony to honor these first Black Marines if present them with Congressional Gold Medals. Tink surprised us all when he introduced us to his cousin Wendell Ferguson, who was a Montford Point Marine. Here's to all of these heroes!!
Tink Hill, Wendell Ferguson, and Rich Hill - three generations of Marines.