Between 1942 and 1949, 20,000 black Marines received basic training at Montford Point in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
F.M. Hooper Junior said he remembered his father telling him about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and that's when he knew he wanted to serve his country as a Marine.
"Then, I saw the Battleship North Carolina, go up from scratch. That's where I was raised in Brooklyn, NY. I saw the Marines guarding the ship. I said, OK. I want to be a Marine."
President Truman gave the order to desegregate the military in 1948 and the Montford Marine Camp at Camp Lejeune was deactivated, ending seven years of segregated black training.
In 2012, the Montford Point Marines received the Congressional Gold Medal for their role in integrating the military and nation and their service. This is the highest civilian award bestowed by Congress.
--GreGen
The USS North Carolina (BB-55) My all-time favorite warship. As an elementary school student in North Carolina, I donated nickels and dimes to save this ship back in the early sixties.
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