Montford Point Marines and Lena Horne: Trailblazers

How timely...this is my 51st post and a continuation of my discussion on the recovery of the 90 mm anti-aircraft. Members of the 51st and 52nd Defense Battalions nicknamed their World War II artillery  "Lena". "Lena", of course is a tribute to Lena Horne (1917-2010), the legendary singer, dancer, actress and Civil Rights Activist.

Source: bwwla.org

Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1917. She started her musical career at the famed Cotton Club in New York.  At the Cotton Club, African American female chorus dancers were required to be "tall, tan, and young" (fair complexion). Only White Patrons were permitted in the audiences of the Cotton Club, which was the launching pad for many Negro performers. The entertainment specialized in exotic, "Jungle" music, minstrel like shows, and of course, jazz. Some of the biggest names of the early twentieth century were patrons or performers at The Cotton Club.


 Lena Horne later was a member of a minuscule group of Black Actresses working in the movie industry during the 1940's. Most roles for African American females were limited to domestic roles, with limited speaking lines. These actresses were always depicted as either a sassy mammy archetype, or the child-like, timid maid.  Hattie McDaniel was famously quoted as saying, "Hell, I would rather play a maid than be one."  McDaniel was the first African American to win an Academy Award in 1939 for Best Supporting Actress. Her performance was that of the maid in Gone With the Wind. She sat in a segregated area at the Award Ceremony. (Biography.com)

Moreover, Hollywood during these earlier days would have an actress confined to singing or dancing. The actress had no interaction with other non-Black actors, and their scenes could be edited if needed when showing the movie in Southern movie houses. Horne's ambiguous appearance, and pressure from the NAACP helped her to become the first African-American actress to receive a major Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios (MGM) contract.

Source:topfoxtv.com

Lena Horne was more than a pretty faced, entertaining fashionista. She protested her less than honorable treatment and was active in the Civil Rights movement. The multi-hyphenate was friends with controversial leaders such as Paul Robeson and W.E.B. Dubois. (They were accused of being Communists and blacklisted*). Ms. Horne was greatly revered and respected by Black America.

Praise for Lena Horne
The late Sixty Minutes journalist, Ed Bradley, known for his intense and provoking news segments, stated that the chanteuse was one of his favorite interviews. In the video, the usually unflappable Bradley is seen fawning over Ms. Horne, who by then was still stunning in her sixties. Actress Halle Berry tearfully thanked Lena Horne and other who paved the way for her. Berry won a Best Actress Academy Oscar in 2002 for the film Monster's Ball. Her acceptance speech usually ranks as one of the most memorable Oscar acceptance speeches ever.


Eugene Robinson, of the Washington Post, on Lena Horne:

"During World War II she complained about how Black soldiers--who had made her a popular pin up, essentially the Black Betty Grable--were being treated in the segregated Army. Her refusal to perform for segregated audiences got her disinvited from USO tours."

Robinson also referred to Lena Horne as a "glamorous revolutionary" and an "infiltrator".



So, the 51st and 52nd Defense Battalion certainly got it right. Similar to Lena Horne, these Montford Point Marines were trailblazers and created history. Naming the anti-aircraft artillery after the great Ms. Horne was indeed prophetic. The 90mm "Lena" can be viewed after being missing for so many years at the Montford Point Marines Memorial Museum in North Carolina.

Source: chicagodelta.com

Source:celebrityslab.com

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/singing_lena_hornes_praises_20100511/

*blacklisted: shunned, to be excluded from opportunities or banned. Being a Communist was considered Un-American.


 Note:  In 2010 Mo'Nique received a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in Precious. She proudly wore a flower in her hair, in tribute to Hattie McDaniel.

90mm News for the 90 Year Old: The Return of "Lena"

"Dad, the weapons that you used in the Marshall Islands were found at an auction. The Montford Point Marine Association will be displaying it in their museum." I couldn't remember the name of the equipment and thought it was pretty exciting that it was recovered.

"Oh, you mean the 90 mm?" My Dad answered, as if we were discussing what he had for breakfast that morning.

"We used the anti-aircraft machine artillery. We were on the two big islands Eniwetok and Kwaajalein-- the rest of the islands were occupied by the Japanese. The US had a blockade and there were airstrips on both islands. There were Navy fighter planes. There was dog battery and fox battery. I was a member of dog battery. Because of the blockade the Japanese submarines could not get food or supplies to their men. I thought I told you that already," Dad chided me.

Source: montford point marine association
The machine that my dad used. Montford Point Marines
exceeded goals during WWII.

"No, I just wanted to make sure that I got it right," I answered, furiously jotting it down in my notebook. I wanted to ask more specific questions, but decided not to push it. I sensed a Western or a pressing news show competing with my father's attention. The additional questions would have to come later to the nonagenarian.*


Anti-Aircraft, as its name implies, are weapons designed to attack enemy airplanes. Dad was a member of the first African American combat unit. His 90mm was relocated a month before his 90th birthday, and almost a year after receiving his Medal of Honor.

                                                       



So, until my next interview, I have the following information from www.military.com:

The Montford Point Marines performed well in their duties at home and abroad despite the structures placed on them by society in their era. In practice these men surpassed all anti aircraft gunnery records previously set by Marines, and named their weapon "Lena", after their favorite singer, Lena Horne.

The 90 millimeter MIAI anti-aircraft weapon system was delivered to Camp Johnson** back in April 2013. It is currently being displayed in the "Greasy Spoon", which is the site of the Montford Point mess hall and home of the museum. Additionally:

 -It was used by the 51st and 52nd Defense Battalions from 1942-1946.
-Weighs nearly 19,000 pounds
-16 feet in length
- Was the United States main anti-aircraft weapon system from early World War II through the 1950's.

Source: mpma.28.com

Now I must prepare to write about the Montford Point Marines' 90mm namesake, the inconic Miss Lena Horne...



*nonagenarian: someone ninety to ninety nine years old
** Camp Johnson: An area of Montford Point that was named after Sgt Major Gilbert "Hashmark"Johnson in 1974. Johnson was a drill instructor and served in WWII and Korea. He also served in other military branches.



Other:
Mess Hall: military dining room
Greasy spoon: term used to classify a cheap restaurant.