White Montford Point Marines Officers and Letter of Information 421

I watched as the spry elderly White gentlemen entered the reception room of Montford Point Marines. He was the only White person among the group of African American men.  Who was this man, I wondered aloud. The man with the thick silver hair interacted with the Montford Point Marines with ease. I knew it was not a politician seeking a photo op.

 For several days, my father and other Montford Marines were greeted warmly by members of Congress;  speaker of the House John Boehner was even moved to tears in his speech. Although suited up, the White octogenarian clearly was not a legislator.

"He is a Montford Point Marine. He was one of the officers," the person sitting next to me announced. It then dawned on me-- White Officers were used to train Montford Point Marine recruits. When the boot camp was established in 1942, obviously there were no Black Officers.  They had to be found from the Army or Navy or quickly trained by current officers. So Montford Point Marines also includes White Americans, a fact that I have omitted in my posts. It is important to include all Montford Point Marines and not exclude any from the history.

Source: uncw.edu
An Officer inspects a rifle.

According to "The Right to Fight: African Americans in the Marines," Colonel Samuel Woods was selected to command Camp Montford Point. Colonel Woods had to "start from scratch with no cadre of experienced African Americans except for a handful with prior service in the Army or Navy." Below is a list of ten facts about Camp Montford Point from "The Right to Fight."

Ten Facts About Camp Montford Point

1.  Colonel Samuel Woods was in charge of Montford Point, New River, North Carolina
2.  Woods also commanded, the 51st Defense Battalion Composite, the first World War II African  American Combat Unit
3.  Lieutenant Colonel Theodore A Holdahn was in charge of recruit training.
4.  Montford Point included two dozen White Officers.
5.  90 White Enlisted Marines were known as the Special Enlisted Staff. They included clerks, typists and drill instructors.
6. Special Enlisted Staff were vetted to exclude anyone opposed to the presence of Blacks in the ranks.
7. The Marines were to replace the Special Enlisted Staff with Black non-commissioned officers as  soon as possible. This was done by testing and personal observation.
8.  First Promotions to Private First Class took place in November 1942 for Blacks.
9.  Secretary of the Navy Knox authorized a Marine Messman Branch and the first of 63 combat  support companies (Depot/Ammunition).
10.  52 Defense Battalion established.

Source: montfordpointmarineassociation.com
Drill Instructor Elmer Bowen
He received positive reviews from recruits.

Over 20,000 African American men trained to become Marines at Montford Point. The segregated training facility was located in New River, North Carolina. A road separated their boot camp from Camp Lejeune and African American Marines were not permitted to venture into Camp Lejeune unless accompanied by a White Officer. Black Montford Point Marines "could not eat unless their White counterparts were finished with their meal."* Apparently, Southern conventions and military protocols still maintained the separation of races.


Also, it is vital to note that:

General Holcomb in March 1943 issued Letter of Information 421, which declared it "essential that in no case shall there be colored noncommissioned officers senior to white men in the same unit, and desirable that few, if any, be of the same rank." LOI 421 was a classified document and did not become public during the war. (The Right To Fight)

Moreover, White Officers, in charge of training Black recruits were selected based on previous military experience in working with Asians or Latinos in previous military campaigns. "The Right to Fight" reports that White officers could not harbor any resentment towards Blacks serving in the Corps. This would have been detrimental for cohesiveness as a unit and undermine the program. Under direction from Colonel Samuel Woods, White Officers and Special Enlisted Staff  insured that Montford Point Marines received optimal instruction. The White Officers were then replaced by Black non-commissioned officers. Therefore, when speaking of the Montford Point Marines, White Officers and Special Enlisted Staff must be included. Their stories need to be told as well.

Were you aware of the story of the White Officers and Special Enlisted Staff? What about classified document LOI 421?

 Don't forget to share and become a follower!

Source: uncw.edu
An officer assists a member of the 51st

Sources:
*al.com
The Right to Fight
uncw.edu

Dedications: The Marine Obstacle Course and the Montford Point Challenge

This is a shorter post, readers. The month of February is Black History Month in the United States. Unsurprisingly, it generated a lot of interest in the Montford Point Marines, which is excellent for the "Montford Point Marine Movement."

Women's History Month is during the month of March, so I will be featuring female subjects that are related to military. But in the meantime...



Are you aware of a Marine Obstacle Course that is dedicated to a Montford Point Marine? He is:

Sylvester Hood Sr., who enlisted on December 10, 1943. A pioneer, he was among the first of the roughly 20,000 Montford Point Marines to graduate prior to training integration and the depot's closure in 1949. During World War II, he served in the 6th Marine Ammunition Company as a munitions worker, deploying to Sasebo, Japan and Hawaii. Col. Hood was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps on March 9, 1949, and returned to his family in Meridian., MS. Source: Meridian.star.com

Navy.mil.com reported: 

It was his service and dedication to his family and the country he loved that he was honored during a ceremony Nov. 8, 2013, on board Naval Air Station Meridian, MS. The Marine obstacle course was dedicated to Hood. 

           A groundbreaking ceremony for the monument that will honor him and all Montford Point                Marines was also held.

"All of us in the military - even our jet pilots - are standing on the shoulders of giants," said Maj. Aaron J. Brooks, commanding officer of Marine Aviation Training Support Squadron One. 

 Over in in Quantico, VA, United States Marine Corps Officers in the video below took part in the "Montford Point Challenge. "

U.S. Marine officer candidates participate in a physical challenge called "The Montford Point Challenge" aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico, Oct. 12, 2012. The Montford Point Challenge was introduced to OCS to teach the history, contribution and dedication of the Montford Point Marines. -Description from Youtube.

Original Montford Point Marines in 1943.
nationalarchives.gov

The above photo had the original caption from the National Archives:

A trio of recruits in training to take their places as fighting Leathernecks in the U.S. Marine Corps, run the rugged obstacle course at Camp Lejeune, NC (Montford Point Camp). The Marine recruits have shown such excellent results in their aptitudes and leadership capacities that an expanded Navy recruiting program is now underway.", 04/1943. Credit: National Archives.

What a wonderful tribute to the Montford Point Marines; an obstacle course dedicated to Sylvester Hood, Sr, along with the Montford Point Challenge.  These physical initiatives are perfect metaphors in what the men had to endure. Are you surprised about these obstacles courses? Have you ever participated in an obstacle course?



 Don't forget to share this information! Be a part of the "Montford Point Marine Movement!"




Sources:
commandpost.com
meridianstar.com
 navy.mil.com

At the Airport

 I cannot forget the intelligent man I met at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport last year. We were returning from the Montford Point Marine Congressional Medal of Award Ceremony. He stated that he was a professor at a college in Iowa. We had a discussion and he was quite emotional after witnessing the delegation of elderly veterans. The professor was fighting back tears because his father had just died, and he said his Dad was a Marine during World War II. His dad had always stressed boot camp training at Camp LeJeune and never mentioned the name of Montford Point. With further discussion and our help, he discovered that his father was probably a Montford Point Marine as well, since his father was African American. Like me, he probably heard stories growing up, and stored them away. We then parted, and ended with, "If your father was a Montford Point Marine, perhaps he could receive recognition posthumously." The handsome professor reflected a bit and then boarded his plane deep in thought.

Futhermore, I have to emphasize that the professor's story was what he shared with us, complete strangers. The only way for him to verify his father's military status was through archives, which are available on various sites such as www.military.com. An individual cannot falsely claim to be a member of the armed services and/or misrepresent their rank, or acts of herorism.

I had taken his business card to remain in contact, but unfortunately lost my wallet. (Long story that I don't want to get into at this juncture). I am quite sure the professor did some research and probably uncovered  information on Montford Point Marines in tribute to his late father.

 Because of the tragic events of September 11th, airport security has been significantly redefined. TSA (Transportation Security Administration) Agents are the first in line in insuring the safety of American aviation travel, and are mandated to take threats to safety very seriously. Over five thousand lives were lost in the largest attack on American soil since World War II. (The first being Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941). Passengers are patted down, and screening checkpoints sometimes have long lines as passengers empty their pockets, and instructed to remove shoes. Carry on luggage is x-rayed. Recently, my hair that was pulled up in a bun `was checked for foreign objects as if I was a character in a Blaxploitation* flick...yet no other females in my vicinity had their hair examined.

Source: wbur.org

 The delegation of older, and noticeably disabled African-American men, who just received the nation's highest honor, were treated, well, less than honorable. Some of the men walked with canes, and a few like my dad were in wheelchairs. I narrowed my eyes at one TSA agent in particular. She angrily addressed the elderly honorees, who still had their medals around their necks (complete with red, white and blue ribbons) and their best suits, as if they were common street thugs. I watched with horror as the same coarse woman barked at the men. Luckily, a respectful and knowledgeable supervisor and another official came by and oversaw the checkpoint procedures, restoring dignity to the procession. As for the TSA checkpoint agent, she was whisked away before an incident took place. Her attitude definitely needed to be "checked".

We met an airline attendant who was a history major at Howard University and never heard of the Montford Point Marines. She gathered some information from us and vowed to do so research. It is an on-going educational process. Throughout the airport people were stopping and asking questions upon spotting my dad's medal. Many people of various ages, all walks of life, stopped and shook dad's hand, and thanked my father for his service to the country. Others shared stories of their own son, father, or grandfather in the military and were generally upbeat. On our plane back home to Bradley International Airport, Hartford/Springfield, the flight attendants made a special announcement for my dad and we were given preferential seating. Fellow passengers cheered and congratulated my dad, who was grinning ear to ear.

Source:gearmill.com

Almost a year later and Dad never leaves his house without a Montford Point Marine Hat or USMC Hat, attracting comments and words of encouragement, with some "special" treatment or expedited service thrown in for good measure.


Further Information:
.remembering 9/11 nationalgeographic.com

*Blaxploitation: a genre of American film of the 1970s featuring African American actors in lead roles and often having antiestablishment plots, frequently criticized for stereotypical characterization and glorification of violence. Blend of Black + Exploitation ( From freedictionary.com). Examples include: Shaft, Foxxy Brown, Cleopatra Jones. Quintessential actress Pam Grier hid weapons in her hair in two of the genre's films.

Dad Becomes A Rifle Expert

Clifford Primus was now in Camp LeJeune as a US Marine Recruit. He had enlisted in Springfield, MA on April of 1943. He would have been exempt from the military as a defense factory worker, but he insisted on signing up after learning that the US Marines were finally allowing Negroes to join their branch of the Armed Forces and also authorized them to participate in combat.

My father stated that he had an Uncle Howard that served in World War I (1914-1917). My Great Uncle Howard was stationed in France while in the Army and supplied ammunition. In France, the African-American Soldiers had freedom from United States racism; the soldiers enjoyed themselves at dance clubs. The French did not have a history of deeply entrenched institutionalized racism as the United States. Consequently, the French welcomed the African American soldiers in their country without a problem. It was the white American Soldiers while abroad that had a problem with the Negro soldiers.  According to Dad's recent recollection of his uncle's story, fights broke out among both races of American soldiers.

Negro WWI Soldier
 Source: Americanhistory.si.edu

For World War II (1941-1945) the separation of the races still existed. The bus to Camp LeJeune lead to a separate training facility at Camp LeJeune called MONTFORD POINT. It is located in Jacksonville, North Carolina. If you served in the US Marines in the 1940s and were Negro, you trained at Montford Point. Montford Point Marines fought in World War II and the Korean War (1950-1953). Over twenty thousand African American men underwent training at this grueling boot camp.

Montford Point Marines Receiving Training.
 Source:  Defensemedianetwork.com

                                                                   

For my Dad, training consisted of early morning excercise drills*. This morning he shared how he was assigned to the Anti-Aircraft Division in the 51st Battalion. As luck would have it a white Marine Sargent on the rifle range took a liking to my dad and by mere happenstance hailed from-- Springfield, MA. This guy spent extra time with my dad and showed him pointers on firing a M-1 Rifle. The M-1 rifle would automatically rise after firing, but paying extra attention to the weapon makes for mastery of the rifle. Because of this kind man from Springfield, MA, Dad had the highest score within his group and was awarded a rifle badge. On his discharge papers it lists that he was a Rifle Expert.

The Sargent that took a liking to my dad reminded me of  Pee Wee Reese of the Jackie Robinson story. In my previous post I wrote about how Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball in 1947. Robinson underwent the most inhumane treatment with constant racists taunts and death threats. Players on his own team the Brooklyn Dodgers, resented him being a member. (Maybe not so much after Robinson helped them win the World Series.) Pee Wee Reese was the teammate and Captain of Dodgers that stood by Jackie Robinson and was his advocate. In life, when one is faced with challenging circumstances involving life or death situations, an ally is needed. So, this Springfield, MA native and white Sargent on the rifle range was greatly appreciated.

Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese
Source:fanofbaseball24files.wordpress.com

In my upcoming posts you will see how other Marines and civilians treated Montford Point Marines, America's First African-American Marines.



*Part of dad's bootcamp was swimming with a heavy backpack. Despite being from Florida he is not much of a swimmer but managed to swim across the water for a distance. He recalled a Montford Point Marine from Detroit who effortlessly swam. "Old boy from Detroit swam across with one arm...", he marveled. Some of my father's most colorful stories involved men from Chicago and Detroit.

Introduction

Hello all! This is my first post about the Montford Point Marines and  I decided to keep it brief. It is the day after Thanksgiving and I am at my parents house in Connecticut. When you walk into our split level home it is like entering a shrine, because my father is a Montford Point Marine and he received a Congressional Medal of Honor in June of 2012. Inside our living room besides the stacks of Jet and Ebony Magazines, VFW, (Veterans of Foreign War) there are special items in glass cases and frames. There is his special United States Flag, and  letters from our House of Representatives and one of our Senators. There is another official letter from the US Speaker of the House as well. Photos of my dad are displayed, along with the red, white and blue ribbon that held his Medal of Honor. The actual medal is in a safe deposit box ( My father is no fool.)
Did you know it is a felony to steal a Medal of Honor from a recipient? I also posted an image of the medal; bronze replicas are available from the US Mint  from collectors. Some of you are curious about the Montford Point Marines so as a regular reader to this blog you will be privy to my information. Happy Holiday Season!

DLP