Who Were the Montford Point Marines? Alumna on a mission to spotlight first Black men in the Corps

In 2021, alumna Mallorie KM Berger MS '01 read a story about the first Black men to integrate the Marine Corps—the Montford Point Marines. Berger knew her grandfather served in the military but didn't know much more; he never talked about his service. However, upon stumbling upon an article by Michiel Perry, "Black Military History - Montford Point Marines in Jacksonville, NC," Berger realized her grandfather had served at Montford Point.

By Executive Order 8802, the Montford Point Marines integrated the last branch of the military during WWII. The Marine Corps viewed the integration as an experiment, one in which they believed the Black Marines would not succeed. They were wrong.

In 2012, President Obama signed a bill into law awarding the 20,000 Black Marines who served at Montford Point a Congressional Gold Medal. To date, only approximately 2,000 of these men have been identified and have been awarded their medals. On Feb. 19, 2022, Berger's grandfather, Private Maurice L. Burns Sr., was posthumously awarded his Congressional Gold Medal.

Since then, Berger has been on a mission to tell their story. With Berger's input, the Walt Disney Company and ABC's Race and Culture Content Team produced "Our America: Mission Montford Point", now airing on Hulu and 32 streaming platforms.

Below Berger shares her journey to get these men the recognition they deserve.

By Mallorie KM Berger, MS '01

Grandfathers are some of the best storytellers and my “Papa” was no different. He had lived through a lot growing up in the South under the system of Jim Crow and had a lifetime of experiences, knowledge, and traditions he shared with me as a child. One story he left untold—the story of the Montford Point Marines, the 20,000 Black men who integrated the Marine Corps during World War II. If this sounds new or you don’t know about these men, you are not alone. These Marines epitomize the term “hidden figures” because very little has been written about their story and for the most part, many embraced silence.

Despite African American men's eagerness to fight in WWII, it was impossible for them to join the Marines. It took extensive pressure from Civil Rights leaders to compel President Roosevelt to sign Executive Order 8802 in 1941, forcing the Marines to integrate despite the refusal of the Marine Corps Commandant to accept them.

After 144 years of official policy against allowing Blacks to serve as Marines, on June 1, 1942, the nation’s first Black Marines broke the color barrier, entering a military organization that believed the Corps to be an elite society preserved for whites only. They were called the “Montford Point Marines” after the segregated North Carolina Marine Corps base where Black recruits trained near Jacksonville.

Montford Point Camp was swampy and inhabited by snakes, mosquitoes, bears, and alligators. Conditions were rough. The men were forced to live in cardboard tents with concrete floors, potbelly stoves for heat and outhouses for bathrooms. Training, equipment, and supplies were all inferior. They were assigned to only non-combat duties (support or service), due to the prejudiced belief that they would abandon their posts under duress.

Recruits endured indignities, encountered discrimination, and suffered from inexplicable trauma on and off duty. The hostilities the Black Marines faced on base were amplified by southern discrimination and hatred by the locals. They were always on edge about avoiding trouble and run-ins with local law enforcement and white residents of Jacksonville and surrounding communities.

The Montford Pointers were treated as an experiment initially; their intellect and performance were doubted. However, they served honorably, won the respect of those who served with them, and accomplished everything that was expected and asked of them. Despite the challenges presented to the Montford Pointers, their valor and performance paved the way for our present integrated armed forces, and they have earned their due place in American history.