III 111th CONGRESS 2d Session S. RES. 587 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES July 20, 2010 Mr. Burr (for himself and Mr. Burris) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary July 22, 2010 Committee discharged; considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Designating August 26, 2010, as Montford Point Marines Day.

Whereas, on June 25, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8802, which established the fair employment practices that began to erase discrimination in the Armed Forces; Whereas in 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued a Presidential Directive that integrated the United States Marine Corps; Whereas approximately 20,000 African-American Marines received basic training at Montford Point in the State of North Carolina between 1942 and 1949; Whereas the African-American Marines trained at Montford Point became known as the Montford Point Marines; Whereas the African-American volunteers who enlisted in the United States Marine Corps during World War II— (1)joined the United States Marine Corps to demonstrate their commitment to the United States, despite the practice of segregation; (2)served the United States in a most honorable fashion; (3)defied unwarranted stereotypes; and (4)achieved distinction through brave and honorable service; Whereas, during World War II, African-American Marine Corps units fought and served in the Pacific theatre, participating in the liberation of the Ellice Islands, the Eniwetok Atoll, the Marshall Islands, the Kwajalein Atoll, Iwo Jima, Peleliu, the Marianas Islands, Saipan, Tinian, Guam, and Okinawa; Whereas Robert Sherrod, a correspondent for Time magazine in the central Pacific during World War II, wrote that the African-American Marines that entered combat for the first time in Saipan were worthy of a 4.0 combat performance rating, the highest performance rating given by the Navy; Whereas the heroism, commitment, and valor demonstrated by the Montford Point Marines— (1)changed the negative attitudes of the military leadership toward African-Americans; and (2)inspired the untiring service of future generations of African-Americans in the United States Marine Corps; Whereas in July 1948, President Harry S. Truman issued Executive Order 9981, which ended segregation in the military; Whereas in September 1949, the Montford Marine Camp was deactivated, ending 7 years of segregation in the Marine Corps; Whereas in September 1965, over 400 former and active duty Marines met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at a reunion to honor the Montford Point Marines, leading to the establishment of the Montford Point Marine Association; Whereas 2010 marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of the Montford Point Marine Association; and Whereas the sacrifices, dedication to country, and perseverance of the African-American Marines trained at Montford Point Camp are duly honored and should never be forgotten: Now, therefore be it

That the Senate— (1)designates August 26, 2010, as Montford Point Marines Day; (2)honors the 68th anniversary of the first day African-American recruits began training at Montford Point; (3)recognizes the work of the members of the Montford Point Marine Association— (A)in honoring the legacy and history of the United States Marine Corps; and (B)in ensuring that the sense of duty shared by the Montford Point Marines is passed along to future generations; (4)recognizes that— (A)the example set by the Montford Point Marines who served during World War II helped to shape the United States Marine Corps; and (B)the United States Marine Corps provides an excellent opportunity for the advancement for persons of all races; and (5)expresses the gratitude of the Senate to the Montford Point Marines for fighting for the freedom of the United States and the liberation of people of the Pacific, despite the practices of segregation and discrimination.