[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 587 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 587

    Designating August 26, 2010, as ``Montford Point Marines Day''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   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

_______________________________________________________________________

                               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
    Resolved, 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.
                                 <all>