[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 14796]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO MONTFORD POINT MARINE

  Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, on the 25th day of June 1941, President 
Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order No. 8802 establishing the 
fair employment practice that began to erase discrimination in the 
Armed Forces.
  In 1942, President Roosevelt established a presidential directive 
giving African Americans an opportunity to be recruited into the Marine 
Corps. These African Americans, from all States, were not sent to the 
traditional boot camps of Parris Island, SC and San Diego, CA. Instead, 
African American Marines were segregated--experiencing basic training 
at Montford Point--a facility at Camp Lejeune, NC. Approximately 20,000 
African American Marines received basic training at Montford Point 
between 1942 and 1949.
  In July of 1948 President Harry S. Truman issued Executive Order No. 
9981 negating segregation. In September of 1949, Montford Marine Camp 
was deactivated, ending 7 years of segregation.
  On April 19, 1974, Montford Point Camp was renamed Camp Johnson, in 
honor of the late Sergeant Major, Gilbert H. ``Hashmark'' Johnson. 
Johnson was one of the first African Americans to join the Corps, a 
Distinguished Montford Point Drill Instructor and a Veteran of WWII and 
Korea. The Camp remains the only Marine Corps installation named in 
honor of an African American.
  The awarding of the Congressional Gold Medal came to fruition after 
the signing of H.R. 2447, Public Law 112-59 by President Obama on 23 
Nov 11, which is the highest civilian honor for the distinguished 
achievement. The Congressional Gold Medal was presented to 366 Original 
Montford Point Marines, 27 June 2012 at the Capital Visitor's Center in 
Washington, DC. The next day, replicas of this medal were presented to 
these men at the Commandant of the Marine Corps' residence.
  January of 2012 began the keeling of the USNS Montford Point, T-MLP-
1, the lead ship of her class of Mobile Landing Platforms, MLP, a ship 
named in honor of the Original Montford Point Marines. Currently the 
Montford Point Marine Association Inc is raising funds to build the 
Montford Point Memorial at Camp Lejeune, NC.
  Today, I would like to recognize the following Original Montford 
Point Marines from Louisiana:

       Henry Leonard Bart, New Orleans
       Winston Joseph Burns, Sr., New Orleans
       Cleauthor Sanders, Shreveport
       Otis O'Neal Stewart, Baton Rouge
       Ruffin Dawson, Mandeville
       Joseph Bastian, New Iberia
       Alcee Chriss, Sr., Baton Rouge
       Walter Duhon, Fenton
       William Joseph Brashear, Morgan City

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