Marines who were denied the title of Marines always

A group of African-Americans Former Marines will be honor for their Steve in the United States Marine Corps. It seems the military was not keen on these fella mixing with the other Marines. In 1974, Montford Point's name was changed to Camp Johnson in honor of Gilbert "Hashmark" Johnson. He was one of the first black sergeants major on the base, and as far as Greggs knows, it's the only Marine Corps installation bearing the name of an African-American. From 1942 through 1949, the Marines at Montford Point endured and prevailed over harsh racist treatment, both in the military and the outside civilian worlds. "They paved the way for all the other African-Americans coming into the Marine Corps. They made the sacrifice," said Louise Greggs, who with her husband operates the Montford Point Marine Museum at Camp Johnson in Jacksonville. "They thought nothing of it. They had no way of knowing they were making history. They just wanted to be Marines." The Montford Point Marines reflect a painful chapter in the 236-year history of a military institution that remains predominantly white. In April 1941, Maj. Gen. Thomas Holcomb, the commandant of the Marine Corps, declared: "If it were a question of having a Marine Corps of 5,000 whites or 250,000 Negroes, I would rather have the whites." Excerpts taken from an article written by By MICHAEL FUTCH onThe Fayetteville Observer, N.C.and Published: June 24, 2012.