Veterans with the Montford Point Marine Association met an enthusiastic crowd of students at Tuckaseegee Elementary on Feb. 21 to share a story they say is at the heart of American history — but that’s especially poignant now, during Black History Month.
It’s the story of the Montford Point Marines, the first-ever Black Marines allowed into the service. They trained at Camp Montford Point in Jacksonville, N.C., segregated from the rest of the Marine Corps, between 1942 and 1949. It’s a chapter of history that some, like Marine Corps veteran Glenn Proctor, say is often overlooked.
Proctor said that while many are familiar with the Buffalo Soldiers in the Army and the Tuskegee Airmen of the Air Force, the story of the Montford Point Marines isn't as well known.
“The Montford Point Marines were not that well known," Proctor told WFAE. "So our job is to continue to spread the awareness and make sure that our forefathers, our brethren, our history are not forgotten.”
Tuckaseegee Principal LaTresha Wilson said the event gave students the opportunity to learn about history and to see another option of what life after school could look like. Last week, Tuckaseegee celebrated historically Black colleges and universities.
"Having the Marines come here to share their history, to share how they fought in order to be Marines, and to have this right for our students, it just makes it all more real for them to know that, again, if they don't go to college, there are different options and they they can serve their country," Wilson said.
In 2011, former President Barack Obama signed legislation to award all the Montford Point Marines the Congressional Gold Medal.
In 2021, the city of Charlotte renamed Phifer Avenue to Montford Point Street to honor the Marines.
Proctor said that understanding these stories is important to understanding our history.
"Being patriots is not a Black thing, a white thing, an Asian thing, a Hispanic thing — it's an American thing, and that's what we believe," Proctor said.
