The Marines of Montford Point: America's First Black Marines - Hardcover

McLaurin, Melton A.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0807861766 ISBN 13: 9780807861769

Verlag: UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA PR, 2009

Inhaltsangabe

With an executive order from President Franklin Roosevelt in 1941, the United States Marine Corps — the last all-white branch of the U.S. military — was forced to begin recruiting and enlisting African Americans. The first black recruits received basic training at the segregated Camp Montford Point, adjacent to Camp Lejeune, near Jacksonville, North Carolina. Between 1942 and 1949 (when the base was closed as a result of President Truman’s 1948 order fully desegregating all military forces) more than 20,000 men trained at Montford Point, most of them going on to serve in the Pacific Theatre in World War II as members of support units. This book, in conjunction with the documentary film of the same name, tells the story of these Marines for the first time.

Drawing from interviews with 60 veterans, The Marines of Montford Point relates the experiences of these pioneers in their own words. From their stories, we learn about their reasons for enlisting; their arrival at Montford Point and the training they received there; their lives in a segregated military and in the Jim Crow South; their experiences of combat and service in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam; and their legacy. The Marines speak with flashes of anger and humor, sometimes with sorrow, sometimes with great wisdom, and always with a pride fostered by incredible accomplishment in the face of adversity. This book serves to recognize and to honor the men who desegregated the Marine Corps and loyally served their country in three major wars.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Melton A. McLaurin is professor emeritus of history at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. He is author of eight books, including the award-winning Separate Pasts: Growing Up White in the Segregated South.

Von der hinteren Coverseite

With an executive order from President Franklin Roosevelt in 1941, the United States Marine Corps?the last all-white branch of the U.S. military?was forced to begin recruiting and enlisting African Americans. This book, in conjunction with the documentary film of the same name, tells for the first time the story of the African American Marines who integrated the last all-white branch of the U.S. military in 1942. Drawing from interviews with 60 veterans, McLaurin relates their reasons for enlisting; their arrival at Montford Point and the training they received there; their lives in a segregated military and in the Jim Crow South; their experiences of combat and service in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam; and their legacy. This book serves to recognize and to honor the men who desegregated the Marine Corps and loyally served their country in three major wars.

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA PR
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2009
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0807861766
• ISBN 13: 9780807861769
• Einband: Gebundene Ausgabe
• Anzahl der Seiten: 216
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar