Racism in The Marine Corps and in the Military.

This is more about history than it is about racism.

With the beginning of World War II African Americans would get their chance to be in “the toughest outfit going,” the previously all-white Marine Corps.  The first recruits reported to Montford Point, a small section of land on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina on August 26, 1942.  By October only 600 recruits had begun training although the call was for 1,000 for combat in the 51st and 52nd Composite Defense Battalions. 

Initially the recruits were trained by white officers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs) but citing a desire to have blacks train blacks, the Marines quickly singled out several exceptional black recruits to serve as NCO drill instructors.  In January 1943, Edgar R. Huff became the first black NCO as a private first class. In February Gilbert "Hashmark" Johnson, a 19-year veteran of the Army and Navy, became the first Drill Sergeant.  By May 1943 all training at Montford Point was done by black sergeants and drill instructors (DIs), with Johnson as chief DI.  Both Johnson and Huff would be renowned throughout the entire Marine Corps for their demanding training and exceptional leadership abilities.

The men of the 51st soon distinguished themselves as the finest artillery gunners in the Marine Corps, breaking almost every accuracy record in training.  Unfortunately, discrimination towards African American fighting abilities still existed and when shipped to the Pacific, the 51st and 52nd were posted to outlying islands away from the primary action.  The only Montfort Marines to see action, and record casualties, were the Ammunition and Depot Companies in Saipan, Guam, and Peleliu.  Private Kenneth Tibbs was the first black Marine to lose his life on June 15, 1944.

Sources:
Gerald Astor, The Right to Fight: A History of African Americans in the Military (Novato, Ca.: Presidio Press, 1998); Gail Buckley, American Patriots (New York: Random House, 2001); Bernard C. Nalty, The Right to Fight: African-American Marines in World War II (Washington, D.C.: Center for Military History, The United States Army, 1985).

I'm posting this subject here after having found out a few uncomfortable things about many of the Dark Green Marines I have recently reconnected with on a few other sites who all seems to have the same issues with certain treatment from their commands on and around Cherry point.

Now, I also remember the stories of the Montford Point Marines and their struggles in the Corps and how this also relates to this subject.

The subject I'm speaking of is Racism in the Marine Corps.

And for over 20 years I kept a personal shame of having had such a short term in the Corps that ended at the Cherry Point. And it wasn't until I became reconnected with a few old Marine buddies from school and from My time on Cherry Points Base that I found need to reach out to others and ask if anyone else has noticed or heard of this kind of issue growing around the Marine Corps? Especially around the Coastal area of NC in or around Cherry Point.

Here was My story in short...

My miserable time was in Cherry Point right after finishing My training at Ft Bliss where I got busted in rank two stripes and a nice notch out of My pay for a charge from some grunt lifer sgt that I beat up (defending My gurlfriend's honor) off base and didn't know he was a Marine and he reported for duty and I was the duty... And there I was reporting for duty as a buck private only to find out that My racist ass top at school was best friends with the new top I got stuck with and he chewed Me a new asshole the first day reporting and gave Me hell every chance he got.

And to add insult to injury My girlfriend got married and I had to find out from her parents after we had made plans for her to move to NC with me and marry Me. And My image of that great life in the Corps was dying fast as My top and his boys played with the UCMJ so much that I had more article 15s than Chesty Puller. And then I found out that something sneaky with our weapons in the Armory with missing parts from rifles that had not been used by us and reported it and shit hit the fan some more. And then I broke My leg playing football and still had to walk Guard duty with a cast on, and My family was having personal troubles I could not deal with from that distance and I was getting mess duty and guard duty every holiday I was on base almost. And no matter how many maritoious(sp) masses I got I got busted for something. And that shit never let up and there was no jumping MOS's with the amount of money they put into My training.

So it all ended with Me having to fight a court marshal that ended with Me having a choice of putting My top and damn near the whole food chain all the way up to Master sgt on charges after they found out about all the treatment I had recorded and them leaving Me back on base unsupervised during a NATO exercise in Navada. And I had two choices...

Court Marshal My chain of command and try to stay in one of two places I could be in My MOS or leave. And I didn't want to go but I had a critical MOS so I did. And they made My last days even more hell and even fucked up My paperwork to such a degree that I didn't even know what My discharge was until I got back to Atlanta... My car was stolen the day before I left and I was stuck with too much shit to fit on a Greyhound.

So let's just say that My most miserable time in the service was on cherry Point where right off base friends and family of many on base paraded in full uniform with the WPM(White Power Movement) and I never knew that in My SRB was the history of My family in the civil rights movement and I got stuck with some of the oldest racist asses in the corps in a unit that really never was useful in battle...lol

So I never did My 4 years by a few months.

And I wanted to live all My days in the Corps, until I woke up and found Myself back on the streets fighting the same shit I thought I was getting away from in the service.

The sunny side to all of this is all the people in question were made to retire instead of being court marshaled.

So I guess My story could be called a miserable time in Cherry Point and Havlock NC...lol

respect

"Please note that I did not try to personally call My treatment from many of the other Marines racist. But I always felt that it could not have been as bad as I found it in My journey in the Corps until lately as I started to find out from others similar stories like My own."

...

Now here is where I'm at now...

After talking to at least 5 Marines that I have reconnected with as of late. Each of them all had a similar issues and even similar discharges. ALL around the same era and time frame. And all but one were all attached to MAG28 during the 80's.

At least half of them were all rather contacted by CID or reported racial activity to CID or some form of JAG.

On Camp Lajune(sp) there was a report of Marines in uniform passing out flyers for a KKK and Local White Power meeting off base.

I personally had issue with a few "Light Green" Marines who actually had a KKK Robe in their locker that they removed only for inspection and personal use.

There was even a White Power celebration and parade in the city of Havlock that took place yearly right in front of the front gates of Cherry Point.

...

So I'm wondering if anyone has any memory of racial tension or even racist acts within the Marine Corps?

Not that it really matters...lol

But I have really been wondering about how known racism has been within the Marine Corps.

evil stare

respect