IL HR0167

Over 20,000 black Americans trained at Montford Point and became the first black Marines to serve in the Marine Corps, breaking down barriers of discrimination.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 8802 on June 25, 1941, banning discrimination in government agencies based on race, creed, color, or national origin.

First recruits reported to the segregated Camp Montford Point on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina on August 26, 1942, and the men of the 51st Composite Defense Battalion distinguished themselves as elite artillery gunners.

Black Marines served valiantly in the Pacific Theatre during World War II in battles on Saipan, Guam, and Peleliu, and Camp Montford Point was decommissioned on September 9, 1949 following military integration.

Designates August 26, 2021 as Montford Point Marines Day to honor the brave Marines who were trailblazers in breaking down barriers within the Marine Corps.