BALTIMORE COUNTY — Before the United States Marine Corps was integrated, it was segregated. The men who changed that history trained at a little-known camp called Montford Point.
WATCH: Preserving the legacy of the Montford Point Marines
The Montford Point Marines were the first African American men to desegregate the Marine Corps during World War II, decades before civil rights legislation reshaped the nation.
While the Army, Navy, and other branches had already begun integrating, the Marine Corps remained segregated longer than any other service.
That changed after President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Executive Order 8802, banning racial discrimination in defense industries and laying the groundwork for military desegregation.
As a result, approximately 20,000 Black men were sent to Montford Point Camp near Jacksonville, North Carolina, between 1942 and 1949.
What they found was far from welcoming.
“There was no infrastructure. There were no buildings,” said O’Neil Johnson Jr., president of the Baltimore chapter of the National Montford Point Marine Association. “They had to build the camps up. They were in tents initially.”
Montford Point Marines didn’t just train there; they constructed the base themselves, battling mosquitoes, rodents, snakes, and extreme conditions, all while facing discrimination and skepticism about their abilities.
Despite persistent stereotypes, Johnson says these men were far from unskilled.
“They were highly educated,” he said. “They were professors teaching in school, lawyers, and they came because they loved America when America didn’t love them back—but they wanted to serve.”
Johnson says Black Marines were often required to undergo higher levels of training than their white counterparts just to prove themselves worthy.
“It took a while to be accepted,” he said.
That acceptance began to shift during combat overseas, particularly in Saipan and the Mariana Islands, where Montford Point Marines demonstrated exceptional performance. Their actions forced Marine Corps leadership to acknowledge their skill, discipline, and readiness.
Eventually, their success helped pave the way for full integration of the Marine Corps and opened the door for generations of service members who followed.
Today, the National Montford Point Marine Association exists to make sure that history is not forgotten.
With nearly 29 chapters across the United States, including one in Baltimore, the organization works to educate the public, preserve the legacy of the original Montford Point Marines, and honor both living veterans and their fallen comrades.
Only a small number of original Montford Point Marines remain alive today, many now in their mid-90s to over 100 years old.
In 2010, Congress approved the Congressional Gold Medal to honor the Montford Point Marines, and President Barack Obama signed it into law. While thousands attended the original medal ceremony, Johnson says many families are still waiting for recognition.
“We are still looking for Montford Point Marines to present them the Congressional Gold Medal,” he said. “That includes descendants, spouses, siblings, cousins…any next of kin.”
So far, only a fraction of the estimated 20,000 Montford Point Marines or their families have received the medal.
Johnson, who served more than 30 years in the Marine Corps himself, including deployments during Desert Storm, after 9/11, and in Afghanistan, says he didn’t even learn about the Montford Point Marines until 2010.
“When I found out about them, I was all in,” he said.
For him, their legacy is deeply personal.
“We stand on their shoulders,” Johnson said. “Without the original Montford Point Marines, I wouldn’t have been able to serve.”
While the story is often highlighted during Black History Month, Johnson emphasizes its broader significance.
“This is not just Black history,” he said. “Black history is American history.”