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"I have only two men out of my company and 20 out of some other company. We need support, but it is almost suicide to try to get it here as we are swept by machine gun fire and a constant barrage is on us. I have no one on my left and only a few on my right. I will hold." --1st. Lt. Clifton B. Cates, MOH, (later Commandant), USMC, July 19, 1918 commanding 96 Company, 6th Marines, near the French town of Soissons.
"Casualties: many, Percentage of dead: not known, Combat efficiency: we are winning." --Colonel David M. Shoup, USMC, MOH, (later Commandant) Tarawa, 21 November 1943.
"The safest place in Korea was right behind a platoon of Marines. Lord, how they could fight."
Major General Frank E. Lowe, US Army
Freedom is not free, but the U.S. Marine Corps will pay most of your share. --Ned Dolan
Dan Bankhead is best known for two things. He was the first African-American pitcher in the major leagues, and he and four brothers all played in the Negro Leagues. However, Bankhead's big-league career was brief and unsatisfying, and so he received scanty mainstream press coverage. the young man decided to serve his nation in the midst of World War II. On April 22, 1943, he enlisted in the Marine Corps in Macon, Georgia. He was stationed at Montford Point, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
The Montford Point Marines, as they were also known, were not a combat unit. Even so, the all-black troops became historically significant as an important step toward the integration of American military forces. Dan was part of the Montford Point baseball team, which remained in the States for the duration of the war and toured as a "morale raiser." In addition to pitching, he played shortstop and the outfield.
At least once the Marine got leave to pitch for the Black Barons. On June 5, 1944, the New York Times reported that Bankhead struck out 17 New York Black Yankees as he fired a three-hit shutout in the nightcap of a doubleheader. In the opener, the Barons blanked the Philadelphia Stars 9-0. The twin bill took place at Yankee Stadium before an estimated crowd of 12,000. Bankhead, who had gained sergeant's rank, was released from the service on June 7, 1946. CLICK HERE FOR PART TWO AUGUST 30,1947 JIMMY SAYS TO READ MORE ABOUT DAN BANKHEAD IN THE MARINE CORPS AND OUT.
ANOTHER WW2 ORIGINALD MONTFORD POINT MARINE JULY 1952 BELOW
Winter in Kodiak, a time of little light.
The snow brightens the ground and the stars light up the night.
A cluster of Spruce sag deep, a drift in front of my car.
My heart weighs heavy. Thoughts of relatives afar.
A blustery wind blows, north then south.
A cold winter thirst, warm java for my mouth.
A homeless man sleeps, all bundled in clothes.
His heart deep with thoughts of past Christmas woes.
A handshake, a smile, a sip of my coffee.
A friend in waiting, I became to he.
Some food from the shelter, a warm place to rest.
His life for the moment, felt happy and blessed.
He told me the stories of days long ago.
My full attention, he required, to him I happily bestowed.
A veteran of the war, a father of four.
A long distance call
seemed to matter no more.
The blanket of stars and the snow under his feet,
only brought back memories of a scar so deep.
A story from my life, I understood his loss.
To spend Christmas without family, there's no greater cost.
One more handshake. A “man-hug” goodbye.
His face looked of worry, wondered if I would be back tonight.
A job in Kodiak sometimes is so rare.
But I am happy to tell you, where I work is here.
A smile, a thought, the lending of an ear.
A thousand times more helpful than a frozen tear.
The Black Dispatch Newspaper
The Black Dispatch, founded by Roscoe Dungee and published from 1914 until 1981, was the major source of information about Oklahoma’s black communities and issues.
The Montford Point Marines were the first African-Americans to serve in the United States Marine Corps. The black Marines were segregated at Montford Point Camp to train between 1942-1949. The men served in all-black units, mostly in the Pacific Theater, and distinguished themselves while battling racism from within and enemies from without. In 1965, the Montford Point Marine Association, a military service group, was founded following a convention of former Montford Point Marines.
The integration of the American military was a long process that started in 1941 with an executive order by President Roosevelt that was intended to create fair employment practices in the United States Armed Forces. In 1942, Montford Point Camp was established so that African-American Marine recruits could train. 20,000 men trained at the camp, but the Montford Point Marines were not allowed into neighboring all-white camps without being accompanied by a white Marine. In 1949, President Truman signed another executive order to force full integration of the United States: in the same year, the first African-American woman, Annie Graham, enlisted in the Marines.
The Montford Point Marines are often hailed as important figures in American history, because they willingly fought to protect a nation that still did not offer them basic civil rights. Today, African-Americans make up approximately 20% of the United States Armed Forces. The Montford Point Marines helped to integrate the armed forces and to encourage respect for African-American men and women in the armed forces.
In 1965, a reunion of Marines was held in Philadelphia which included former Montford Point Marines along with Marines on active duty. Over 400 men showed from from all over the country, and they decided to establish the Montford Point Marine Association, one of many nonprofit veterans programs which exist all over the United States to help people in need and preserve military history. The Association has many chapters, and is a member of the Marine Corps Council, which is a council of Marine-related service groups.
The Montford Point Marine Association maintains a National Museum and archives pertaining to the Montford Point Marines, and also works to build ties of friendship in the communities in which it is active. A convention is held annually to celebrate the Montford Point Marines, make organizational decisions, and distribute scholarships
Search Panel How does it work? When a vistor goes to our site they will see our "search panel" and use it to specify word(s) they are looking for. When they do this the request is sent directly to the FreeFind Servers which determine which pages of our site contain the desired words. We then display a list of those page so the user can choose one.
