PDA

View Full Version : Heroes not forgotten



Shaffer
06-24-02, 08:23 AM
They spoke of heroes and hallowed ground. They spoke of forgoing a road less traveled and of men wanting little more than a chance. More than 100 Marines, civilians and local officials gathered Friday at Camp Johnson to honor the 60th anniversary of the Montford Point Marines and to rededicate the camp to Sgt. Maj. Gilbert H. "Hashmark" Johnson, called by one speaker "a legend in his own time."

Retired Sgt. Maj. Nathaniel James, president of the Montford Point Marine Association, said the day was to celebrate the more than 20,000 black Marines who trained at Montford Point between 1942 and 1949. "Our pledge is to never forget because they are truly heroes," James said. "They were first class citizens, and all they really wanted was a chance." Retired Brig. Gen. George Walls, a former commanding general at Camp Lejeune
who now lives in Durham, told a bit of Montford Point history during his keynote speech. He spoke of the two battalions that never saw combat in World War II and the seven out of twelve ammunition and depot units that did. Though their detail was often "unglamorous," he said, they set standards for all officers and enlisted personnel regardless of color.

"Every time I take a ride down Route 24 to this camp, I wonder what was in the minds of these men," Walls said. "Many never achieved fame or glory, but they were part of what we call the "Greatest Generation.''' Former Montford Point Marine Calvin Brown of New Bern remembered the harsh training and his "inhuman" drill instructor who crafted men into Marines.
Serving at Montford Point from 1946 to 1954 and then in Korea, he also remembered living in segregated days. "We blacks are a great people, just as all people are great in the eyes of God," he said.

Joseph Cobb of Georgia remembered running around a water tower in a crouched position with his rifle above his head "until (the drill instructor) was satisfied." For Cobb, Montford Point's legacy is important because of the people who wanted the Marines to fail. "They didn't expect us to survive," he said.
Col. Jonathan T. Pasco, commanding officer of Marine Corps Combat Service Support Schools which operates today at Camp Johnson, spoke to the black Marines on hand about those who preceded them.

"You lived most of your life, I imagine, without the trials and tribulations these Americans fought in their life," Pasco said. They really had to earn the title of Marine, and they did it very well.
Some of the old camp is still around. One barracks still houses Marines, and the original headquarters is just getting a facelift. But Pasco said the ground is the same, and the memories remain.
"Blood, sweat and tears are shed here today just like 60 years ago," he said.