thedrifter
02-16-07, 06:24 AM
Thursday, February 15, 2007 <br />
Montford Point Marines Honored at DoD Observance <br />
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Rudi Williams <br />
Courtesy of MCB Quantico <br />
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AUSTIN, Texas -- The Defense Department honored five black military...
thedrifter
02-16-07, 06:31 AM
Legacy captured on film
February 16,2007
CHRISSY VICK
Some said it was inspiring. Others thought it was realistic.
All agreed it was a story that has long needed to be told.
For the first time, the public was able to view the story of the Montford Point Marines in the documentary "The Marines of Montford Point: Fighting for Freedom." The University of North Carolina at Wilmington-produced documentary unfolds the story of the first black Americans to serve in the Marine Corps - and the struggles they underwent to get there.
Area residents and some of the original Montford Point Marines filled a packed Northside High School auditorium Thursday night to view the story of Montford Point, where more than 20,000 black Marines were trained at a segregated facility from 1942 to 1949.
The documentary, written and directed by Melton McLaurin, UNCW professor emeritus, painted a realistic picture of the prejudice in the Marine Corps and the Jacksonville area at the time, many said after the viewing. McLaurin interviewed more than 60 Montford Point Marines for the documentary, which focused on the struggle from training to combat.
For some, McLaurin's documentary was an eye-opener. For others, it brought back memories.
"I think the Jacksonville community has changed 250 percent since I first got here," said John Spencer, a retired Marine who was at Montford Point in 1942, with a laugh.
The documentary shed light on the bond between Marines then and the Marines now, he said.
"We didn't do it to bring attention to ourselves," Spencer said. "We did it because our country was at war and we were Americans who wanted to serve. The Marines were the best way to do that."
Retired Master Gunnery Sgt. Roy Tootle said the documentary was well done, but he had hoped to see a little bit more.
"I think it was missing a few of the important people of that time," he said. "And I really wished they had talked about the name change from Montford Point to Camp Johnson. They changed it and named it after a Montford Point Marine" (Sgt. Maj. Gilbert "Hashmark" Johnson).
Arvella Brunson of Sneads Ferry said the documentary was a realistic picture of those times. She saw some of it first hand through her ex-husband, an original Montford Point Marine who she was married to while he was there.
"I like the fact that they told the truth about what was going on - the bold truth," Brunson said. "I hope the young people will take with them the fact that the Montford Point Marines helped bring about integration."
Ruth Oliver of Jacksonville said the documentary brought back memories of segregation in North Carolina.
"I remember thinking at the time that I couldn't understand why it was the way it was," Oliver said. "I remember the segregated signs. I think this is a story that needed to be told and that hasn't been told before. Those are things that open your eyes."
Debbie Rouse became emotional when the impact of what the Montford Point Marines had really done hit her.
"It was when Col. (Adele) Hodges walked up on stage and it all came full circle more than 60 years later," Rouse said. "To see her up there as the first female black commander of Camp Lejeune was so moving."
Hodges, who spoke after the viewing, said the film was a testimony to the Americans who fought their way into the Marine Corps to fight for their country.
"They have earned the right to be counted as heroes," she said. "I feel honored to walk behind them. The Montford Point legacy will live in each and every one of us."
Contact staff writer Chrissy Vick at cvick@freedomenc.com or by calling 353-1171, ext. 239.
Ellie
thedrifter
02-16-07, 08:44 AM
From: UpstageMagazine.com
Tinton Falls Marine Recalls WWII History Opens Spring "Video and Vets" Series
(Lincroft, NJ) -- Gilmon Brooks, Tinton Falls, ex-Marine and one of the first black Marines to see World War II combat, will be the featured vet providing commentary for the opening of the Spring 2007 Video and Vet Series. The Center for World War II Studies and Conflict Resolution event will be held Tuesday, February 20 at 7:00 p.m. in the Warner Student Life Center, Twin Lights I room.
Ellie