'Fighting for Freedom'

[thedrifter]

'Fighting for Freedom'

Documentary on Montford Point
Marines premieres at S.C. State

By DONNA HOLMAN
T&D Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 13, 2007

South Carolina State University played host Monday to the premiere of the documentary film, "The Marines of Montford Point: Fighting for Freedom," Monday in the Barbara A. Vaughan Recital Hall.

The film, narrated by actor Louis Gossett Jr., is a product of the Montford Point Marines Project: Documentary Video and Educational Resources grant, funded by the Office of Naval Research, Department of Navy and a collaborative effort between South Carolina State and the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

"South Carolina State University has contributed immeasurably to the development of this nation and to the defense of this country. The university, as a leader in education, is dedicated to recording and documenting the rich history of this nation, particularly the contributions of African-Americans," said Dr. Andrew Hugine Jr, president of S.C. State.

Along with the one-hour documentary, educational materials were created by LetterPress Software Inc. to complement the story of the Montford Point Marines from a time of segregation to a time of full integration in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Hugine said that as S.C. State began discussions with UNC, they had two concerns: one, to produce a historic documentary that would be shared with a national audience and, two, to design educational materials that would be useful to children, especially in secondary schools, in understanding the tremendous contributions which have been made.

"The story of each Montford Point Marine shapes and connects our struggle to end segregation," Hugine said.

Recruited as a result of America's entry into World War II, the Montford Point Marines represent a unique group of African American Marines who from 1942 until 1949 trained at the segregated Montford Point camp, now part of the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps base located in Jacksonville, N.C. The existence and exploits of the more than 20,000 Marines who trained at Montford Point are largely unknown by the American public, yet they played a crucial role in bringing segregation to an end in the United States. They fought in three major overseas conflicts including World War II, the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War while contending with racial prejudice from American society in general and, initially, within the Marine Corps itself.

"These men subjected themselves to training conditions that were inhumane. They were drilled by white officers, who disdainfully referred to them as 'you people.' These brave men took their place in the 51st Defense Battalion to serve in support roles, resupplying the front lines and evacuating the dead and wounded, jobs that no one wanted," said 6th District Congressman James E. Clyburn, U.S. House majority whip.

"Thanks to the sacrifices and the demonstrated abilities of the Montford Point Marines, our military can now be held up as a solid example of truly successful integration," said Clyburn, who described the film as moving and inspirational.

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.c., said the Montford Point Marines' story is one that should be "shouted from the rooftops ... Every young American regardless of race, creed or ethnic origin needs to hear about this ... we need to document what happened between 1942-1949. You can never improve until you confront your problems."

"This documentary ... is about young men ... who carried a load that very few people could bear," said Graham, adding that these Marines saw something better in America than what was on display, seeing through racial prejudice to the other side of segregation.

"It was mind-opening to see what took place in the U.S. military and what a lot of African Americans went through to serve," said Furman Gunyard, who added that to see where the military has come from then to now is "a great accomplishment."

Students from Felton Laboratory School who attended the premiere said they were glad to have the opportunity to view the documentary.

"It takes a lot of hard work to be a Marine. You have to be disciplined. You have to give your best effort and never give up," sixth-grader Samuel Felder II said.

"I'm proud of them because they helped to give everyone equal rights," he added.

Jerry Steward, an eighth-grader at Felton Laboratory School, said, " The Montford Point Marines inspired me to work hard and to strive to do my best and make something of my life. Stepping into Iwo Jima ... it took a lot of courage and bravery."

"It was long overdue," Mary Jeffries said of the documentary.

"It makes you appreciate life and what those guys went through," she said.

Lillie Gaffney, who has had three men in her life -- her husband and two of her sons -- serve in the military, said, "I had heard many stories from my family, and to see it on screen was very interesting to me."

Gaffney said veterans are very special people and that everyone should seek ways to let them know how proud they are of them more often.

"As an alumnae of S.C. State, I am proud to have been a part of this historical moment," said Barbara C. Glover, who admitted that she had not known that the military once had segregated training camps.

"It was very educational. I hope to share it with my grandchildren and to purchase the software that goes with it so they can learn even more," Glover said.

According to Mark Lacy of LetterPress Software Inc., secondary schools will receive the supplementary educational software, along with the documentary, to use in educating young people about the brave men who helped to change the course of America's history.

"The Montford Point Marines are no longer a footnote in our nation's history," Clyburn said. "Their dignity and determination despite the obstacles they faced helped build a country and a military of which all of us can be proud."

T&D Staff Writer Donna L. Holman can be reached by e-mail at dholman@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-534-1060. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Montford Point: A story that had to be told
CHRISSY VICK
March 9, 2007 - 12:00AM

Despite the large amount of time and money needed, Melton McLaurin knew the story of the Montford Point Marines was one that had to be told.

That's because the country's first black Marines charted a course of change in U.S. history, he says. Their courage and determination broke down "legal racial segregation in America and proved that blacks could perform admirably in the Corps."

In his ninth book, "The Marines of Montford Point: America's First Black Marines," McLaurin digs deep into what it took for the first black men to become Marines. His book, published by UNC Press and released Feb. 26, came weeks after the first public unveiling of the 60-minute documentary "The Marines of Montford Point: Fighting for Freedom."

The University of North Carolina at Wilmington-produced documentary is narrated by Louis Gossett Jr. and was shown in Jacksonville in early February.

Both follow the stories of the Marines at Montford Point, where more than 20,000 black Marines were trained at a segregated facility from 1942 to 1949. They focus on the Marines' determination to fight on the front lines for their country in the face of extreme racism in the Corps and around Jacksonville.

The road was long and hard - and lined with prejudice and abuse.

McLaurin, professor emeritus of history at UNCW, knew after running into retired Marine Lt. Col. Clarence Willie in the late 1990s that the two shared a similar passion.

"He very much wanted to have their story told," said McLaurin during a book-signing at the Camp Lejeune Main Exchange. "After talking with him, I did too."

It took McLaurin three years to get the money needed to begin the hours of interviews necessary to create the documentary. After a grant became available through South Carolina State University and the Office of Naval Research, the first interviews began in 2001.

It would be four more years before McLaurin and Willie had conducted more than 60 interviews with original Montford Point Marines from all over the country.

And both of them gained a respect greater than they had ever imagined for the Marines.

"These are a really significant group of men," McLaurin said. "When you look at everything they accomplished they are a big piece of Marine Corps' and our country's history and race relations. And nobody knew about that. We have tried to change that."

Their hard work, alongside UNCW staff, produced the documentary, which only used 35 minutes of 60 hours of interviews.

McLaurin knew that extra information couldn't go unpublished. So he decided to turn it into a book, which he says represents about four to five hours of interviews with the Montford Point Marines. Writing the book took him one year - though he claims he didn't write it, but "simply compiled their stories."

"There was so much good stuff in those interviews," he said. "The book is basically an expanded story. Thirty-five minutes is nothing - it's sound bytes. The book allows you to tell a much fuller story. It gives the reader a much more detailed picture."

That credit is due to the Montford Point Marines, who were eager to open up about their experiences.

"All of these men were so anxious to have their story told, so passionate about it, so involved emotionally," McLaurin said. "I just enjoyed being with them."

McLaurin hopes readers will take from his book a greater value for just what the Marines went through.

"I think it's an understanding of what these men endured, coupled with an appreciation of how committed these men were to the best values of this country," McLaurin said. "It's one of those stories that has national significance. It's a very human read."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Montford Point Marines claim place in history

BY DIANE KNICH
The Post and Courier

ORANGEBURG - Frederick James Drake and LaSalle R.Vaughn walked together into the Marine Corps Recruit Depot on Parris Island in 1949.

They were among the first black Marines from the segregated Montford Point camp in Jacksonville, N.C., to leave that camp, integrate the Marine Corps and help pave the way for integration throughout the country.

And the two men, now 87 and 83 years old respectively, walked together Thursday into the South Carolina premiere of the documentary "The Marines of Montford Point: Fighting for Freedom."

They are among the dwindling number of World War II-era black Marines who trained at Montford Point between 1942 and 1949.

The film, a collaborative effort between South Carolina State University in Orangeburg and the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, tells the little-known story of the black Marines who trained at Montford Point.

The camp is now part of the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps base in Jacksonville.

Filmmakers said they wanted the Montford Point Marines to take their place in history alongside the Army's better-known Buffalo Soldiers and the Army Air Corps' Tuskegee Airmen.

In a videotaped message delivered to the audience at the film's premiere at S.C. State, U.S. Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., said the film will "make sure the Montford Point Marines are no longer (just) a footnote in our history."

The Marines' lives were difficult, he said. They were drilled by white officers who referred to them as "you people." And they were forced to serve in support roles, "the jobs nobody wanted."

The Marine Corps was the last branch of the Armed Forces to admit blacks, prohibiting them from serving until 1942 and then forcing them to train at the segregated Montford Point camp.

In the film, some of the first black Marines to arrive at the camp to train to serve in World War II, said it was hastily thrown together.

One of them said it looked as though it was "put together with cardboard and staple guns."

The men endured not only the rigors of Marine training but also the abuses of racial prejudice, filmmakers said.

And many were disappointed that they weren't allowed to directly participate in combat. The black Marines did jobs such as cooking, guarding land that white Marines had already secured and picking up dead bodies after a battle. Some of them were also sent to Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945 to clean up ash left from the atomic bomb the United States dropped on that city.

Many also took ammunition to combat troops, a job that put them in danger equal to that of the white Marines.

Many of the men who trained at Montford Point were folded into the integrated Marine Corps in 1949 and served in the Korean and Vietnam wars.

Drake and Vaughn both opted for careers in the military.

After leading the first 25 black Marines onto Parris Island, Drake served in the Marine Corps for 30 years. Vaughn served for 24 years. During his years of service, he met Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry Truman, he said. And he wrote the lyrics of the Montford Point Marine Hymn.

Both men now live in Port Royal, not far from Parris Island, where they are neighbors.

They traveled a long road together since they met at Montford Point in 1943. "We've been inseparable since," Drake said.

Reach Diane Knich at 937-5491 or dknich@postandcourier.com.

Ellie