thedrifter
11-15-07, 09:15 AM
November 14, 2007 - 7:09PM
One of the very few and the very proud
Montford Point Marine calls Barstow home
By AARON AUPPERLEE City Editor
This is part of a series of stories about local veterans. Throughout the week, pick up the Desert Dispatch for more stories from those who have served.
BARSTOW — At the time, James Brewer did not think of himself as special. He had no idea he would be part of history — revered, remembered and recognized — for something he did on a dare.
In 1946, Brewer’s brother-in-law dared him to join the United States Marine Corps, believing he would not make it. Brewer enlisted, and because he was black, was sent to Montford Point Camp at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
“He thought I couldn’t hack it,” Brewer said. “Well I did, and I successfully made a career out of it.”
Brewer not only made a career out being a Marine, he retired after 26 years as a Master Gunnery Sergeant, but also made history. As a Marine from Montford Point, Brewer joined the ranks of the Corps first black recruits.
Montford Point opened in 1942, more than a year after President Franklin Roosevelt allowed black men to serve in the Marines. During the next seven years, the camp trained nearly 20,000 black recruits. Brewer said many of the early recruits to join the Marines were from the south and did so in order to escape the entrenched segregation in their communities. He said some got their first pair of shoes when they enlisted.
The camp was exclusively for black Marines, except all the officers and noncommissioned officers were white during the first years of Montford Point. Brewer said no harsh treatment from his commanding officers different from the normal name-calling and degradation recruits suffered during boot camp stood out from his time at Montford Point. Even though racism was all around him, he said never had any problems on account of his skin color during his career as a Marine.
“I never had no problems,” he said, “Yes, there were other people that did.”
Job opportunities for the newly enlisted black Marines were scant, Brewer said. Montford Point had only two units in Artillery Training, the rest focused on depot and supply work.
“Anything to do where you needed a strong back,” he said.
In 1948, President Harry Truman integrated the armed forces and Montford Point. The camp was renamed Camp Gilbert H. Johnson in honor of the late Sergeant Major Gilbert H. "Hashmark" Johnson, one of the first African Americans to join the Marine Corps. By that time, Brewer was on his away around the world with the Marines, a trip that would eventually land him in Barstow. He served in at bases Guam, North Carolina, Philadelphia, Hawaii, Washington D.C., 29 Palms, Okinawa and Barstow. Before heading off to Vietnam, Brewer received combat training at Camp Pendleton and then worked at a Force Logistics Command in Denang.
In Vietnam, Brewer never saw combat; he ran procurement and supply operations, but said the war was close by at all times. His job, he said, was to find the not-so-easy-to-find-items during the war. Often times he and his crew would head into the city or to Okinawa to look for replacement parts for vehicles, clothing and food. Brewer left Vietnam in 1971, retired from the Corps in 1972 and went to work as a civilian at the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Barstow. He retired from the base in 1995.
During that time, Brewer said people have praised the Montford Marines, who are known as the chosen few. He said during his whole time in the Marines, he did not think of himself as a black Marine, but as a Marine. That said, Brewer was quick to point out that he is proud to call himself a Montford Point Marine. He said people often comment that the Montford Point Marines were few in number but did an outstanding job.
That number is shrinking. Brewer said he goes to at least 10 funerals a year for fellow Montford Point Marines. He knows of only one other left in the High Desert.
“They’re dying fast,” he said. “We know it’s just a matter of time and there will be none in existence.”
Ellie
One of the very few and the very proud
Montford Point Marine calls Barstow home
By AARON AUPPERLEE City Editor
This is part of a series of stories about local veterans. Throughout the week, pick up the Desert Dispatch for more stories from those who have served.
BARSTOW — At the time, James Brewer did not think of himself as special. He had no idea he would be part of history — revered, remembered and recognized — for something he did on a dare.
In 1946, Brewer’s brother-in-law dared him to join the United States Marine Corps, believing he would not make it. Brewer enlisted, and because he was black, was sent to Montford Point Camp at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
“He thought I couldn’t hack it,” Brewer said. “Well I did, and I successfully made a career out of it.”
Brewer not only made a career out being a Marine, he retired after 26 years as a Master Gunnery Sergeant, but also made history. As a Marine from Montford Point, Brewer joined the ranks of the Corps first black recruits.
Montford Point opened in 1942, more than a year after President Franklin Roosevelt allowed black men to serve in the Marines. During the next seven years, the camp trained nearly 20,000 black recruits. Brewer said many of the early recruits to join the Marines were from the south and did so in order to escape the entrenched segregation in their communities. He said some got their first pair of shoes when they enlisted.
The camp was exclusively for black Marines, except all the officers and noncommissioned officers were white during the first years of Montford Point. Brewer said no harsh treatment from his commanding officers different from the normal name-calling and degradation recruits suffered during boot camp stood out from his time at Montford Point. Even though racism was all around him, he said never had any problems on account of his skin color during his career as a Marine.
“I never had no problems,” he said, “Yes, there were other people that did.”
Job opportunities for the newly enlisted black Marines were scant, Brewer said. Montford Point had only two units in Artillery Training, the rest focused on depot and supply work.
“Anything to do where you needed a strong back,” he said.
In 1948, President Harry Truman integrated the armed forces and Montford Point. The camp was renamed Camp Gilbert H. Johnson in honor of the late Sergeant Major Gilbert H. "Hashmark" Johnson, one of the first African Americans to join the Marine Corps. By that time, Brewer was on his away around the world with the Marines, a trip that would eventually land him in Barstow. He served in at bases Guam, North Carolina, Philadelphia, Hawaii, Washington D.C., 29 Palms, Okinawa and Barstow. Before heading off to Vietnam, Brewer received combat training at Camp Pendleton and then worked at a Force Logistics Command in Denang.
In Vietnam, Brewer never saw combat; he ran procurement and supply operations, but said the war was close by at all times. His job, he said, was to find the not-so-easy-to-find-items during the war. Often times he and his crew would head into the city or to Okinawa to look for replacement parts for vehicles, clothing and food. Brewer left Vietnam in 1971, retired from the Corps in 1972 and went to work as a civilian at the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Barstow. He retired from the base in 1995.
During that time, Brewer said people have praised the Montford Marines, who are known as the chosen few. He said during his whole time in the Marines, he did not think of himself as a black Marine, but as a Marine. That said, Brewer was quick to point out that he is proud to call himself a Montford Point Marine. He said people often comment that the Montford Point Marines were few in number but did an outstanding job.
That number is shrinking. Brewer said he goes to at least 10 funerals a year for fellow Montford Point Marines. He knows of only one other left in the High Desert.
“They’re dying fast,” he said. “We know it’s just a matter of time and there will be none in existence.”
Ellie