Between 1942 and 1949, approximately 20,000 African-American men completed recruit training and became known as the “Montford Point Marines.” Despite the challenges presented to those Montford Point Marines, their valor and performance at Peleliu, Iwo Jima, the Chosen Reservoir, Vietnam, and more paved the way for our present integrated armed forces.Between 1942 and 1949, approximately 20,000 African-American men completed recruit training and became known as the “Montford Point Marines.” Despite the challenges presented to those Montford Point Marines, their valor and performance at Peleliu, Iwo Jima, the Chosen Reservoir, Vietnam, and more paved the way for our present integrated armed forces.



The Montford Point Marines

The opportunity for African-Americans to enlist and serve in the Marine Corps came in 1942 as the Corps began to recruit qualified African-American men. The men who enlisted in response completed recruit training at Montford Point, North Carolina during a time and place where racism and segregation were a part of everyday life.