Footprints Of The Montford Point Marines

Footprints of the Montford Point Marines explores historic information about the Montford Point Marines and also my dad, Corporal Thomas Mosley, while serving with the first group of African American Marines in the United States. This is the story of a brief period of his life, from Montford Point Camp to the Pacific in World War II, and seventy years later being awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by Congress. These men came from all parts of the United States to the South to train at a segregated facility called Montford Point Camp, adjacent to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, the largest all-purpose Marine base in the world. It had the best equipment for all types of military training, but these new black enlistees at the adjacent Montford Point Camp were not allowed to enter unless accompanied by a White officer—Camp Lejeune was exclusive to White Marines and their families only. With World War II looming, the government needed all hands on deck and created millions of new jobs in preparation but continued keeping Blacks out of the job market and housing. With the pressure imposed by groups such as the NAACP, President Franklin D. Roosevelt had to rethink these exclusions, at least in the federal workplace, and through negotiations with many groups, led by A. Philip Randolph, Executive Order 8802 was issued by President Roosevelt on June 25, 1941, to counter racial discrimination. The U.S. Marine Corps was part of the defense industry, and as a result had to open their ranks to African Americans who wished to serve. The Montford Point Marines became giants in the Asiatic Pacific and were some of the greatest heroes this country has ever known. Through swamps, hills, and worse terrain, under heavy enemy gunfire, they were able to supply ammunition, fuel, food, and medical supplies to troops on the front lines where most others had failed. They were also charged with removing the dead and wounded back to the safety of the ships waiting offshore. Eventually they were called to the front lines and fought in every major battle in the Pacific islands. Some seventy years later, on June 27, 2012, approximately four hundred of these brave men, mostly in their eighties and nineties, finally received their just recognition by receiving Congressional Gold Medals. Other families received the medal posthumously. From 1942 to 1949, the 19,168 Montford Point Marines paid the price so others could follow in their footprints to continue the legacy of the few, the proud, the Marines: Semper Fidelis (Always Faithful). They were also known as “The Chosen Few.”

With an executive order from President Franklin Roosevelt in 1941, the United States Marine Corps--the last all-white branch of the U.S. military--was forced to begin recruiting and enlisting African Americans. The first black recruits received basic training at the segregated Camp Montford Point, adjacent to Camp Lejeune, near Jacksonville, North Carolina. Between 1942 and 1949 (when the base was closed as a result of President Truman's 1948 order fully desegregating all military forces) more than 20,000 men trained at Montford Point, most of them going on to serve in the Pacific Theatre in World War II as members of support units. This book, in conjunction with the documentary film of the same name, tells the story of these Marines for the first time. Drawing from interviews with 60 veterans, The Marines of Montford Point relates the experiences of these pioneers in their own words. From their stories, we learn about their reasons for enlisting; their arrival at Montford Point and the training they received there; their lives in a segregated military and in the Jim Crow South; their experiences of combat and service in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam; and their legacy. The Marines speak with flashes of anger and humor, sometimes with sorrow, sometimes with great wisdom, and always with a pride fostered by incredible accomplishment in the face of adversity. This book serves to recognize and to honor the men who desegregated the Marine Corps and loyally served their country in three major wars.

I am often saddened by many students who seem to have an uncaring attitude towards proper personal development. Do they know who they are or their purpose for living? Why do they associate personal value with brand name labels and pricey clothes? Why do they affectionately refer to their peers as “dogs”, “boys” and “girls”? Are any personal relationships meaningful to them anymore? I wrote “Tenure, How I Lived, Learned, Loved and Enjoyed a Long Successful Life”, to share sound life reality based principles, information and practical steps to help them evaluate their dreams and passions and recharge their lives. The reader will learn to practice forgiveness, acceptance and self-appreciation. Please join me on this discovery of mind, body and soul that will help highlight your life’s purpose and promote personal growth that you might minimize future life regrets.

In the 1960s, during the Vietnam War, there were two ways of becoming a Marine-being drafted and choosing to join. Author Gregg Stoner, a baby boomer in disagreement with the war, joined the Marine Corps as a protest against the draft and with a strong desire to avoid fighting in Vietnam. Stoner's first enlistment began just after the Tet Offensive and was during a time when most Marines were sent to combat. But he was the only soldier from his platoon of eighty-five to remain stateside. The Yellow Footprints to Hell and Back details Stoner's life in the military-from a private in boot camp to working as a sergeant drill master. Beginning with the first grueling experiences as a new recruit to the immense pride at graduation, Stoner shares his inner thoughts at what it took to become a Marine. He had joined the Marines to avoid fighting overseas, but he gained much more than he had imagined. Filled with abundant anecdotes, this personal memoir relays the interesting and, at times unbelievable, stories of the Marine Corps. It conveys the feelings and attitudes that dominated this special time in American history.

They Also Served is a collection of memories, bringing to life the experiences of women during World War II. None of the women profiled achieved great renown these were the neighbors next door, the townspeople encountered at the post office or market, the ladies sharing the pews at worship services. Unwilling to be mere bystanders to the war effort, they did their parts in every way imaginable and some not so easily imagined. Laughter, shock, joy, tears, and outrage are shared in recollections of women from all walks of life. Traditional and daring, they kept the home fires burning and joined the fight. They waited for their men and made lasting changes for women.

After quitting his dead-end job, Mason enacts his dream of becoming a psychic investigator, despite skepticism from his boyfriend. Eluding sketchy Hollywood thugs, surviving his first lap dance, and paying close attention to his dreams, he manages to solve a few mysteries and surprise even himself with his psychic skills.

If what I saw today (Negroes in U.S. Marine uniforms) is an indication of how the war is going - America is in deep trouble.' These words, spoken by a member of an exclusive upper-Midwestern country club and heard by a black employee, essentially summed up the sentiments of many Americans in 1942. For it was the first time in military history that the Marine Corps had decided to open its doors to Negroes. To this day, some fifty years later, too few people are aware of the contribution and sacrifice of black Marines to the World War II effort. This was the motivating force, which occasioned the writing of this treatise - principally to refute the notion that 'America was in deep trouble.' The reader will find between these pages documentation of the highest order; sources of information from various perspectives, all converging on a common theme.