Learning points and Summary
Geschrieben von JoanWriting am 12. Oktober 2020 00:10 Uhr
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Learning points and Summary
The Marines of Montford Point: America's First Black Marines by Melton A. McLaurin delves into history as it takes a look at the first African-Americans enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps(McLaurin). The oldest branch of U.S. military was the last one to allow Black Americans to serve in it, following an executive order from the then President Franklin Roosevelt in 1941 to prevent discrimination in government agencies. In his book, McLaurin highlights the struggle and journey of the first Black Marines during the 20th century.
The first African-Americans enlisted in the Marine Corps gained their training in Camp Montford Point in North Carolina from 1942 till 1949 until the camp had to close down due to President Harry S. Truman's order for the military's desegregation. McLaurin discusses how the training Montford Point period for over 20,000 African-Americans was full of struggles and intense competition. The Marines of Montford Point served the U.S. in three wars and set the foundations for the Marine Corps who served in Iraq. McLaurin's book is a compilation of interviews with 60 veterans who identify themselves with the Montford Point who narrate their experiences as the pioneering members of the African-American segment of the Marine Corps(McLaurin).The book is divided in different chapters and at the beginning of each, McLaurin gives an account of the situation during the mentioned time frame in order to contextualize the historical accounts of the veterans for the general reader. The book details numerous examples of discrimination via segregation of the African-Americans from the White Americans, such as in transportation when the Blacks were made to travel in the coaches close to the diesel. The idea of enlisting Black Americans in the Marine Corps seemed so bizarre even at a general level that the said group of veterans were seen as imposters and liars. The adversities continued to pile up for the Black Marines since initially, they were told to serve in auxiliary units and were assigned the clean-up duties once the White Americans secured the Pacific Islands. The segregation around the Black Marines was so strong that they were only allowed to roam around in pre-assigned areas whereas even the war prisoners were allowed to roam around freely as per their wishes. Nevertheless, no matter how insignificant roles they were assigned, the Black Marines continued to perform their tasks with utmost dedication.
The struggle was fruitful when the Black Marines were able to perform well in combat on Iwo Jima, Saipan, Pelelui and Okinawa beaches. The success in these areas established the credibility of Black Marines in combat and in the following encounters, their White counterparts were a bit more acknowledging of their skills. Added to this was a presidential order of 1948 for military desegregation.
McLaurin's book provides firsthand narratives of veterans who struggled to achieve their status during a segregated military environment, despite an official order condemning discrimination against people of color. The interviews also provides an accurate picture of the political and social environment of the United States during the 1940s specifically and help us take a look at White privilege from the perspectives of the Black Marines. The struggles of the Black Marines of Montford Point paid off and the veterans defined the standards of perseverance and skill for others to follow. |
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