First Black Marines: Vanguard of a Legacy
by
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Note: This account is given from the prospective of one of the Special Enlisted Staff (SES) white Non-Commissioned Officers of the, then, segregated U.S. Marine Corps. This rather detailed account is the result of a combination of journal, diary and memory of Sgt. Fischer and it captures the real essence and portrays a vivid picture of the first black Marines during World War II. The fact that Sgt. Fischer is white and has no ax whatever to grind, enhances the creditability of his story.
Sergeant Major Edgar Huff, whose brilliant Marine Corps career has few rivals, is still a positive influence on the conduct of Marine Corps Association Business.
All Black Marines join an honored tradition, marked by blood, sweat and tears of Marines, Black like themselves, who had to fight to break the barriers against Blacks, fought segregation within the Marine Corps while trying to become the honored Marines they did become, when they joined the Montford Point Marines Association, Inc.
I firmly believe that the struggle for recognition for Black Marines, and for Black Servicemen of all military branches of the Department of Defense, would be 'forgotten' or intimidated at the least, if the Montford Point Marines Association, Inc., had not been created when it was, and not managed by those pioneers of Montford Point over the past 27 years.
As a white, former U.S. Marine who served at Montford Point from May to August 1944, and subsequently with the Black Marines of the 8th marine Ammunition Company in Honolulu, Hawaii and from 19 February to 11 April at Iwo Jima, and finally in Hilo, Hawaii from May to August 29, 1945, I am indescribably proud and honored to have had the distinct privilege to be a part of the tradition of Black Marines in the Marine Corps. If I could know that only one Black Marine felt that I made a positive contribution to their well being and dedication to the Marine Corps, I feel that all my efforts were worthwhile.
This I know, without questions, if I had been trained in boot camp and in advanced training under the same segregated conditions and severe conditioning that the veterans of Montford Point had been trained, I doubt if I could have met the challenge to the extent that they did, but I believe they are all better Marines for sticking with it. I am glad that some of them were on my side at Iwo Jima, where we were together, side by side, together through hell.
Finally, I would like to quote from a letter I received from Brigadier General T. V. Draude, Director of Public Affairs, U.S. Marine Corps, dated July 11, 1991.
....'The Marine Corps will always remember the unflagging courage, devotion to duty, and unfailing willingness to serve as displayed by those Marines that trained at Montford Point during the outset of World War II.'
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About the Book
'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.
About the Author
Fred deClouet has published numerous works including an auditing guide for the United States Justice Department, co-authored with Lantry and Switzer of the Colorado State University; A System and Curriculum Study (University of Hawaii); articles in Business Law Forum and Personal Journal.
Mr. deClouet has also written and published non-fiction works including Cooking with St. Clair, a Louisiana Creole cookbook filled with great recipes and anecdotes from his past (still in print after 10 years), You Don't Have to Lose, a guide for casino crap players, Scandalous New Orleans, a look at the past of the city known to Americans as its most interesting city including lives, customs, voodoo and much more.
The following are excerpts from reviewers of First Black Marines:
- 'Fred deClouet has turned out a real gem. It's a fine addition to any library.'
- -C.E. Mundy, Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps.
- 'It's his focus on historical information that highlights deClouet's writing.'
- -Dr. Z. Bolden, New Orleans Tribune.
- 'DeClouet documents the contributions and sacrifice of black Marines in the World War II effort. Well researched.'
- -Greater Park Hill News, Denver, Colorado.
- 'The author takes you through the war zone of emotions and resulting back lash in the military's effort to integrate itself.'
- -Ed Curlie, The Urban Spectrum Newspaper.