WBOC - We'll be learning more about the first Black Marines in the U.S. military next week on WBOC.
"Our America: Mission Point Forward" is a documentary about the Montford Point Marines. They are the first Black men to enlist in the United State Marine Corps. They trained at Camp Montford Point in Jacksonville, N.C., from August 1942 until the camp was decommissioned in Sept. 1949.
In 2011, President Barack Obama signed a law awarding Congressional Gold Medals to the brave men who eventually became America's first Black Marines.
The documentary aims to not only tell the story of these brave men, but to help find the Montford Point Marines who were never honored. Record keeping problems have only allowed about 2,000 men to be recognized. The National Montford Point Marines Association is seeking to award the remaining 18,000 men or their families with bronze replicas of the Congressional Gold Medal.
Please join us in celebrating Black History Month with this important 30 minute special on WBOC-TV Monday, Jan. 16th at 7:30 p.m. and FOX21 Wednesday, Feb. 1st at 7:00 p.m.
If you know any of these Marines, or their descendants, we want to hear from you. Please call us at (410) 749-1111 or email: news@wboc.com.