WUNC: “A project started in 2019 to restore key buildings used by the first Black Marines — and protect the structures from the effects of climate change —is nearly complete.
During the 1940s, about 20,000 men trainedunder harsh conditions on a racially segregated base in North Carolina known as Montford Point .It’s now part of Camp Lejeune — the main Marine Corps infantry base for the East Coast — and is called Camp Johnson after one of those first Black marines, Sgt. Maj. Gilbert “Hashmark” Johnson, a storied drill instructor.
The men who made the buildings worth saving are nearly gone. But a handful of the 300 or so surviving Montford Point Marines came back in late April for the reopening of the freshly-restored museum honoring them, in what was once their mess hall.
It’s a good idea to keep in the minds of folks the way things used to be and the way they are now”
Retired First Sgt. William McDowell, who goes by “Jack,” flew in from Long Beach, Calif. He said the restoration is important to the Marines and the nation.
“I’m not one to dwell on the past,” he said. “On the other hand, I think for historical purposes and educational purposes, it’s a good idea to keep in the minds of folks the way things used to be and the way they are now.”
“There was a time when the Marine Corps would have rather the fact that it was racially segregated was forgotten about,” he said.
Not anymore.”