WHEREAS, the opportunity for African Americans to enlist and serve in the Marine Corps arose in 1942, after President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 8802 to prohibit ethnic and racial discrimination in the United States Defense industry; and
WHEREAS, the men who enlisted completed their recruit training at Montford Point, North Carolina during an era when racism and segregation was prevalent in everyday life; and
WHEREAS, despite discrimination and impediments, approximately 20,000 African American men completed recruit training and became known as the Montford Point Marines; and
WHEREAS, the Montford Point Marines were an integral part of the war effort and displayed valor and performance during Peleliu Battle, Iwo Jima Battle, the Chosen Reservoir Battle, and more; and
WHEREAS, the largest contingency of these Marines served in Okinawa, Japan, the site of one of the most deadly and storied battles of the Second World War; and
WHEREAS, Montford Point was decommissioned in 1949, but the legacy of the Montford Point Marines is a testament to the strength and perseverance of these troops and their families to serve our nation even in the face of adversity and hardship; and
WHEREAS, Public Law 112-59 was passed by the United States Congress and signed by President Barack Obama in 2012 to award the Congressional Medal of Honor to the Montford Point Marines; and
WHEREAS, the National Montford Point Marine Association has returned to North Carolina, and as a grateful state we welcome the 58th Montford Point Marine Association Annual Convention;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROY COOPER, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim August 25, 2023, as “MONTFORD POINT MARINE DAY” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.